Benefits of Protective Styles for Natural Hair
Are Protective Hair Styles Bad for Hair Health?
Protective styles are one of the ultimate solutions for maintaining your hair health, reducing manipulation, and supporting growth. But are they really as beneficial as they seem? In this myth busting blog, we’ll explore the truth behind protective styles, what makes them healthy or damaging, and how you can ensure your hair remains in optimal condition while wearing them. Whether you’re considering protective braid styles, protective loc styles, a weave or any other protective style for your natural hair, this guide will help you navigate the do’s and don’ts of protective styling.
What Are Protective Styles?
Protective styles are hairstyles designed to protect your natural hair from the elements and reduce the need for daily manipulation. These styles typically tuck away the ends of your hair, minimizing exposure to heat, cold, and other environmental factors. Common protective styles for natural hair include braids, twists, locs, weaves and wigs.
What Protective Style is Best for Natural Hair?
The best protective style for natural hair depends on your hair type, lifestyle, and how well you maintain the style. Styles like box braids, two-strand twists, and faux locs are popular choices because they effectively reduce manipulation and protect the ends of your hair. However, the key to success with any protective style lies in how the style is installed, the type of hair used, and how well you care for your natural hair before, during, and after the style.
Prepping Your Hair: The Foundation of Healthy Protective Styling
Before you dive into a long-term protective style, it’s crucial to ensure that your hair is in its best possible condition. Properly prepping your hair will set the foundation for a successful protective style and minimize the risk of damage.
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Deep Condition Your Hair: Before installing a protective style, it’s essential to deep condition your hair with a product like Cécred’s Moisturizing Deep Conditioner. This will ensure your hair is well-hydrated, soft, and strong, reducing the risk of breakage while your hair is in the style.
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Trim and Nourish: If needed, trim any split ends to prevent further damage while your hair is tucked away. Use Cécred’s Nourishing Hair Oil to seal in moisture before your style is installed.
Installation Matters: The Role of the Technician
How your protective style is installed plays a significant role in whether it will be beneficial or harmful to your hair. The skill of the technician, the tension used, and the type of hair extensions (if any) are critical factors.
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Choose an Experienced Technician: A skilled stylist will know how to install your protective style without putting excessive tension on your scalp or hairline. Too much tension can lead to traction alopecia, a form of hair loss caused by pulling on the hair.
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Select the Right Hair: If you’re using extensions, the type of hair matters. Synthetic hair can be drying to your natural hair, so it's important to use a high-quality product and maintain moisture throughout the duration of the style.
Maintaining Your Protective Style: Hydration is Key
One of the most common myths about protective styles is that you don’t need to do anything to your hair once it’s installed. In reality, maintaining hydration and keeping your scalp healthy are crucial for the longevity of your style and the health of your natural hair.
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Moisturize Regularly: If you’re wearing human hair styles, use a product like Cécred’s Moisture Sealing Lotion to keep your hair hydrated and reduce frizz. This will help maintain the style's longevity while keeping your hair healthy.
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Hydrate and Clarify: Even while in a protective style, it's important to cleanse your scalp regularly. Use Cécred’s Hydrating Shampoo to keep your hair moisturized and the Clarifying Shampoo and Scalp Scrub to remove any buildup on your scalp. This will prevent issues like scalp irritation, which can compromise the health of your hair.
Removal: The Most Critical Step
The removal process is where a lot of damage can occur. If you’re not careful, you could end up with significant breakage, shedding, or even permanent hair loss. Properly removing your protective style is just as important as the installation and maintenance.
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Detangle Gently: Before you wash your hair, detangle it using a hydrating conditioner. Cécred’s Hydrating Conditioner provides high slip, making it easier to detangle without causing breakage. You can also use it as a pre-poo treatment to soften the hair before cleansing.
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Address Breakage: After removing your style, it’s important to address any breakage or weakness in your hair. Use a Reconstructing Treatment Mask to replace depleted proteins and strengthen your hair. Cécred’s Reconstructing Treatment Mask helps repair damage and reduces breakage by 2x*.
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Combat Shedding: Finally, use a protein treatment like the Fermented Rice and Rose Protein Ritual to reduce shedding related to breakage. This treatment makes hair 3x* more resistant to breakage and helps retain length, ensuring your hair stays strong.
*Tested in a 3rd party clinical laboratory using hair tresses.
Mythbusting: Are Protective Styles Good for Hair Growth?
It’s a common belief that protective styles can make your hair grow faster. While protective styles don’t directly cause hair growth, they can help you retain length by minimizing breakage and damage. When properly installed and maintained, protective styles can create an environment that supports hair growth by reducing the daily stress on your hair. However, if not done correctly, protective styles can have the opposite effect, leading to breakage, hair loss, and damage.
What Protective Style is the Least Damaging?
The least damaging protective styles are those that apply minimal tension to the scalp and hairline, such as loose twists, low-tension braids, or a wig. These styles minimize stress on your hair, reducing the risk of traction alopecia and breakage. Additionally, styles that don’t require the use of heavy extensions or tight weaving are generally less damaging.
What Protective Styles Make Your Hair Grow?
Protective styles that reduce manipulation and protect the ends of your hair can help promote length retention, which can give the appearance of faster hair growth. Styles like box braids, twists, and locs are effective because they keep your hair tucked away and protected, allowing it to grow without interruption with constant styling.
What is the Healthiest Hairstyle for Your Hair?
The healthiest hairstyle is one that causes minimal stress to your hair and scalp while keeping your hair well-moisturized and protected. Loose styles that allow your hair to breathe, such as a loose cornrows under a wig that can be removed at the end of the day or any style that doesn’t require extensions or additional hair, are often the best choices. These styles reduce the risk of breakage and promote a healthy scalp environment, which is crucial for maintaining strong, resilient hair.
Conclusion
Protective styles can be incredibly beneficial for your hair health, but they must be done correctly to truly protect your hair. From proper preparation and installation to maintenance and removal, each step plays a crucial role in the overall health of your hair while wearing a protective style. By following the guidelines outlined above and using the right products, like Cécred’s Moisturizing Deep Conditioner, Nourishing Hair Oil, and Reconstructing Treatment Mask, you can enjoy the benefits of protective styling without compromising your hair’s health.