Protective styles like braids, twists, and bantu knots are the perfect way to look cute while you protect your strands and retain length for hair growth.
But did you know that there is a right way to rock these hairstyles, and a wrong way too?
Wearing these looks the right way will keep your hair healthy.
However, don't use them as an excuse to neglect your strands underneath. If not given the proper care and attention, protective hairstyles can end up contributing to hair breakage, thinning, and dryness.
Keep reading for 3 tips on how to get the most out of your protective styles.
1. Moisturize Your Hair Frequently While Wearing Protective Styles
Don't skip out on your haircare routine. Spray your hair with water daily and seal in that moisture with a lightweight oil.
If your schedule is busy, you can save time and use a leave-in conditioning spray that contains both water and oils that will moisturize and nourish your strands.
This will help prevent dryness and breakage. When you take down your style, you'll get to keep the length you already had, along with the growth you gained while your hair was protected.
2. Massage Your Scalp Often
Hair grows on an average of 1/4-1/2 and inch per month. To get the most out of your protective style, you should massage your scalp 3-5 times per week with a revitalizing hair oil.
This can help increase blood flow and nutrients to your scalp to stimulate growth.
3. Apply Conditioner Before Removing Your Protective Style
The take-down or removal of a protective style is arguably the most important part. If done incorrectly, you can lose a lot of hair during this process.
Some people use scissors and accidentally cut their hair. Others make the mistake of unraveling their strands dry, which can cause friction and tension that results in a lot of breakage and damage.
The best way to take down your braids, remove a sew-in, or unravel twists is to coat the hair with a conditioner or product with a lot of slip.
This will dampen the hair, improve elasticity, and make it pliable and easy to manipulate.
Not only does this method shorten the time it takes to remove your protective style, but it makes detangling easier as well.
It might get a little messy, but you should saturate your hair with product before removing your protective style. Your hair will thank you.
Protect What You Love
We protect what we cherish and hold dear to us. Protective styles help us keep our delicate strands safe from daily styling and manipulation.
But in order for that to happen, we have to show love to our hair even while it's locked away.
By keeping your hair moisturized, not only can you extend the life of your protective style, but you'll see the most hair growth and length retention as well.