Protective styles are absolutely amazing! We love them and know you do too. From giving your hair a break to giving you a styling break, we can’t do without them. But like all things, there are limits to observe. So, do you know what you shouldn’t do while you have a protective style on? Today we are unpacking 4 key tips to make sure you protect your hair while wearing a protective style. Let’s go!
1. Do not overstyle a protective style
If you get a protective style that allows you to alter it, like loose twists or box braids, then it’s really important to remember that the point of the protective style was to protect your hair from excessive styling. Which means, don’t overstyle your hair now! Give your hair a break from pulling and tugging by taking breaks in between the different styles.
2. Do not keep your protective style in for too long
Many people believe in keeping a protective style in for as long as possible to maximise hair growth but this school of thought can do more harm than good. How? New growth can cause your braids/twists to put too much pressure on your hair and that can result in breakage defeating the whole purpose. Also, leaving in your protective style for extended periods also leads to a considerable amount of build-up, even if you wash it every other week. A reasonable amount of time to keep in a protective style is 6-8 weeks.
3. Do not rush taking your protective style out
We all hate the admin of taking braids/twists out so the sooner you get done the better right? Wrong. One of the benefits of having a protective style is being able to see how much longer and thicker your hair is when you take it off. If you rush undoing your hair, there is a fine chance you will not only use excessive force that causes a great deal of breakage but also, you can end up cutting your hair unintentionally. Put up a great series and give yourself sufficient time to undo your hair so you can enjoy the results of your protective style.
4. Do not put in a new protective style immediately after another one
Any hairstylist that’s worth their salt will tell you to take a break in between protective styles. Not only does your hair need a break but so does your scalp. The recommended time is over a week but 2 - 3 weeks is a good “down” time period for your hair. In this time, you can pamper your hair, deep condition it, let it loose and just allow it to breathe.
Which one of these mistakes have you been making? Now that you know better, you can do better! Remember, a protective style is designed to help, not harm your hair. Make sure you’re allowing your protective styles to do just that.
To happy hair days. Love MPL!