Many people love protective styling. It is a great way to retain length by putting less stress on your hair strands. While a lot of you have gained great results from protecting their hair, others have achieved damaging results. Why? Here are 11 reasons when protective hairstyles are not protective.

When protective hairstyles are not protective

1. Hairdresser trims hair
Have you ever tried braids? And do you remember when your hairdresser trims the hair that is sticking out when she has finished braiding? Let me tell you what she is really doing. She is giving you a haircut. You can avoid this. Give her time to braid your hair so that she doesn’t have to fix it afterwards. In addition to this, stretch your hair out with different techniques for e.g. do a blow out or African threading. Your hair would be less frizzy and ready to be styled.

2. Tight Braids
The last time I braided my hair was When Protective Hairstyles Are Not Protective 124 months ago. After the installation, I was not able to laugh or to move my forehead. The braids were too tight. I was not able to rock any of the beautiful styles I have posted on the Frolicious Instagram Account for almost 3 weeks. I have to admit that I am maybe a bit more sensitive then the average person, after I have been relaxed for many years. My braids were so tight that I had to take pain killers to sleep at night. Permanently tight hairstyles  can damage your roots. I am now working on getting my edges back. How are your edges doing?

3. Thick and Heavy Braids
Do you remember Janet Jackson in the movie Poetic Justice? Here braids were stunning. I tried them. They were heavy especially when they were wet. It was too much stress on my hair and scalp. The result was bald spots around my edges. Next time, I will try less packs of hair and maybe Marley hair as they are lighter.

4. Thick and Heavy Braids
Do you remember Janet Jackson in the movie Poetic Justice? Here braids were stunning. I tried them. They were heavy especially when they were wet. It was too much stress on my hair and scalp. The result was bald spots around my edges. Next time, I will try less packs of hair and maybe Marley hair as they are lighter.

5. Change Your Style
Don’t be afraid to change a running system. I was doing the same style over and over. I believe it has weaken my hair strands. Now I rotate between single strands twists, cornrows, braids etc.

6. Tiny Braids
I remember the first time I got braids installed. I was in Kumasi (Ghana, Africa) and two hairstylists were creating the little braids. It took us a whole day. I felt pretty with that much braids on my head. However, when my hair started to grow my point of view changed. I lost some of these tiny braids for e.g. while taking my pullover off. The worst part was to take the style down. It was a nightmare, I had so much build up that we ended up cutting my hair. Why? Nobody had the time to detangle my hair with me.

7. Take down
That leads me on to the next point. Taking down the style. I noticed that I sometimes cut too much hair off. Who wants to spend another 6 hours to take down the style and to detangle? I have learned from my hair lost. Now, I only cut a few cm off the braids and start from there. The time is worth it.

8. Moisture level
Take care of your hair. Even if it is in a hair protective hairstyle it still needs to be moisturized. What ever style you are rocking under your hair it does not matter. Otherwise your hair will dry out and you will face breakage problems.

9. Impatient Hairdresser
What makes me angry is a impatient hairdresser. Sometimes, they are rough on our hair. Don’t let them comb your hair with a fine tooth comb or blow it out without using any heat protectant. Just avoid these hairdresser. As mentioned above stretch your hair before going to an appointment. This will make it easier for you and for her/him.

10. How long do you keep your Style?
3 weeks or 2 months? Please take into consideration that the length of time your hair can handle and benefit from a protective style varies from person to person. Personally, I achieve the best benefits between 3 and 4 weeks.

11. Let Your Hair Breath
Give your hair a break after taking your protective style down. Take your time to wash and deep condition your hair while it is in it natural state.

 

Do you have other thoughts to add when protective hairstyles are not protective?

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