Managing Natural Hair: Protective Styling

I love my natural hair so much but sometimes it can get overwhelming and i just want to tuck everything away and not have to deal with it. Other times i want straight long hair and there is no way i'm straightening my real hair (well at least for now). Who doesn't like switching up their look anyway? Protective styling is the solution to this as it provides versatility.

Why choose protective styling

Each time you wear your hair with the ends tucked away, that is a protective style. Protective styles prevent your hair, especially the ends from being let out loose and prone to breakage due to constant tugging, styling and other external conditions. As we all know, dry hair breaks. Protective styles keep the ends from drying out and therefore minimizing breakage. I've heard ladies say their hair does not grow, and i stand there in shock like, huh! That's not possible because everyone's hair grows, its just that some people don't care for their ends so the hair breaks and they feel like there is no growth.

I personally don't have the patience and time to deal with my natural hair on a daily basis, so keeping it in a protective style ensures that it is catered for rather than if i end up neglecting it, which could cause more breakage.

There are different types of protective styles including braids, weaves, updos, twists and my all time fave, wigs! This list is not conclusive though these are just the most common ones.

Don't neglect your real hair

When protective styling you still need to care for your hair underneath. Its pointless to completely ignore your hair, not moisturize or clean your scalp just because you have a protective style. You might not experience major breakage but you won't retain the maximum possible length as well.

In my entire life i have gotten braids less than 5 times, so i won't talk about that (i can't sit in one place for 3-5 hours to get hair done but i'm working on it and might get braided some time soon).

I love wigs more because i keep my hair in tracks which i undo every week, wash my hair and redo them. They also allow me to easily massage castor oil onto my scalp for growth stimulation and i can apply moisturizer on the tracks to keep my hair moisturized. i know some may be skeptical about wigs but trust me people will never know. Like can you tell in the pic above that i'm wearing a wig?

When i wear weaves i clean my scalp weekly with an apple cider vinegar and water spritz, then i massage castor oil on my scalp every 3-4 days, and i usually keep the weave for 3-4 weeks, after which i thoroughly cleanse and deep condition. Click here for deep conditioning tips.

What are your favorite protective styles and how do you care for your hair underneath? Lets discuss in the comments.

Thank you for reading.
Love Nyasha Nicole.