by
Chinwe
Many 4B/4C naturals protective style majority of the time (sometimes 90% of the time or more) in order to retain length. It makes perfect sense. 4B/4C naturals, by definition, have strands that shrink up 75-85% (or more) into super tiny coils and kinks that go every which way. This “super shrinkage” can lead to knots and tangles, which both can in turn lead to breakage and splits during the detangling process. Protective styling mitigates that issue by stretching and bounding the hair down to the ends.
That being said, some of us do not like to wear protective styles day in and day out. Some us would love to wear our hair loose, out, and big for more than a couple of days. This desire raises the questions: Can we retain length when not in a protective style? It is possible if we are talking about just a few days, but weeks or a month or more? Many will tell you that it is difficult (including me), especially the longer and finer your hair. Nevertheless, difficult does not mean impossible. If you are one wanting to wear your hair out more while still retaining some length, here are some suggestions based on a few lessons learned and mini successes I have had with that exploration:
1. Choose a stretched style that is “low maintenance”
This step sounds easier said than done, but stay with me. The key is to find a style that stretches your kinks/coils (to reduce tangling and thus breakage) while also requiring little re-touch (e.g., re-twisting, re-braiding, etc.). Here are few things I do to keep my loose styles low maintenance:
1) I try to avoid twist-outs and instead turn to braid-outs. Twists do not stretch my hair as much as braids and, thus, the resulting set reverts faster. However, if I really want a twist-out, I will start from small twists (smaller twist-outs last longer) or I braid my twists for extra stretching.
2) To maintain my braid-out for a week or two, I’ll re-braid every 2-4 days depending on the humidity. The other portion of the time, I just sleep with my hair loose but shaped in a satin bonnet and fluff in the morning. Re-braiding nightly would just be too much manipulation for my hair. In a few cases, I will just re-braid the front to retouch my style.
3) On wash days, I do the braid-outs on hair that is slightly stretched BUT still damp (e.g., via rollers that are worn for a couple of hours). I find that I get more of a stretched, smooth result this way.
4) My back hair sometimes stays in braids and bunned, and thus stays protected. I do this because my back hair is finer and would also rub against my clothing if otherwise. I leave the rest of my hair out.
5) I avoid separating my braid-outs at the ends, since those are likely to tangle. The most I’ll do is separate or fluff the roots.
6) Heat allows me to have my hair stretched for longer periods (up to 3 weeks), so sometimes that is an alternative. I will then do twist-outs or braid-outs on my heat-stretched hair.
Check out BGLH for articles on how to make stretched or straight styles last a while. Here are just a few:
Ways to Make a Twist-out Last a Long Time
How to Maintain Roller Sets and Twist-outs During a Humid Summer
Ways to Make Straightened Hair Last Longer
2. Decelerate “super shrinkage” with a good anti-humidity product or gel
For those humid days, a good anti-humidity product or, better yet, gel makes the difference between a style that lasts a few hours and one that lasts a couple days. I have tried many anti-humidity products, and have come to the conclusion that my hair will shrink regardless but it will shrink much less and slower with the product. Gel is not immensely better, but it will just give me a bit more hold.
Whatever type of product you choose, understand this: The idea is not to maintain a perfectly defined or stretched style day by day. Instead, we seek to slow down that “super shrinkage” as long as possible. No amount of anti-humidity product and gel will help me maintain a perfectly defined twist-out or braid-out in 90% or more humidity … but it will help to maintain some of my stretch.
3. Keep your hair in a “detangled” state
Knots and tangles will more than likely occur, but you can keep it to a minimum. Here are a few ways to do that:
1) Over-separating your twist-out or braid-out may accelerate shrinkage, which may translate to tangles and knot formation. (In addition to tip #1, reducing these tangles and knots is another reason why I don’t separate my braid-outs.)
2) Styling on tangled hair can spell disaster, so I attempt to avoid that. It would just create more tangles and knots.
3) Bound the style at night via a satin bonnet or loose bun(s)/puff(s) and a satin pillowcase. If you toss and turn at night, this will help to reduce tangles and knots.
4) Try not to play in your hair too much. I sometimes have a habit of that, so when I’m in the house by myself, I slap on a satin bonnet to reduce that occurrence.
4. Using heat is an option, but use it sparingly and WISELY
Like I mentioned in tip #1, heat helps me to have a low-maintenance stretched style for up to 3 weeks, depending on the humidity. This is because my hair takes longer to revert with heat usage than without it, as is the case with most naturals. Across the web, you will find other naturals who also benefit from heat, especially via blow drying, prior to doing a braid-out or twist-out.
So, heat is an option – as long as you don’t overdo it and abuse it. Also, consider this: If you are a 4C natural with fine strands, you may have to use less heat (frequency and temperature) than a 4C natural with thick strands. Check out my earlier post for tips on “How to Minimize Damage When Using Heat”.
5. Moisturize on the “refresh” nights
Because your hair is out and free rather than in a protective style, you may find that you need moisturize more frequently. (For example: I know that for me, the duration that I can go without re-moisturizing goes from one week or so in protective styles down to a few days in loose styles.) If that is the case with you, it helps to re-moisturize – and to do it WELL – on the night that you are refreshing your stretched style … the night that you are re-twisting or re-braiding. This method will help you to avoid the inevitable shrinkage and tangles that will come if you moisturize and leave your hair loose.
6. Keep your ends oiled
This tip will help to reduce the formation of splits and breakage as well as tangles and knots. Especially on my “refresh” nights, I like to soak my ends with avocado oil or another oil. I’ve seen the benefits of this step – that is, little to no split, crunchy, dry ends – when my hair is worn loose, and hopefully you will, too!
7. Amp up the protein deep conditioning
You’ve probably seen us mention protein conditioning a number of times here but with good reason. For this purpose, we need all the strength and elasticity we can get when not protective styling, and protein conditioners can temporarily provide both, especially to our ends. These types of conditioners can help our hair to be better prepared for styling manipulation and consequently avoid breakage. If you are protein sensitive, check out Jc’s post on “5 Conditioners for Protein-Sensitive Hair”.
How do you retain length when you are not protective styling?
18 Responses
hey Loolah…..your hair continues to be amazing. Long time no see:)
Hey Wildfire!! Yes, LOOONG time no see. Thank ya, girl. How are you? Did you ever go natural? :o)
Great tips an article.
I must say, I never protective style. Ever. My routine has been the same for 4 years: chunky twists EVERY night and seal the ends with my favorite butter or pomade. I also religiously pre-poo weekly before shampoo and condition. I have virtually no knots or tangles.
I’m still wearing my Fingercomber afro wig after having stress related hair loss last year plus the harsh winter. I saved my winter hair from severe breakage by using Blue Magic & Dax with a very light hand over a good leave in or over Qhemet . Nothing else seemed to work I’m currently using Carol’s Daughter anti breakage Monoi line. I find her products are working better on my hair now than they did a few years ago esp the Healthy Hair Butter & the Hair Milk. So far the breakage is at an all time low. My hair is fine 4AB & is growing back nicely. I usually wear KinkyCurly in the summer & I may go back to it next month. That wig is getting too hot !
I’m still transitioning (8 months) so you can take this with a grain of salt. But I was natural for 3 years so I know the pains of 4c natural hair well. I had a lot of breakage when I was natural. I wore protective styles all the time but whenever I detangled I would lose hair the size of a baseball doing the style and then again during takedown. Meanwhile, other naturals posted pictures of their pea-size ball of hair post-detangling. *side eye* I retained only 9 inches those 3 years and 3 of those were already there from transitioning. This time around, I’m only losing a pea size. And I have already retained anywhere from 3 to 5 inches depending where I measure. I wear no protective styles. Just flat twistouts and twisted bantu knot outs or some combination of those three. The biggest difference has been the products I use and how I apply them. I wash my hair. No sections, parting, anything. When I get out the shower is when I detangle. I part off my hair for a Bantu knot, twist or whatever it is. Then, I spray the section with Carol’s Daughter monoi spray. And the key is smoothing products in root to tip in small sections. I then apply a generous amount of Carol’s Daughter Mimosa pomade, smoothing it in the same way. Then I take my Denman and brush it through. It glides like butter through my hair. Oh and I take the feared rat-tail comb, pull my hair taunt and run the comb through. Barely any hair comes out. Gliding like butter again. Do I still get breakage? Of course! But with shed and breakage combined, it’s pea size. I’ll take that. My styles go in easier, stay longer, and don’t tangle during takedown. Single strand knots? Except the very nape of my neck, I no longer have them. I think the rat-tail comb is responsible for that. It gets the shed hair out. So my advice is whatever products you’re using (once you found ones that work), be aware of how you’re applying them and how big the section is that you’re applying them to.
I personally agree and believe in the power of the Denman and small tooth combs used in small sections with care. Thoroughly removing all shed hairs cuts down on future breakage and tangles for me!
I am in the same boat 3 years only 9 inches. I think long hair is just genetic
I don’t agree, although it may be more challenging for some hair types to achieve and retain long lengths it’s truly possible. It will take all the dedication and will-power in you though, change in diet, change of levels if stress, co-washing more frequently less shampooing, exercise, plenty of rest, and search and destroy method of split ends, also you will have to use essential oils like lavender, rosemary, and tea tree with a jojoba carrier oil. Also I do very frequent coconut oil treatments like twice a week leaving it in more than 2hours cover with a shower cap/plastic grocery bag with a satin scarf tie over it. I do alot but it has helped tremendously.
I call myself “mostly-4b” because most of my hair has a definable coil pattern that’s very small (somewhere between a coffee straw and a drinking straw in circumference). This year I’ve been wearing my hair loose and in what I call a “coily ‘fro” pretty much exclusively. I agree with most of the tips presented and wanted to offer some comments based on my experience.
1 (also 3, 4, 5): While what I do on wash days resembles WNG styling, I add a stretching step, usually with a blowdryer but if I have time I’ll air-dry with Sprangz. On non-wash days I spritz very lightly with water and again air-dry in Sprangz until I have to go to work. I’ve learned the hard way that at my current length (near-APL stretched), even with product separating my coils, they will still tangle if I let them dry unstretched.
2: To date the one product I’ve found to date that works best to decelerate shrinkage on my water-loving hair in humid conditions is good old-fashioned mineral-oil-based hair grease. Whatever works…
6: I began oiling (or, more accurately, shea-buttering) my ends this past winter. However, I haven’t tried this for summer yet and I know I’m going to need something much lighter. I will say that I’ve adopted an every-three-months trim/dust schedule whether my hair needs it or not. The last two sessions were trims because my hair needed them; the next one will be more of a dusting.
7: I’ve gone from DC’ing once a month to once every three weeks or so.
If the goal was to have the longest hair the fastest I’d definitely protective-style. I’ve done it in the past and I know it works. But I believe in wearing what you love, and I LOVE my ‘fro. 🙂
Really informative additional comments. :o) How do you like the Sprangz? I’ve been curious about them for some time.
I’ll try to be succinct…I have a hard time with that sometimes… 😉
Basically Sprangz are like the opposite of rollers. Rollers are used on straight(ened) hair to create an overall shortened appearance that can be either subtle or dramatic depending on the size and tightness of the set. Sprangz are used on tightly-coiled hair (meaning high-shrinkage, as in 75%+) to create an overall lengthened or stretched appearance. When they are put in, they are just heavy enough to stretch the hair downwards so that it dries in that state…but not so heavy that they rip your hair out. (If the section you put one in is too small, it will just fall out because it’s too heavy to stay in. That’s been my experience.)
If you’ve seen Naptural85’s Winter Wash-and-Go video, you see that she puts her hair in large twists to dry overnight. When I do that my hair takes on the shape of the twists, and although my coils are stretched out and technically defined, they also have strange kinks and bends in them from the twists and the overall look is kind of crazy. On the flip side, using Sprangz elongates my coils into a shape that looks a lot more natural. I’d say that Sprangz knocks a good 25 percent off my shrinkage if not more.
They can be a little tricky to use the first couple of times, but afterwards it’s pretty easy. I ended up getting two sets of the larger size so I’d have a backup set.
Adanne, unfortunately I don’t know about the shipping; you’ll have to check out the Web site (www.sprangz.com). But yes, since they’re made of coated metal they are very durable, and I have over 80% shrinkage in the top of my head and they work quite well there.
Note that, just like rollers, Sprangz aren’t permanent. You can have Sprangz-stretched hair and walk out into a humid summer day and still experience shrinkage. I find I don’t experience as much, but that has more to do with products than with the mechanics of Sprangz.
Thanks, LBell! :o)
Ooh, yes! Please do tell about the Sprangz. I hinted at them for my birthday, and I’ve been excited to try them out 🙂
I want to get the Sprangz too are they durable? Will they stretch my hair that shrinks to 80%. Do they ship it outside the US?
Timely article! Thank u chinwe,I am a 4c gal and I have had it up to above my head with protective styling it takes forever to put it in and forever to take it down,it’s frustrating and time consuming so thank you for this!
If you don’t protective style, then what styles do you wear?
Totally agree with the 4 and 7! and i may just have to try oiling my hair more. I’ve been slacking on that. Thanks for the advice!
I really need this post!!! I’m a type 4 girl with fine hair, so I find that although I do notice length retention in protective styles, they are a no-no for my edges. I also enjoy wearing my hair loose more than any protective style. These tips definitely will come in handy.