Do you have or are you considering wearing a protective style? If so, that’s great because protective styles are always a go-to for me. However, there are a couple of things you should remember. When you’re wearing a protective style you still want to maintain healthy hair. In today’s article, I am going to share with you five ways to get the most our of your protective style.
What is a Protective Style?
Before we dive in, let’s first discuss what a protective style is.
Protective hairstyles are simply styles that tuck your hair away to keep them from manipulation. In other words, a protective hairstyle protects the ends of your hair, helping to decrease tangling, shedding, and breakage. One of the benefits is that when you wear a protective style, it limits the stress of environmental factors on your natural hair.
But it is not enough to just get a protective hairstyle. You have to also care for your hair. So, I am going to share with you some easy ways to care for your natural hair while wearing a protective style. As a result, this will allow you to get the most out of your protective style.
#1) EASE THE TENSION
When getting a protective style you have to be careful that you’re not putting too much tension on your natural hair. To do this there are a couple of things that you can do. For example, you should make sure that your hair is not being pulled too tight during the install. This means you might have to say something when the stylist or whomever is doing your hair. I know it may seem uncomfortable but don’t be hesitant to speak up if they are putting too much tension on your hair.
#2 CLEANSE YOUR SCALP
There are some amazing cleansing shampoos that you can use to wash your hair as the style progresses. If dry shampoos don’t work for you, then a quicker method would be dunking your head in warm water for about 90 seconds. This will allow the natural moisturizer and water to work its way into tiny curls that aren’t necessarily exposed in my protective style.
Then, massage your scalp gently and carefully to let the water soak up. *NOTE* depending on the protective style you are wearing, this could make your hairstyle frizzy or prevent it from lasting as long so talk to your hairstylist about how to best preserve the style.
#3) KEEP HAIR MOISTURIZED
It’s a given that your hair will start to feel dry at some point when you’re wearing a protective style. Therefore, it is a good idea to moisturize your hair (and scalp) to ensure that you prevent breakage during the takedown process. Try a light moisturizing leave in conditioner. To keep your hair moisturized, we recommend that you use the PureFix Hair Elixir which is a 6-in-1 hair and scalp treatment plus moisturizer. Its all-natural ingredients work together to support longer, stronger hair and to promote hair growth.
#4) PROTECT AT BEDTIME
Be sure to sleep with a satin bonnet or scarf at night to avoid messing up your protective style and keep it looking fresh. Bonnets and scarfs aren’t always suitable for the bedroom if you know what I mean! So for those nights when bae isn’t feeling the bonnet or scarf, pull out the satin pillowcase. Those work just as good!
#5) BE GENTLE WHEN TAKING THE STYLE DOWN
If you’re not in the mood to take your style down, wait until you are. When you’re tired and just not ready to dedicate the time, just don’t do it. The process can be tedious and requires a gentle touch. Your hair will be much more malleable and easier to work with when you use moisture. Use some oil, pull out that good old spray bottle, and get to spritzing. Whether you choose to detangle while your hair is saturated with conditioner or to finger comb, find a method that works for you and keeps breakage down to a minimum.
This article was originally published on October 4, 2018 and was updated on September 2, 2021.
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