[Protective] Styling.

Let's be honest, who doesn't want long, healthy hair? The key to reaching any desired hair growth goal is length retention. What most people do not realize is that your hair grows daily. However, we aren't able to see the results of hair growth, because the hair is breaking at the ends. Also, manipulating your hair too often can cause unnecessary breakage.

A great way to solve this problem is a protective style! Protective styling is known among the natural hair community as a benefit to protect your hair from too much manipulation. A change in the seasons, dry winter or hot summers, can also damage the hair so it would be a great benefit to give your hair a break with protective styling.

Protective styles can range from a simply bun or wig, to braids or an up-do. If you're bored with your regular style, protective styling is a great way to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. This post will offer three simple suggestions for protective styles.

The Halo Crown Braid/Twist:
The first protective style I am going to highlight is an up-do often refereed to as a "goddess braid". The style typically lasts one week and I would recommend doing it on Sunday night and wearing it until your next wash day (if you wash your hair weekly). Essentially, the purpose of this protective style is to pull all of the hair together to prevent manipulation throughout the week. An easy tutorial can be found here. Seek Youtube and other natural hair forums for tutorials on this style.

High Bun/Top Knot:
My favorite protective style is a bun. Due to the simplicity of the style, and its low maintenance I choose this style most frequently. A bun may consist only of your natural hair, or you can add extra hair to thicken the bun. I recommend you seek tutorials and reviews on which hair is the best for bunning before you add hair to your bun. I would not recommend using an added styler (also known as doughnut) to get a perfect "ballerina bun". These additives can cause damage to your hair by adding friction between your hair and the bun. An important thing to remember when bunning is how tight you make your bun. If your bun is too tight you can do more damage than good to your hair. Tension on your hair from tight ponytails can cause your hair to break off in the space where your hair is pulled together. A tutorial for doing a bun as a protective style can be found here.

Box Braids:

Although box braids (or any braids for that matter) are not the easiest protective style to do, they will last the longest. 100% Kanekalon Jumbo Braid hair is suggested as it is kinkier in texture and will hold the braid better. It is imperative that your natural hair is healthy and can withstand braids before you select this style. I would recommend deep conditioning every week at least two months prior to getting the braids. Also, the key to ensuring that the braids are effective in protecting your hair is to take them down at the right time. You do not want to leave the braids in too long, or take them down too soon! It is suggested to leave box braids in no longer than 2 months. To maintain your natural hair for these 2 months, I recommend that you oil your scalp daily and wrap your hair every night. I suggest olive oil, castor oil, or even canola oil. As your edges and new growth start to grow, brush them up each morning to maintain a neat look. Use a silk scarf/head wrap when you wrap your hair at night. Cotton bandannas will absorb the moisture and dry out your hair. Remember to wear a shower cap in the shower, because you do not want the braids to absorb any water. There are great professionals who are skilled with box braids. However, you can easily learn to do your own. Seek YouTube for many tutorials; one great tutorial can be seen here.