If you have any knowledge of the diet industry you will know that majority of the people who lose a great deal of weight eventually gain it back. For that reason a lot of industry experts often say that the real battle starts after you have lost the weight and not during the weight loss process.
Thankfully when it comes to black hair growth the real battle is usually in retaining length and after length is gained often times you will find that the average ‘good regimen’ will allow us to keep it.
Enter protective styling. If there was ever a “holy grail” in black hair care, protective styling definitely fits the bill. Many long hair care gurus swear by it saying that they retain the most length with a regimen heavy in protective styling and I’m definitely of that camp too.
I got my own length with a 40-50% protective styling regimen in the first 3 years of my journey and I can attest to the fact that if done correctly, it definitely works.
But are there are times when protective styles could result in splits ends, thinning hair, balding edges and major breakage? Absolutely! To be clear, in this article I am referring to braided protective styles like weaves, braids, cornrows or twists rather than styles that don’t require you braiding your hair.
I personally know someone who wears her hair mostly in weaves and individual braids that she installs herself but in the years that she has been doing this, her natural hair still sits firmly at shoulder length.
Has she reached terminal length? Hardly, it’s just her braiding technique that is at fault. In a separate article I look into the best braid sizes and types that prevent hair damage while guaranteeing maximum length retention but below are 4 ways that protective styling could actually do more harm than good in your healthy hair journey (HHJ).
1. Set and forget attitude
Let’s face it, these days most of us have such busy lifestyles that the idea of not having to deal with a 2 hour detangling session weekly sounds like bliss. But this is where a lot of ladies go wrong.
They install a full weave/set of braids and assume that their hair care responsibilities are over for a couple of months. But when you are on a quest to bring your hair to health, even while wearing braids and weaves, your hair regimen should continue as usual.
Where daily moisture with the use of creamy leave ins will not be possible while your hair is braided, use braid sprays to maintain your moisture protein balance and of course, wash and condition your hair weekly.
Nice
Orange _0-
It breaks my hair off.
I’ve had my hair in 2 French braids for 3 days and it’s time for me to take them out and wash. I could never keep a style for weeks because my scalp gets so oily.
Some things I can agree with but you would just have to be smart about how you do your hair (not tight etc), the right time frame to leave your hair in a protective style, and maintenance.
Yes
But I wear two strand twists offten
My next hair do
Works wonders for me !
No those styles feel uncomfortable
I asked before about putting styling gel in my hair keeping it in a ponytail could that be one of the reasons my hair isn’t growing like I want it to or as fast
Yep! slapping gel in hair and keeping it pulled back in a ponytail is not a protective style. Gel can cause dryness and breakage, not to mention you could be causing stress to your hair fro the constant tension of wearing a ponytail.
Yes i have healthy strong thick hair that hasnt had heat to it in over a year
Lovely!!!!
Very Good For Me!!!
Works for me, my hair is n braids now
Yes. I LOVE my wigs!
No my hair likes to be free it grows faster being free and left alone
Last summer I had my hair braided and when I took them out in August i found my ends to be ravaged. I had to trim it. Also I found caring for my hair more difficult despite my best efforts. I want to try it again but worried it really wont be a benefit.
Different experiences for everyone. And depending on how protective styles are achieved, maintained, and removed can also be a determining factor in the outcome of the overall health of your hair…
Braids and twist break my hair off 🙁
Thanks
Love my hair in braids. My hair seems to grow faster and I moisturize daily. I like alternating between braids and twists. I just braided my hair yesterday and I love it!
Great article. Now I only keep mines in for 3 weeks at a time. No matter how much oil I put on my scalp EVERYDAY, my scalp itch. I wash my hair weekly, spritz the hair with water & conditioner mix. I installed the braids myself so they’re not tight, but still refused to leave em in longer than 3 wks, 4 wks is my maximum until my hair start to get matted .
But this routine gives me length. I just started this routine about 6 months ago but notice the amount of length I can retain just by doing this.
Well, I don’t do my own braids because I don’t know how and I go to a professional who’s very gentle. There’s nothing wrong with individual braids. If I knew how to braid, I would take them out, but I don’t, so I’ll take care of them until my hair grows back. Not everybody that wears braids has a bad experience, so don’t try and discourage those that wear them.
And not everybody gain weight back after weight loss. I struggle with depression, which affects my weight, not because I eat badly at all or on purpose. And try to be active as much as I can.
This was a really great article. Too many women style their hair and then forget it still needs to be cared for. I came across this article and thought I’d share. Its along the same lines as this one.
http://curlkit.com/protecting-hair-protective-styling/
I have to braid my hair or have my mom do it . I wear cornrow braids now and I tried two strand twists now . I tried weaves and braid extensions before but my hair was ichy I had dandruff and it broke my hair off i also hate fake hair so I don’t do it anymore .