As a natural curly girl, hair care requires a lot of time and effort, so having the chance to skip refreshing, defining and styling your curls is a well-deserved treat. If you want to practice less manipulation, protective styles are also a great way to encourage hair growth.
However, protective styling is not always smooth sailing, I have put together my personal list of dos and don’ts of wearing box braids, twists, bantu knots, braid outs or any other protective style.
THE DOS OF PROTECTIVE STYLING
Do moisturize on the regular
This point is aimed at long-term protective styles. If your hair is tucked away, you may assume you don’t need to moisturise it, but that is far from the truth. As your curls are still prone to dryness, use a detangling moisturizer or leave-in conditioner that is water-based in a spray bottle so that it is easy to get to the roots between your braids or twists. When I had my protective style installed, I did this once a day or every other day.
Do try an apple cider vinegar rinse
If you suffer from sensitive skin, this is very important. The shop-bought hair you add to your protective style is sprayed with chemicals to preserve it whilst in packaging, which may irritate your scalp or skin (I had an itchy neck and face at times). This can be prevented if you cleanse the hair in apple cider vinegar (as you would your own hair) and dry before applying.
Do keep them in long enough
It is important to keep your box braids or twists in for over 4 weeks as your scalp needs to adjust to the style; when you take them down too soon, you are putting a ton of pressure on the scalp, which causes damage and breakage. Allow your hair to grow over the month or so--this will naturally make the protective style looser. Over-manipulation is a huge culprit for hair loss, so avoid this at all costs.
Do use the LOC/LCO Method
I make sure to apply as much moisture as possible when wearing a protective style. The best way to do this is by following the LOC/LCO method. I find that my braids or twist-outs hold much longer this way, and I can prolong the style for a week straight!
Do a pre-treatment
The night before putting my hair into a protective style I always make sure to give my hair an in-depth wash day, including cleansing with a clarifying shampoo, protein treatment, and deep conditioner with my heated cap. I style in loose twists with a very light water based leave-in--you do not want oily, product build-up hair before installing your style.
Do enjoy your protective style
Take a huge amount of pictures and show off this style! You may be like me and do not plan on having a protective style for a while so try out different styles, go to events to show off your new look and enjoy the break from your curls.
THE DON'TS OF PROTECTIVE STYLING
Don't forget about your edges
Protect those edge, girls! When you are getting your braids or twists done by a stylist, make sure you tell them to leave your edges out. I once felt some burning and told the stylist; she happily loosened the braid and reinforced that I tell her again if I ever feel like they are too tight. I have seen protective styles cause major hair loss and thinning in other women because of this.
Don't allow product to build up
Product build-up is caused when you use too much conditioner and stylers, which can cause a white, thick film (or flakes) on the scalp and can often look like dandruff. While wearing a protective style, avoid using a heavy gel; I only used liquid leave-ins with a spray top to avoid heavy-handed application.
Don't sleep without protecting your hair
This is essential, as it will be the most important factor to keep your protective style looking fresh and neater as long as possible. I always sleep on my satin pillowcase and make sure to wrap the top of my head with a satin scarf (to keep my edges in tact). Without taking these steps, you will end up with the style loosening quicker and frizzies popping out of the protective style.
Don't take down your style while it's wet
This is always an issue when trying to get the perfect twist-out or braid out--I have made this mistake many times. As I was in a rush, the result comes with much less definition and way more frizz. When the hair is completely dry, it allows time for the hair to soak up product and form to the texture that the twists or braids will create.
Don't forget to wash your hair
Even though your hair is nicely tucked away--out of sight, out of mind--you still need to wash your hair! Do not leave your poor tresses for weeks on end without a cleanse; carefully wash your scalp using a spray bottle to control how wet the rest of the hair gets.
To sum it up