Why are protective styles important? (2023)

Why are protective styles important?

Protective styles keep the ends of hair tucked away in order to discourage tugging, pulling, and manipulation. They are also meant to encourage hair growth and can save so much time since the entire idea is to touch the hair as little as possible.

A protective style is any hairstyle that keeps your ends tucked away to protect your hair and minimize damage. Protective styles protect your natural hair from tugging, pulling, and breakage, due to manipulation, heat, and environmental factors.

Braids, twists, and faux locs are just a few of the popular protective hairstyles you may come across while scrolling through your social media feeds.

Early in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, captors would brutally shave the hair of women, stripping them of their cultural roots and identity. Later, after the slaves were sold to plantations, they would braid their hair in patterns resembling escape maps.

The standard time is 6 to 8 weeks, so you can keep that in mind as your style grows older and you begin to see new hair growth. The new hair growth is natural hair that can be seen growing from your scalp. As your hair grows, styles like box braids or twists will loosen.

#1 Tension is the number one reason to avoid protective styles. Tension and strain from the pulling of braids and cornrows can cause significant damage to your hair over time. In order to achieve these styles, your follicles get seriously stressed as the hair is pulled into place.

10 Protective Styles to Try This Summer. Box braids are a protective style that can last you 4-6 weeks with proper care. It is great for the summer because your hair is fully protected. You can get braids wet, therefore you can easily wash them weekly to keep your scalp clean.

Sometimes, the hair extensions used for protective styles are made of synthetic fibers that can irritate the scalp and cause it to become itchy and inflamed. To avoid an allergic reaction to the faux extensions, have your stylist use 100 percent human hair.

“You should aim to take a break after every protective style worn,” Stevens says. The length of time, however, varies depending on the style. “Since you're typically wearing a weave or braid style that's longer than a natural protective style, you should give your hair and scalp a longer break,” Lation explains.

Why do protective styles make your hair grow?

Whether you're tucking your hair away from heat and humidity in summer or the cold, dry winds of winter—no matter the season, there's a protective style to enjoy. While protective hairstyles do not help your hair grow, they can help your strands retain length and maintain moisture.

DO NOT immediately get another protective style. Most stylists will advise that once you take a protective style down, you should wait at least a week before putting another one in. Why? It's so that you can pamper your natural hair and also give your scalp some time to breathe.

Mythbusting: Braids & Hair Growth

But unfortunately, braiding hair does not speed up growth rate. Your hair grows at a rate determined by genetics, while lifestyle factors like your diet and stress levels can cause thinning and breakage. But the way you wear your hair is not a factor in your hair growth rate.

No, your braids will not really become dreadlocks. Here is why: When dreadlocks are forming, they need to be able to tangle and wrap around themselves to form what you would consider a deadlock. A braid prevents this process from happening and keeps the hair in a braid.

What is the longest-lasting protective style? Ghana braids and cornrows can last for as long as three months. However, they need proper maintenance and care.

One of the benefits of protective styles is that they keep your hair moisturised longer than normal. If you struggle with dry scalp and dandruff, then we highly recommend adding a few protective styles to your repertoire. We recommend setting up protective styles on wash days.

While twists are popular as a hair growth-boosting hairstyle, they don't exactly make your hair grow. Twists have no effect on how fast your hair grows, and twisting your hair won't make it grow.

Buns, plaits, chignons, cornrows, Bantu knots and two strand twists are all protective styles. Low manipulation hairstyles also belong under the umbrella of protective hairdos. These are styles that tuck hair away and don't require daily retouching.

Thin braids can last up to three months, which out of all the braid sizes, is the longest time without having to go back to the salon––a gift in and of itself. Because of the smaller parting sections, you have more access to your scalp, allowing you to wash and moisturize your hair more thoroughly.

A protective style ponytail can last you up to two weeks and is great for someone who doesn't want to commit to braids. Just be careful with the style that the ponytail isn't pulled too tight and causing tension on your scalp.

Can I wash my braids?

To keep your hair healthy, Harris says you should wash your braids every two to three weeks. If you're not washing your hair and scalp, that means all of the buildup of products and dry skin just stays on your scalp, which can lead to flakes and itchiness.

A protective hairstyle is one that is designed to shield the ends of the hair from splitting or breaking. Protective hairstyles do things like roll or tuck the end of hair strands away – so they aren't exposed to potentially damaging chlorine while swimming, excessive heat, sun, and so forth.

Although braids can last anywhere between two to eight weeks depending on which kind you go for and how you wear them, you should be prepared to cleanse roughly every two to three weeks. If you've been swimming (or happen to sweat a lot), your scalp will require a bit of TLC.

Use the correct cleanser If you're at the two-week mark of wearing your protective style and you're starting to experience build-up and maybe the odd flake, it's time to give your hair and scalp a good cleanse. Choose a shampoo that contains calming ingredients like peppermint or tea tree oil.

Any long-term protective hairstyle may lead to your hair shedding after that protective style because of losing moisture. The result is your hair more prone to dryness, and breakage which can appear as excess shedding. They can also cause hair thinning as well as hair loss from keeping them in for so long.

Black people often wear “protective hairstyles” like braids, twists, and locs to maintain healthy hair. These hairstyles can be worn for long stretches of time without constant manipulation. The alternative is often to use chemical or heat straighteners that can damage the hair in the short and long term.

Contrary to popular belief, protective styling is not necessary for speedy hair growth.

Protective styles have so many perks – but they are not a necessity. As long as you're taking care of your hair and there are no overriding issues impeding growth (e.g. illness or stress), your hair can and will grow! So rock that fro every day if you want to!

One of the reasons folks install box braids is to give their strands a break and allow their hair to retain length. However, leaving in a protective style, like box braids, for too long will undo all of the protection and make your hair prone to breakage.

If you're looking for a simple, everyday protective hairstyle, look no further than the messy bun. The messy bun tucks your ends away, keeping them protected without unnecessary pulling or tugging.

Who wore braids first?

“The origin of braids can be traced back 5000 years in African culture to 3500 BC—they were very popular among women.” Braids are not just a style; this craft is a form of art. “Braiding started in Africa with the Himba people of Namibia,” says Pace. “These people have been braiding their hair for centuries.

Protective styles pull on your hair and cause tension and strain. This will damage your hair over time as your follicles are stressed when the hair is pulled into place. To prevent this, avoid being too heavy-handed with tension or grip as you're styling.

They should feature in every natural hair wearer's style rotation, no matter the season. In the colder months, they protect hair from icy winds, rain, snow and frosty air. In the summer months, protective styling prevents sun, wind and water damage if you enjoy water sports.

Fun fact: We have hair follicles covering just about every inch of our bodies. The only guaranteed hairless spots are the lips, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet.

While ladder-length hair is out of reach for most people, there's no set point at which all hair stops growing. Instead, hair growth is the complex product of genetics, health, care, and even seasonal changes.

Know Your Style's Expiration Date

“Weaves and/or braids can last from six weeks to two months,” shares Celebrity Curly Textured Expert and Author of Textured Tresses, Diane Da Costa. “But never exceed the three month mark—your hair will start to lock and tangle.

But unfortunately, braiding hair does not speed up growth rate. Your hair grows at a rate determined by genetics, while lifestyle factors like your diet and stress levels can cause thinning and breakage. But the way you wear your hair is not a factor in your hair growth rate.

As the hair slips out of the braids over time they get very fuzzy. Eventually enough hair comes out that some of it may start to dread. If you do have your hair in braids and the sections are the right size for dreads you can unbraid and backcomb each section one at a time.