How To: Protect Your Hair in a Protective Style

Hey Afro.Chicks!!

I know you ladies LOVE to have your hair in protective styles and so do I. However, we have to remember that we still have to protect our hair while it's 'protected'. I'm gonna share some tips with you to keep your hair safe while it's under wraps.


#1 Keep your hair moisturized: A huge mistake that most curly girls make while their hair is protected, is to moisturize. We all know how important moisture is to natural hair and we have to ensure that we give our hair all the moisture it needs. 



#2 Protect your sides: The best looking hairstyles are usually pulled tight. This is a no-no. When hair is being braided or cornrowed, you must ensure your sides aren't pulled too tight. Constant pulling and tugging to the sensitive strands that border our manes can cause major, long term damage. 



#3 Don't Push It: Don't wear your protective style for too long. The period of time you keep your hair in a protective style can make or break your hair. Many people swear by protective styles for growth, however, they can cause breakage if they're kept in too long. I recommend you keep your styles in for 6 - 8 weeks. (I personally don't go past a month because my hair always fags by the third week.)



#4 Nighttime Protection: Tie your hair down with a silk scarf or silk band overnight. Doubling with a silk pillowcase is great also. If you use a cotton scarf, don't tie it too tight around your edges. Push the head scarf about an inch back from your hairline and gel those sides down the next day. 



#5 Limited Product Use: Other than oil and water you want to limit the build-up you cause on your hair. We love to gel down those 'baby hairs' in the front of our heads. This can cause chunks of build-up and may cause breakage when it's time to loose your braids. 



#6 Wash/Cleanse Your Scalp: Some protective hairstyles allow you to wash your hair while it's protected; take advantage of this. If you can wash your hair, wash it! If washing is not ideal for your style, find some dry shampoo and cleanse your scalp. You should wash/cleanse every two weeks.



#7 Handle With Care: Don't pull/tug on the hair too much. Depending on your style, there can be a lot of strain placed on the hair and it's follicle. You want to be careful not to pull the hair too tight or weight it down too much. You don't want to cause damage to hair that hasn't left the scalp as yet. 



#8 Remove With Care: Remove whatever extensions you have in carefully. Clear hair from tip to root. This method has worked for me every time so I would recommend it. Try not to comb your hair when removing braids also. If you follow the protection tips during, there will be no need to use combs after. However, if you do have knots to detangle, use a little oil or conditioner on your fingers and work it into the knot. Once the knot is saturated you may use a pin or the tail end of a rat-tailed comb to detangle knots. 



Okay, I hope these tips help you out with how to protect your hair while it's in a protective style! 

Happy Styling!

-Afro.Chick.Nik