Protective styling is not a stranger to the natural hair game. Many curlies use protective styling throughout their hair journeys for many reasons including hair growth, length retention, and versatility. I was not always a big fan of protective styling until my third year of being natural. I never realized that were so many styles to choose from and I did not have to always choose one. In addition, I recognized that there were many benefits to adding it to my hair care regimen and I can allow it to work with my lifestyle and needs. Here are the reasons why I love to protective style:
They help me retain length
Protective styling allows me to retain my length. My regimen is pretty simple and I usually wear my hair in the same hairstyles. About 2-4 days during the week, I will moisturize my curls and install my hair in a protective style. I will make sure the ends of my hair are moisturized with a butter or cream and tuck them away. It allows my hair to stay moisturized and my ends are not exposed to my clothing or debris from the environment. This allows me to keep maximum hair growth because my ends are healthy.
They give me a break
Sometimes I do not want my hair down. Now that we are in the warmer months, I prefer to wear my hair up and out of my face. It can be annoying when I take the time to style my hair in a twist-out and it shrinks when I walk out the door. My protective styles prevent this from happening. I also put my hair in a protective style when I am stretching my wash days or I just do not feel like styling my hair. In the past, I realized if I washed my curls when I am dreading wash day. I am rougher and not as delicate with my curls. I just wanted wash day to be over with, but never understood that this can definitely cause unnecessary breakage.
They are easy and versatile
There are so many different ways where you can wear protective styles that can work for you, your lifestyle, and even your budget. I personally prefer protective styles that require less installation time on a daily basis. During the winter months, I will wear Marley twists 1-2 times throughout the season and leave them in for 3-4 weeks. The rest of the time, I would wear my hair in a low bun. I rather wear a low bun than a top knot because I learned the tension will break my hair off. In addition to a low bun, I would wear my hair in these protective styles that Mahogany Curls shares in her video. These are my daily go to styles because they are fast, stylish, and super easy. It is also budget friendly and I am able to do this myself.
Watch
When you are deciding on a protective style, ask yourself why are you protective styling? What works best for you, your lifestyle, and your budget?
