What To Consider Before Protective Styling
The objectives of protective styling are giving your hair a much needed break from constant styling and encouraging it to grow. If not done properly though, it can have the opposite effect. Below are a few things to consider before Protective Styling to ensure you achieve the intended goal. *This post is not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned.
Synthetic hair
This is actually the most important factor. Find out if you are allergic to synthetic hair before styling. Having a sensitive scalp as well might also lead to a negative reaction to the hair. Yet another braiding horror story; I’ve been protective styling my hair for years with box braids, often from the same brand (named after a popular Nigerian city), that ended when I woke up in the middle of the night with hives on every part of my body the braids had touched. In this particular case I can’t say if it was the brand of the braids (maybe they had changed the chemicals used to treat the braids? idk) or the fact that I constantly slept with my braids touching my skin as opposed to in a bun? hmm. To avoid this, try soaking the braids in warm water and a cup of Apple cider vinegar for 30 mins to 1 hour. (This is especially helpful if you have psoriasis or eczema that extends to your scalp, which would cause it to be even more sensitive). However, if this doesn’t tame the reaction to the braids, you might want to consider steering clear of horse hair, because you might be allergic to just that. Try considering human hair braids, they are aloot more expensive but at least your scalp will actually be able to tolerate them.
The hair I used in my latest protective style.Shot and styled by Alex Njeri.
Type of hair you use
This follows much of what is mentioned in the previous paragraph; if you notice you have a sensitive scalp, opt for softer synthetic hair that isn’t treated as harshly. Aside from sensitivity, opting for lighter types of hair will also be a good choice; less stress on your strands. These details are often indicated on the packaging, so you have an idea of what you’re actually putting on your head. Lastly, don’t be afraid to try new brands (again, after carefully scrutinizing the packaging), look up reviews and ask around about the brand as well.
For my twists I used Darling’s premium collections ‘Elegant long,’ braids in the color 1/33 (jet black but with a touch of Auburn at the ends), (pictured above )the packaging is also labelled ‘hair as light as air’ which is actually true, the hair is also much softer than regular synthetic hair and so far I haven’t reacted to it, (still putting my hair in a bun though)
Style; Consider time when choosing, twists last about 5 weeks. Image from Wix.
Style
One of the key things that should influence your choice of protective style is time. How long do you want your hair to remain in a protective style? Are you protective styling ahead of travelling and if so for how long? This will help you narrow down the styles that suit your needs as different styles’ durability differs. Styles such as feed in braids tend to ‘wear out’ the fastest, especially larger ones, while twists can be kept in for just about a month. Box braids can last slightly longer while faux goddess locs can last up to 6 months if done properly. Keeping the time factor in mind allows you to settle on the most convenient choice (E.g; if you’re going on a two week holiday, feed in braids would be perfect. While Box braids would be a better choice for travelling to a different country for about a month. [especially if it’s a country with little access to products for textured hair, or salons that can style afro hair]).
Size and stress; I went for medium sized twists, this size puts the least tension on your hair.
Size and stress
The hair stylist that did my twists was telling me about the importance of choosing the size of the braids/twists wisely. She discouraged me from getting micro braids and micro twists, especially the long ones. She explained that if the braids are too long, the weight of the synthetic hair can place a lot of stress on what is a very small section of your natural hair, leading to breakage. The tension placed when the style is being fixed on is also a crucial factor; braids or twists that are tightly wound around your natural hair will cause cutting right from the root. I once had braids that were so tightly fixed they looked like they were glued onto my scalp, my baby hairs weren’t spared either. I took the braids out after three weeks and much of my hairline came out with them. (Thank God it grew back, never been to that salon again though). The hair stylist explained a lot of stylists tend to tighten the point where your hair and the synthetic hair meet so the style can last longer; but the consequences of doing this long term can include traction alopecia, hair loss brought about by constant pulling of the hair strands.
Allowance for maintenance
Another key factor to consider, I’m constantly dissuading people from getting hairstyles that deny you access to your scalp. Just like the skin on your face, your scalp needs to be moisturized and if not it can get really dry. A dry scalp is often insanely itchy and just downright uncomfortable. To avoid this, make sure your hair is parted in a way that allows you to moisturize your scalp effectively when it is within the style. This is particularly important when you’re going for very large box braids or feed in cornrows. This is also the reason I think sow in weaves are high key the devil (you literally have no access to large sections of your scalp for up to a month; my fren (yes I wrote fren on purpose), that is a destructive style, not a protective one) anyway, that is a whole other article, lol. As for this one, that sums it up.
That is all for this post guys, thank you so much for reading all of it, lol. I hope you found the info on here helpful and hope to see you on my next post !
Xo – Alex.
