It’s now 2015 and I’m sure a lot of you are thinking of signing up to the nearest gym to get rid of the holiday pounds after the indulgences of the last few weeks. You may also be looking at your hair seriously and thinking that you must do something about it this year.
Whether you have started your journey already or you are still twiddling your thumbs waiting for a moment of inspiration, a protective styling challenge is the ideal thing to get you on track with your hair journey.
Haphazard regimens have never worked for me so I always find that when I want to get serious with my protective styling, it helps immensely to have a plan. I prefer knowing exactly when my next protein treatment is going to be, when I will be steaming my hair or when I will allow myself to flat iron*.
This is why I have found the staggered protective styling regimen so helpful in my journey. Its built in breaks means that I can change my hairstyle often while still getting to occasionally wear my own hair and assess my progress as the year goes on.
I know we are not all built the same way however: my sister for instance doesn’t mind going 2 months in braids while I can’t stand to have them in my hair longer than 3 weeks. This means that she can be more elaborate with her braiding choices while I will tend to go for the ones easiest to install and remove. Either way, we recognize that protective styling is a means to an end so we find the easiest ways to incorporate them into our regimens to give us the results that we want.
For 2015 we will again be doing the protective styling challenge for the entire year over at the forum. And this year we have decided to throw in the extra boost that is hair growth aids. Do you absolutely need them to grow your hair? Nope, your hair will grow anyway. But many of us do struggle with less than average hair growth rate so adding a bit of extra spark is never a bad idea.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter which hair growth aid you go for. You can try our hair vitamins Elongtress; you can use a growth boosting shampoo or conditioner, or even whip up your own batch of sulfur* oil at home. It’s totally up to you what you use, but whatever you decide, just stick with it for at least 3 months to see the full benefits.
Remember that hair grows pretty slowly anyway, so comparing a 3 month period to your usual baseline rate of growth is the best way to see the difference. And remember to take lots of before pictures. Trust me, it’s very difficult to see even a 1 inch difference with the naked eye, so DON’T DEPEND ON MEMORY to tell you if your hair is growing or not! There’s nothing as encouraging as seeing a clear side to side difference in pictures when you assess your hard work every few months.
So let’s get back to basics with a good old fashioned protective styling challenge, shall we? Hop on over to the forum to join up.
Already got a jump start on this one lol.
I need to get some braids! And I want to do them myself
My aunt had me do this practically all last year and my hair is sooooooooooooooo much healthier!!!!! Plus I took hairfinity too.
Hi does hairfinity really work? My hair is getting thin and I am looking for something to try and get it back the way it was.
Yes it does. I take one in the morning and make sure that I stayed hydrated, then one at night.
I also do protein treatments every 6 weeks.
What is a protein treatment?
Here’s a link that tells you what they are. Hope this helps!
Protein Treatments – Natural Hair Rules!!!
http://www.naturalhairrules.com/protein-treatm...
Mobile-friendly – Jan 7, 2014 – Protein treatmentsare used to add strength and resiliency to damaged hair. When used in the right
Or you could just Google protein treatments.
Nisha Green
That’s a good idea!
I’m thinking about throwing some braids back in my hair again lol
Shekia Brand
I been doing this since I was relaxed
I started doing this a month ago. But I’m simply doing cornrows in my hair without extensions
I think i might do an adjusted protective style challenge by leaving my protective styles in for like 1-2 months and perhaps only letting my hair breathe in the summer. Or I might jus do a crochet braids fro that looks identical to my hair. And I also won’t be using a growth supplement but instead dieting and exercising.
I have a jump start
Well I guess my plan to do crochets today was a good one. Now to get on it.
I started this back in November–and my hair is definitely healthier and easier to manage. I’ve been taking Hair, Skin, and Nails + Biotin and using a hair/food sulfur mix. I had tried Hairfinity but I had an extreme allergic reaction to it.
I’m in!! Got my braids two weeks ago!!
Will do – here,s to healthy, long, natural hair for 2015!!!
I did my hair two days ago:)
I’m in, already started actually. I’ve had my crochet braids in about a 2 weeks now.
Well I’m in. This is going to be a challenge!! I do want to try. Wigs will be mine.
I’m in for sure!!
I’m in got my 10,000mgs of biotin and about to get my crochet braids and its on.
Wash and deep conditioner with protective style?
I wear cornrows all the time but I can’t do this challenge I can’t go one week without cornrows I always wear my cornrows for a month then I undo each braid and rebraid . I wash my hair with my cornrows in less work less detangling cute style less work . I’m wearing cornrows untill my hair gets long once my cornrows reach my back I’ll wear buns and updos which may take another two years . 🙂
I am definitely doing this hair challenge! My braids have been in a little more than two weeks. Hopefully I can only have minimal fizz until two months.