Unpopular opinion: Natural Hair and Protective Styles

Unpopular Opinion: Natural Hair
“You can love your natural hair and not always want to wear it” @love_shadah

It’s 2018, we’re booked, full time jobs, children, running businesses, entertaining friends and still finding time for ourselves. Although none of these factors justify not wanting to wear your natural hair, protective hairstyles have become a topic of conversation. These beautiful afro-centric styles provide the security in knowing you can still reach your hair goals, while also allowing you to cut back on time it takes to style your hair everyday.. There is however, some controversy when it comes to the pros and cons of protective styles. What’s considered a protective style? How are they helpful? Can they damage your hair? Who should wear them? How to care for and maintain them. etc. ​

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Weather you took a leap of faith and went for the “big chop” or opted for the safe route and transitioned, YOU DID IT! Embracing your natural hair is a journey with no destination. Protective styles have opened an avenue of exploring options for everyday women with natural to transitioning hair. Wearing wigs and sew-ins to feed-in cornrows, faux locs and box braids are just a few examples of protective styles.

What are a few factors that would make me a good candidate for Protective styles?

• Those who struggle with styling everyday
• Anyone with thin, damaged, prone to breakage hair
• Environmental/ Climate factors such as living in dry, cold air or living in cities with high pollution from construction and traffic.

How should I maintain my protective style?
This depends on the hairstyle. We have a few tips anyone can use!

• MOISTURIZE- Use moisturizers and oils to prevent dry and brittle hair.
• Keep hair clean- Build-up of grease and dirt is normal. Washing your hair at least twice a month will minimize build-up and matting/ tangling of hair.
• Give your hair a rest in between styling. Over manipulating your hair too often will result in damage and hair loss.

Down Side of Protective Styles

No protective style is necessarily better or worse than the next but whatever you decide should actually protect your hair. Too often, we choose hairstyles based on the “look” we want totally negating the fact that that style may be damaging to your hair. Don’t forget the term “Protective”.

Protective styles has its down side depending on how it's installed and maintained, there are a few signs to take heed to when it comes to avoiding such as

• ​Thinning/ balding edges
• Tightly installed braids (especially faux-locs)
• Switching styles too often/ leaving style in too long.
• Not having access to YOUR SCALP. (Moisturizing your scalp during styles prevents breakage)

Weather protective styles are for you or not, taking care of your natural hair should always be priority. I’d love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite protective styles?