Protective styling; It’s a topic that comes up often in natural hair care discussion. And while it’s a proven way to retain length and improve the quality of natural hair, it’s far from a natural hair requirement and it definitely rubs some naturals the wrong way. Here are 5 signs that protective styling is just not the thing for you…
1. Your hair can retain length without protective styling
Does your hair sprout like weeds regardless of what you do to it? Then you, my friend, have strong hair and probably don’t need the added “oomph” of protective styling for length retention. We’ve featured quite a few women who don’t need protective styling to retain length (check out Elle, Geri and Jess).
2. You value styling over length
Why should I go natural, only to keep my hair hidden all the time?, is a common refrain from naturals who don’t like the idea of rocking the same style for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. If you are one that likes to switch it up on the regular, and ‘length goals’ aren’t a concern of yours, then feel free to mix it up!
3. Length is not a concern for you
This is pretty self explanatory. Growing natural hair out is a time commitment, and so is maintaining long natural hair. While waist-length natural Geniece recently shared that maintaining long hair doesn’t have to take forever, it does undoubtedly take more time than managing short hair. If long hair maintenance is not your cup of tea, feel free to bypass protective styling.
4. Your hair is prone to locing
Have you kept your hair in a style for a few days, only to discover that certain areas started locing? Now of course, this would be a blessing if you were transitioning to locs, but if you plan on rocking loose strands, this obviously won’t work for you. You will either have to abandon protective styling altogether, switch to loc resistant styles (like cornrows or flat twists) or cut down on the number of days that you keep your hair in protective styles.
5. You have a scalp condition
Some scalp conditions, like dandruff or psoriasis, require you to wash and/or apply product to your scalp at an increased rate and protective styles can get in the way of that. Before you take on a protective styling regimen, get your scalp condition under control. And keep in mind that protective styling often comes with some minor product buildup on the scalp. Be sure that this won’t agitate any existing scalp problems.
Alternatives to Protective Styling
There’s more than one way to retain length. While I would venture to say that for most naturals, protective styling will be the most effective, there are still plenty of ways to resist breakage.
Low Manipulation Styling
So you can’t put your hair in a set of twists and leave it for two weeks… but you CAN rock styles that don’t require excessive tugging and pulling. Try as much as possible to recycle styles, like converting a second-day twistout into a bun or updo — instead of starting from scratch with a new style.
Decrease Combing
Combing is a major culprit when it comes to breakage. Be sure that your combing technique isn’t causing breakage and try to incorporate finger combing where possible.
Keep your Ends Stretched
Stretched ends won’t tangle up on each other, and will ultimately lead to less breakage. Try setting your ends on rollers or placing your hair in bantu knots.
Regular Deep Treatments
Remember your treatments! Moisturized hair is strong hair, and strong hair is breakage-proof. Incorporate regular strength and deep conditioning treatments into your regimen. And if your hair is shedding or breaking at an increased rate, reach for the protein.
Alright ladies, sound off! Is protective styling for you? Do you incorporate it in your regimen? Why or why not?
Best article to date!!! I love protective styling but I can’t stand it in the same breath. However, I know from my past history of not protecting my ends I’ve suffered severe damage and therefore hesistantly submit to PS. This is a great article to share with new naturals and I think I’ll do just that!
Agree totally…this article is on point. I have worn braids and sew-ins forever and for ME personally I’m sick of them. I don’t even care to wear the wigs but I be wearing them during the winter months for protective styling and help with retaining length during the cold months. For now no more braids and sew-ins, the two strand twist/twist outs are my new best friend. For some we all know that between work, school, and kids…braids and sew-ins are what works best. As long as these things are not damageing your hair keep doing what you have always… Read more »
I just hit my 3 year anniversary!! Woohoo. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/My17Bf And, I attribute my growth to protective styling. I wear 2strand twists most of the time. Although it has helped me to reach new lengths, I would like to now start wearing my hair out more.…but… PS is more of a necessity for me — as my hair gets extremely tangled, matted, and dry when it is worn out!! I’ve tried rocking buns (and one would think they are easy), but I am bun-challenged and they end up looking like gigantic lopsided cotton balls dangling on the side… Read more »
You have beautiful hair!
+1
Congrats gorgeous!!
Great article, although protective styling has proven to promote hair growth, there are additional ways in increasing the growth. I feel moisture is key and paying attention to what your hair needs, because even with protective styling breakage could be a problem if not done properly.
agree 100%
It has not been working for me. I have not put a perm in my hair since December 2008 and it’s now June 2012 and I have not really retained any length. My hair looks to be the same length is was when it was permed. I mean after 3 years I would have expected to see more change. That’s why a week ago I decided not yo wear waves anymore. I told my self if I do it will only be for 1 month or less out of the year. No more year-round weaves for me. I want my… Read more »
Good luck, I hope you experience the progress that you’re looking for 🙂
Coco, thank you. Its going to be a journey especially once I get back to Buffalo for school in the fall
+1 Good luck and you can do it =)
I do low manipulation styles. I LOVE two strands but my scalpy thin twist are not whats up. I would totally do more protective styles if my hair was thicker/more dense.
That’s the same reason why I don’t do protective styling anymore. My hair is too fine and thin for twists and braids, plus they look very scalpy. Not a good look. Also, my edges are too delicate for buns. Which leaves me with WnG’s, twist/braid outs and updos.
+1
The keys to length retention are
1)MOISTURE
2)Sealing with an Oil or Butter.
3)Covering your hair at night with Satin scarf or using a pillow case
I do single plaits or two strand twist 2–3x a year max when i can be bothered.
My signature style choice is a braid out or a puff. You can’t go wrong there.
Protetctive style can be part of your routine here and there if you want but doesn’t HAVE to.
Ditto–I totally agree!
I had to do another big chop because my hair was just damaged from lack of moisture. I was not consistent enough with DC, moisturizing and I realized I wasn’t sealing my hair as well as I needed to. I think some of us need really heavy oil to seal. Im finally seeing hair that retains moisture and STAYS sealed by doing the LOC method (liquid, oil, cream) and I have to use mineral oil/pomade as my cream. It’s that serious! For a year, my hair was never really properly sealed…I’d wash, add conditioner and seal and hours later, my… Read more »
@df
My highly porous hair NEEDS (natural) pomade to seal as well. It’s very well-behaved but it needs a LOT of pure water and for that water to be cemented in with either a heavy, non-drying oil or heavy, non-drying pomade.
And my hair varies so much that humectants, proteins and alcohols, etc. can be a disaster especially with the kind of regular moisture and sealing my hair needs.
I use Cafe Latte by Anita GRant it is sooo creamy and seals moisture well.My ends are a bit dryer as they need to be dusted a bit so i add castor oil untili do.
@ DF: I feel ya! Before the internet, and about a year after discovering natural hair blogs, my hair was never properly sealed even though I moisturized constantly;I didn’t know how heavy my sealant needed to be to retain that moisture! Ha! Finally, I understand my hair-Freedom!!!
After big chopping about 9 months ago after a 10 month transition, my hair is now neck length when in a twist out and about shoulder length when stretched all the way out. People comment about how fast it’s growing and I wear twist outs 99% of the time. I usually wear it down, in an up do, or half up half down. I spray my hair with water, seal with grapeseed oil, and retwist nightly and my hair is healthy. I wore two strand twists for a week a couple of months ago and my hair and scalp(especially the… Read more »
I love it! Your hair is spoiled! It’s wonderful that you have found what works for you. It is so true that we all have to find what works for each of us. It is SUCH a process, but once we figure it out, it is great.
Happy growing!!!
Thanks Zenith!!! You’re right, it IS a process to find out what works for your hair, but it is such a relief when it happens. Happy growing to you too girl! 🙂
Great article. My hair grew to shoulder length in a year without PSing and good thing because I can’t imagine not being able to wear my stretched afro almost everyday. I understand why PSing is a necessity for some women, but I’m glad to read an article the points out that there are other alternatives to PSing.
I really loved this article! Because I have dry scalp, long term PS would be disastrous for me. I wear buns a lot, because it has to be low manipulation styles for me.
I Love this site, but sometimes these articles kill me. On any given day I can do a search and find articles that state protective styling is teh way to go and the only way to achieve length, and to not do protective styling we would be doing an ijustice to our hair.
I just re-read my comment, I am saying in advanced, please excuse a few of the typos that I made in the comment.
You right. One day its do this. The next day its don’t do it. Thats why you have to figure out your hair for yourself because it can be confusing (and daunting) for someone new. I don’t think PS helps or harms me. I just find it easier. When I would have my hair out I would have to moisturize and braid it up every night, then tie it up. In the morning I would have to unravel the braids and pull and tease it to the way I like-EVERYDAY. Boo. Now, when I keep it in twists I might… Read more »
***Like***
Don’t protective style, don’t sleep in a bonnet, don’t care about growth, don’t care about any of that. I wear my hair how I feel like it, and not everyone has the goal of growing super long hair. Best article to date; finally proof that not all “naturals” are so doting and overly sensitive about hair.
some people have stated that they have to PS or their hair tangles up…that doesn’t just affect length, it more importantly affects health of the hair. At the end of the day, we all have to take the time to figure out what works for our individual heads of hair and stick with it.
True… I’m just talking about what I do though. Sure my hair tangles, its very curly. I keep it moisturised so that it’s not matted and messy. But I think I’m more from the Solange school of though. I just don’t curr… about no hurr. It’s just hair, it is what it is, it does what it does. I’m not going to fight it’s nature or take extra precautions to make sure it’s not going to tangle or grow. It’s all good! My hair is in a stretched wash‑n go now. Only stretched because after a week of wash n… Read more »
I’ve recently started experimenting w thewash& go. After 2years of protective styles which seem to weaken my edges and make my ends more prone to breakage. Not to mention over trimming my ends constantly.
Loving my wash and gos for the summer and length is coming along:)
My relaxed hair didn’t really start growing till I started protective styling but for me it meant either wearing braids for 2–3 months or just tucking in my ends via buns, etc.. I never even thought of doing twists and braids as a protective style and I’m still not interested because it’s just too much dang work. I’d rather find an alternative. My hair is still short so my protective style is just not touching it after I’ve moisturized and sealed daily. As it gets longer, i’ll probably do buns and the cool styles that I’ve seen developed from hair… Read more »
As much as I don’t like being a “slave” to a hair style for a week at a time, protective styling is a must for me. I’ve worn my hair out, and usually pay dearly for it come detangle/wash day. My hair fares best in twists/cornrows for most of the week, then can rock it free for two days tops before its back into another PS.
My hair does the same. Protective styles seem to be the way to go for me. I have to most of the time keep a PS for about a week. But I notice my ends lock. ButifI don’t PS my hair gets dry. So after a few day to a week I’ll free style letting my hair be free and out to relax from the twists or whatever PS I had in my hair. When my hair was shorter I use to twist my hair every night and do a twist out in the am but as my hair grew… Read more »
I was religious about PS during the transition phase and immediately after post-BC but have found it doesn’t really make a difference for me — more of an aesthetic choice than anything else (i.e. change from a wash n’ go). I should’ve taken the hint when my sister who transitioned 5 years ahead of me barely combs her hair and it’s way past mid-back.
Sad to say protective styling is not my friend. I have attempted twists/braids yet after a day or so I either want to play with my hair or the twists/braids are unraveling. Basically I am a WNG girl and my hair is cool with that.
All 5 reasons apply to me…and I always repeat the reasonement at #2. I just want to enjoy my hair…I don’t use heat, don’t manipulate all the time and keep my ends stretched.My hair is doing just fine…gromwing like weeds and is super soft thanks to my weekly DC’s.
My version of a Protective style a single french braid or 6 to 8 twists pinned up.
I’m more of a low manipulation girl. I think hair should be enjoyed and wearing it in a bun most of the time doesn’t do it for me. I braid my hair in the summer and then enjoy it out in the winter. It’s working for me.
i protective style (just putting it away) almost every day. i might wear it out on weekends. that’s about it though.
me 2
#4 is so me! I can’t seem to put my hair into protective styles due to it locing up on me. It locs up after 3 days!!! Its kinda frustrating when I want to put my hair away for awhile, but the good thing is that its still growing like a weed…even with just low manipulation styles (mostly braid outs).
I don’t like PS for a variety of reasons but I’ve been wearing TSTs (my own hair) since the end of April mainly because I don’t have time to mess with my loose hair. Believe me…if I could WNG at this length and have it look good, I would… The funny thing is that I only planned to wear these until the beginning of August, and then go back to my preferred style (twistouts/braidouts). However, each time I take these twists out (usually for one day before I put them back in) I am blown away not just by the length… Read more »
I have more tangles when I stretch my hair out, believe it or not. Finger combing and Wash and gos that are worn down for two days, then worn in a ponytail/bun/upstyle for a day or two seem to be working for me. I transitioned June of 2009 and cut off my relaxed ends in Oct 2010. I have almost 14 inches of hair and that is with trims, most of which happened when I was doing braidouts religiously. I also color my hair light brown and have very very little damage and none of it is noticeable. Low manipulation… Read more »
The last sentence said it all for me. LOW MANIPULATION AND EMBRACING SHRINKAGE. excellent. My hair is twisted on a sunday night, which is wash day, and then pur into twelve flat twists to dry. this is just because my hair tangles as it dries. But after that, the twists come out, and i rock a twist-out, fro hawk, bun, or other style, depending on the day. it is always moisturized and sealed at night, with a satin scarf or bonnet. I’ve been natural for 10 years and re-BC’d almost 2 years ago, and my hair thrives when i just… Read more »
I currently do protective styling, but have experienced some split end issues on top of SSKs. I have to check the pins I use to pin my hair up as well keeping my ends stretched so the ends don’t curl onto themselves. I like protective styling, because I can do my hair and not have to worry about it except for moisturizing daily. It is definitely a process and I will find what works for me.
Thank you for this post.
I’m not even going to lie, I wear twist and buns as protective styles, my hair is not thick it just gives the illusion of thickness, I refuse to wear twist out and about cause it just doesnt look good on my head, I work 3rd shift (overnight), whenever I wear twist I wear a hat or scarf over them as well a week or two at a time. If I didnt work at night and have this luxury twist would not be an option. Thank you night shift 🙂
i love third shift! i’m such an owl!!!!
i’ve always found that growing hair to BSB/BSL was never hard. I have to start incorporating extra measures like low manip and PSing to death to get my hair past those points. Sigh.
Now I know! Well, this is the right information for me since I’m always on a protective hair styling..
Since I have been transitioning, protective styles religiously! They’ve helped me curb the urges to clip the relaxed ends, helped me to retain length and moisture, as well as helped me to keep my hair routines simple and easy. I BC on Saturday : D! I am certain that after my BC since I will be exploring what my hair can and can’t do, I’ll be wearing it out; but I am sure to return to protective styling. I just don’t care to style my hair on a daily basis. I believe as long as your hair is moisturized properly, you… Read more »
This was a very good article. I have to agree with what has been written. Now that I can put my hair in a ponytail I am more than happy not to bother with protective styling. However, I find that most of the styles I enjoy are protective but that isn’t my priority anymore. These styles are easy to do and mean I don’t have to stress about my hair in the mornings. I’m glad I learnt about protective styling and how to look after my hair, washing, low manipulation and not using combs, or I would never have managed… Read more »
I agree 100% with this article because it does depend on the texture of your hair on whether it’s necessary to do protective styling or not. I wear my hair out ALL the time and I don’t have problems with tangling (because I keep my hair moisturized) or crazy long detangling sessions. I wash my hair loose with no problems and I have kinky 4a/4b hair. I just cut my hair earlier this month and I miss my long hair, so I will be rocking box braids for a while, take a break, then put them back in. Castor oil… Read more »
i think it has to do with length as well, probably even more so than texture, because when my hair was only about 6 to eight inches, and less, it almost NEVER tangled. now that it’s 12–14 it definitely tangles up and at first it seemed like an uphill battle (lost length several times, thus keeping me at the same length for an entire year) until i realized that the problem was that i was trying to wear my hair loose. suffice to say i no longer do, although my texture allows me to still wash my hair loose in… Read more »
had the exact same problem for a bit as my hair grew longer.
my daily routine-
night (15 minutes)
8 sections, moisturize, finger comb, seal and braid.
morning (10 mins)
loose out braids, moisturize, seal- out the door. always in a braidout up or down, pinned back whatever.
since every night i section it up, moisturize, finger comb and seal, i almost never have detangling issues. the finger combing keeps it nice and loose and helps shed hair fall out instead of staying in and wreaking havoc. 4a/b, apl on a 5’10 girl lol.
Right now, two-strand twists are a must for me, simply because I’m trying to reach shoulder length stretched by the end of the year. My hair is in twists at least 99% of the time; that 1% is for when I’m browsing natural hair websites and they somehow become unraveled… Also, the other reasons why I prefer twists most of the time is because I’m in an awkward stage where I have no idea how to style my fro, my twist-outs are horrible, and because my hair, I feel, is at its healthiest in ps’s. I do love this article, though.… Read more »
Great tips. I just cannot manage to do twists and I have so much hair on my head that protective styles just seem like an amazing amount of time to do
I wear my hair in two-strand twists 99% of the time. My hair is über thick but the strands are fine. My hair becomes overwhelming if I don’t two-stand twists them and I get aggravated and end up tearing my strands. So for me, it is a must. I get the variety I want by styling my twists differently every day.
Protective styles are a necessary evil for me. I have a twa and if I leave it out for more than 2 days, there will be knots to high heaven AND I’ll have straight pieces sticking out. So far, yarn braids have been my friend 😉
I love protective styling with high buns (cinnabuns and donut buns) ’cause they’re cute and easy (to style, take down and detangle afterward). With that said, my hair thrives with or without protective styles. I generally treaty hair gently– finger-detangling exclusively, keeping hair conditioned/moisturized, keeping hair stretched, low manipulation styling, etc. I think that’s key.
definitely not for me! my daily routine- night (15 minutes) 8 sections, moisturize, finger comb, seal and braid. morning (10 mins) loose out braids, moisturize, seal- out the door. always in a braidout up or down, pinned back whatever. no ps here. as long as i do that daily, with a shampoo every month and once a week dc’s my hair thrives. depending on the weather, i may use heavier sealant or moisturizer. or depending on how often i go in a chlorinated swimming pool i may add a few extra washes, but otherwise my routine is very stable. you have to find what… Read more »
Protective styling is definitely NOT my cup of tea…
In fact with my 3C hair, the amount of friziness that occurs with protective styling makes me have to re-twist or “re-something” to my hair the very next day, and pretty much every day… that to me defeats the purpose.
My hair grew leaps and bounds with a moisturized wash-n-go! So I’ll just stick with that 😉
Agree with you, Kierra.
I use protective styling (flat twists and two strand twists) on my hair as well as these styles and braiding on my daughter’s hair to lock in moisture and reduce tangles. After a few days, I let our hair out for a bresk, some fresh air and a cute free style. Then no more than 2 or 3 days later, it has to be twisted or bdiaded back up to prevent matting, tangling dryness and breakage. So for us (me and my princess) thick, coarse haired girls, protective styling plays a major role in the health and growth of our hair.
Not for me, I will take style over length any day. I wear wash and go’s and keep my hair on the short to medium side, love to keep it shaped nicely with a taper in the back. I love it–going on 3 yrs now. I can’t ever imagine wearing another bun, that’s what I wore during my relaxed years.
I have a love/hate relationship with protective styling. I love styling my hair so much, but protective styling totally helps me retain all my length. Once I reach my goal length of BSL, however, I plan to use low manipulation styles and style more often…and ENJOY MY HAIR and ALL of its STYLING OPTIONS! 🙂
I’ve been wearing twists mostly my natural hair rebirth the first and second time around. I’ve moisturized, but just these past two years I’ve learned more about moisturizing, sealing with butters and oils, clarifying, curly girl method etc. but lately I’ve been bored with twists. I recently detoxes my locks and noticed a dramatic change. Prior to it my hair was heavy, it barely had movement, it didn’t coil, and just was tangled on the ends. But since I detoxes it’s lighter, my hair coils with a spritz of water, cold water rinse, with conditioner when cowashing and I absolutely… Read more »
I have a love/hate feeling w/ ps. There’s some days when i like to do lazy styles like buns. But it’s just not flattering & I work in the public eye. U have no idea how cruel ppl. can b when they make comments about your hair, even though I think it’s beautiful. So some days I switch it up. Rock a pony & a bang or something like that. Most of the time my hair is protected but sometimes I take a day or 2 out of the week to let it breathe. Even though I get bored w/… Read more »
I don’t really know if protective styles are for me or not. But I absolutely hate extensions! I’ve hidden my hair for so long that I hate having to hide it more. I can not wait until my hair is long enough to wear I can do two strand twist and just styles those. I have always had very weak edges so weaves and braids are the devil to my hair! I still use them to retain length but definitely with caution. I have box braids right now and i keep rubbing castor oil on my temples to prevent them… Read more »
This article is informative; however you have to do what works for YOUR HAIR! YOUR regime MUST be tweeked accordingly as hair grows in length. I CAN NOT do what I use to do 2 1/2 years ago. I CAN’T even do what I did a year ago. I wash every two weeks and wear a protective style; but I MUST refresh that style at least twice in between the two weeks to cut down on the knots and tangles.
I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this site. Thank you, I?ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your web site?
bantu knots rule. Also I have psoriasis. But LOVE WEAVE. UPART WIGS, HALF WIGS, and CLIP INS make it possible for me to treat my hair twice a week like I like to do and also maintain a healthy scalp. KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN SEW INS ARENT THE ONLY WAY!
Protective styling is something I love doing, especially since I’m busy with school and it keeps me from touching my hair. When I have a protective style in for too long, all I want to do is remove it and let my hair free. Whenever I have my natural hair out for a long time, all I want to do is put them back in some long lasting protective style. My hair will always be in braids but when I’m on vacation, my hair is out.
Please check out my blog post I just wrote on why protective styles are not for me and yes, length is not only something I already have tons of, it continues to be my goal, as is healthy hair. I do not believe protective styles are necessary for retaining length, and I have had long hair for a long long time, and my hair grows fast. The best way to retain length is to keep your hair moisturized at all times, do not let it get dry, which I never do in the first place. Micro trim your ends every… Read more »
[…] 5 Signs that Protective Styling Is Not for You | Black Girl … […]
I’ve got a protective updo now; I have pretty strong hair and good growth but I also know that protective styling done right can save time, money and energy. Definitely not a requirement but a reasonably healthy option for hair. Listen to your edges, scalp and strands and know which styles if any work for you and how you should rock them (ie. how long and in what weather, size of braid, for instance etc) so you don’t end up damaging what you intended protecting/help fluorish. Happy Hair days to all!
I rarely wear protective styles. I mainly wash and go. I can get 2nd day or 3rd day hair from a wash and go sometimes. I detangle once a week. I feel like protective styles require more manipulation, because it requires a lot more work to twist my hair up and bring it down than to pineapple at night.
There needs to be a way to distinguish protective styles with extensions and ones without. Because most people consider both individual box braids and two strand twists with natural hair as “protective styles” even though box braids are a major cause of tension alopecia and hair loss, while regular two strand twists on natural hair are far more gentle. I myself do not consider box braids to be a safe protective style because of that. But maybe that’s just because for me extensions don’t work well, I need access to my hair to moisturize it, my edges are sensitive, and… Read more »