As a natural, you must possess an arsenal of natural hair styling techniques to attain the results you want. You can often get by with lesser products, but your journey requires top-notch natural hair styling techniques for true success. Protective styling natural hair stands out as one excellent technique to help achieve your hair goals.
Protective styling covers a wide range of natural hair styling techniques. However, the breadth of protective styling natural hair does not mean it has to be hard, time-consuming, or expensive.
So, stay with us as we discuss the basics of protective styling natural hair. We will cover the reasons why protective styling should have a permanent residence in your natural hair regimen. Moreover, we’ll share a few general protective styling natural hair tips to help you do less while still reaping great benefits.
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Protective Styling Natural Hair: What is it?
Protective styling refers to a natural hair styling technique which results in the ends of your hair being protected. The protection may come from ends being covered by one’s own natural hair, bulk hair, wigs, or other installed hair. Thus, the natural hair styling method’s “protective” name. Remember, the ends of your hair represent the oldest part of the hair and usually require extra TLC for best health.
Protective styling takes many forms. Braids, twists, buns, knots, and locs including crochet braids, flat twists, faux locs, many updos, and African banding could be included as protective styles. In addition, wigs and weaves may be considered totally protective when users refrain from leaving out hair.
The only real requirement for protective styling is the protection of one’s ends. You can attain this through tucking ends in buns or other twisted/braided updos. Additionally, ends may be coved as seen in faux locs, wigs, weaves, and African banding.
Protective Styling Natural Hair: What are the benefits?
Protective styling has a plethora of benefits. Most importantly it protects the ends of the hair. This protection of the ends aids greatly in length retention.
Moreover, protective styling natural hair keeps the hair from being over manipulated. Less friction on the hair helps to prevent tangles. This assists in preventing unnecessary breakage.
Next, naturals can utilize protective styling to help retain additional moisture. While protective styling natural hair, less of the hair’s surface area gets exposed to the air. This results in less moisture being lost to the atmosphere.
Subsequently, this natural hair styling technique provides extreme versatility. Protective styling natural hair can be successfully achieved on all hair textures, lengths, and porosities.
Another benefit of this styling type comes from its ease. While some styles such as weaves and braids may need a professional’s touch, most protective styles can be achieved at home.
In addition, many protective styles easily transition into a secondary low-manipulation style that allows users to get even more days out of the style. These take the form of braid-outs, twist-outs, knot-outs, etc.
Finally, protective styling natural hair does not have to carry a large price tag. You don’t necessarily need a hair stylist, special styling tools, or hard to find styling products to create a protective style. This means just about anyone can achieve protective styling relatively inexpensively.
Protective Styling Natural Hair: Tips for the Best Results
What to Do
First, you should always complete protective styling after deep conditioning and moisture sealing. This will help to prepare natural hair for styling. The moisture sealing step adds much-needed slip to make the process more manageable. In addition, deep conditioning and moisture sealing help balance hair’s moisture level before completing the style. This is important as moisturizing can be difficult with some protective styles without restyling.
Moreover, you should strive to keep your hair in protective styles most days of the week. This will aid in furthering length retention (less manipulation = increased length retention). This also will save time throughout the week as restyling will not take place on a daily basis.
Continue to cleanse, deep condition, and moisturize this hair on a regular schedule. Use diluted products in applicator bottles to direct pre-poo, shampoo, co-wash, and/or conditioner down to your scalp and protected hair.
What Not to Do
Next, don’t neglect the hair underneath long-term protective styles. Your actual hair still needs maintenance when under weaves, wigs, crochet braids, etc.
Furthermore, stay away from practices that may lead to hair thinning or loss. Refrain from extremely tight or heavy protective styles. Tightness and extra weight put undue stress on your hair strands, weakening them. Moreover, alternate braid, twist, and parting patterns during this natural hair styling method to prevent tension on the same hair strands repeatedly.
You should also avoid wearing long-term protective styles for very long periods of time. As a rule of thumb, keep long-term protective styles installed for no more than 6-8 weeks. In addition, you should give hair an opportunity to rest between long-term protective styles. Use this rest time to refortify your natural hair.
A Few Notes on Products
Last but not least, make sure you utilize quality products to realize your most attractive protective styles. The butters and style creams available commercially are countless.
In addition, DIY versions can also make suitable alternatives for use with protective styles. Some tried and true favorites of mine include the following:
- Miss Jessie’s Baby Buttercreme
- Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter
- Curls Unleashed ORS Take Command Curl Defining Crème
- Pure by Made Beautiful Replenishing Styling Cream
- Natural Hair Nysa DIY Styling Butter
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Last Thoughts
Naturals who seriously care about their hair journeys engage in protective styling natural hair as part of their regular regimens. The protection, versatility, and ease offered with these styling methods make protective styling the perfect addition to a hair care routine for promoting health and growth.
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