Lately, I have been talking about protective styling. It comes in clutch during the cold winter months. I mentioned that finding the right hairstyle is important because the key is to keep it the style in as long as possible. This tutorial is a style that I like. You have the option to wear it as is, which I do for least the first week.

Then I might change it up for the second week and experiment with updo’s like in my previous post (pictures below).

Another plus was that I was able to wear a twistout after I took the twists down, score! This one style saved me from having to do any extensive manipulation to my hair for weeks!

This is really a win/win style! I hope you try it!

I believe there are 4 things that you need to get a successful protective style. Here we go!

The right style

It might sound weird but picking a style is the most important part. In my previous post about protective styling, I give quite a few examples of styles that would work and I also told you to use your imagination. I stand by that by the way. However, the whole point to protective styling to make sure that your hair is essentially unbothered for a week or longer. If you pick a style that won’t last or you don’t like it enough to keep it in, it would be able to do what it was intended to. It’s just another style.

The right products

One thing that helps your style to last is not just the style itself but the products that you decide to use. You’ll want to make sure that you are using moisturizing products so that you aren’t required to moisture every day. I like to use essentially the same type of products but I might either use heavy versions (like shea butter instead of olive oil) or I might apply more product to my hair. Another thing to think about is the hold product your will use or if you will use one at all. Again, since you want this style to last as long as possible, it might be helpful to have a product that will assist in keep your still fresh and combat fly-aways and frizz.

Detangling

Since your hair will be tucked away for a longer period of time, you definitely want to make sure that you are style fully detangled hair. I know, detangling can quite possibly be a natural form of torture for some… or maybe it’s just me. However, it is necessary. Styling on hair that is not detangled is asking for trouble. Your hair already sheds daily; this shred hair will add to whatever tangles that are already in your head. This can make matting a possibility and could potentially cause damage to your hair and breakage. Which would negate the whole point of protective styling.

Time

The last thing, in my opinion, is time. I know, I said a protective style could be as simple as a bun and this is true. It is also true that for a lot of people a bun is super quick, certainly not as longer as installing mini twist all over your head. However, like I’ve stated before, the goal is for this style to stay moisturized and last. So, whether you are during a complicated or lengthy style or a simple bun, you need to take the time to fully detangle your hair, moisturize your tresses completely and sculpt your style so that it will not require you to redo it for the time you have scheduled to leave it in your hair.

Whether you are new to the natural hair scene or a seasoned vet, you have probably heard of the term “protective style”. However, in the case that you haven’t, let me briefly explain. First, let me be clear, you do not have to be natural to protective style your hair; this is for everyone! A protective style allows you to do just was it says: protect your hair from things like dryness, weather and manipulation with a style. Weather protection is most important during the colder months, which could make your already fragile ends brittle and dry, causing unnecessary breakage. Let’s face it, winter is coming! (Sorry, I love Games of Thrones so I had to!) But still, it’s true and the battle is just beginning. Now of course, different types of protective styles can vary in look and the time they are meant to lasts but they have a few benefits in common that will help you through the winter months.

Every protective style requires little to no daily upkeep, it should help keep your hair moisturized, and it also should protect the ends of your hair by keeping them “tucked in”. I put “tucked in” because I use this term loosely. The reason for this is because the might not necessarily be tucked away. Your ends will, more so, just not be totally loose, e.g. a twist out or wash n’ go.

Some examples of a proactive style where your ends are away and out of sight are buns (peep the fun buns at the top), box braids, cornrows with braiding hair, wigs, sew-ins (check out the extensions above), bantu knots and the list goes on. For these styles, all of your ends are hidden. Some styles where your ends are mostly protected but not totally hidden are single twists, flat twists and braids that are without added hair, cornrows without added hair, up-dos style with bangs or some sort of leave out. As you can see, you’re only as limited as your imagination and available Youtube tutorials.

Regardless of style, what I love the most about protective styling is not only the fact that my hair is protected from dryness, the elements or my hands that are forever pulling and tugging on my tresses but that I get a break from doing my hair. There is nothing quite like waking up and being carefree! Well… at least when it comes to your hair.

XOXO,

Pros

Easier Wash Days

I was able to complete my wash days quicker with relaxers. The process could take me about 2 hours. I did not have to section my hair to wash or to do anything else for that matter. Drying was quicker, air-dried or blow-dried. Straightening was easier since my texture was relaxed. It was a breeze looking back at it. I don’t know why I complained.

Maintaining Straight Hair is Easier

Along with easier wash days, my hair was for the most part done for two weeks. I didn’t have to fuss with it if I didn’t want to for TWO WHOLE WEEKS. I just needed to wrap it and moisturize. I used the occasionally dry shampoo when needed but I was living a life of hair leisure.

Styles Are Easier To Do

My styles were easier to do because texture and overly thick hair was not an issue. I was able to easily put my hair in a top knot, sleek or messy and go. Now is it just me or even when us naturals choose a messy bun, we still have to work for the right amount of messiness? That “I woke up like this” bun is way more than just waking up!

Detangling is a Breeze

I just didn’t have detangling issues. Period.

No Shrinkage

I didn’t even know what shrinkage was before I transitioned to natural! My length was my length and nothing could change that. Now, I have met “shrinkage” and he is kind of a jerk. My hair is literally half the length every time he pays me a visit. What a life.

Cons

Breakage Was Easier

Now, this is just for me personally. Some people take great care of their relaxed hair and have no breakage. I wouldn’t say I had excessive breakage but I would see little hairs in my sink when I would wrap my hair a centimeter here and few centimeters there. Hey, that adds up! I had decent length but my hair never grew past bra strap length.

Terrified of Rain and Snow

Unexpected rain was THE WORST. Here you are trying to lower the amount of heat you use so that you can have healthier locks and then here comes the rain. It can literally ruin your life… err I meant hairstyle. Being caught in it without an umbrella just feels like you weren’t quite prepared for life that day.

Gym Struggle

Like the weather, the gym was a big deal too. This is sad, right? Do I want my hair to last or do I want to get it in at the gym? Being able to go to the gym whenever without hair consequences is beautiful. I seriously don’t miss this.

Less versatile

Though styles were easier to accomplish, there weren’t as many as I have now. I found myself straightening my hair, wearing it straight for about a week, curling it once it was dirty and then bunning it the day before wash day. Then lather, rinse, repeat.

Thinner hair

Though my hair was thick. It was starting to thin. This was due to the heat and the relaxer together. I will admit that I didn’t know all the things I know now, which could have save my strands, but the relaxer did play a role.

The Definition

What is a successful wash ‘n go? Well, to me it has a few thing. First, it has definition. Now not every natural girl has curls and this does not mean that a wash ‘n go is a no-go for these girls. It can be just as gorgeous as a wash ‘n fro!  I know that my hair does curl so I am looking for curl definition. The next thing is volume and shine. I want my hair to look healthy and I want it to be big. And lastly, but most important when I’m styling my hair, I want it to last. No point in taking all this time if it only last a day of two. Ain’t nobody go time for that! Now that I’ve told you what a successful wash n’ go is to me, here’s how I get mine! Be patient, it could take some practice to get the hang of it.

The Products

Products come and go. Some work for me, and some just don’t. For this reason I will not specify brands but more so just list the type on products you when need. Use what work best for your hair.

1. Leave in – Provides moisture and slip.
2. Cream – Provides added moisture for thick hair. Thin hair and looser hair types might not require a second layer of moisture.
3. Styler – Provides hold and keeps curls define.
4. Oil – Locks in moisture, adds shine and softens gel cast if one is left behind by a styler.
5. Extra water – Hair needs to be wet to do this style. If you are not doing this in the shower. You need a spray bottle just in case your hair starts to dry out.

The Wash

Clearly you cannot have a wash ‘n go without a wash of some sort. Whether it be with traditional shampoo or a co-wash (conditioner wash for those of you who are not familiar). You want to start out on clean hair! Word of the wise, I “wash” once a week but I do not use shampoo every wash day. Instead, I co-wash most of the time as shampoo can dry out your hair if you have kinky curly hair like mine. I also wash in sections for the whole process. But, as always, do what is best for your hair. NOTE: Be sure to remove and shed hair on this step to prevent tangles

The Conditioning

This can vary depending on your deep conditioning schedule and whether or not you are shampooing. I rarely ever use regular conditioner for its intended purpose. I use it mostly use it in lieu of shampoo as mentioned above. Whether you are using this conditioner after a shampoo or instead of a shampoo, this is the step that you detangle. It is easier to detangle wet hair with a conditioner that offers slip. Detangling is a must for every hair type. I only detangle during the process of conditioning or co-washing my hair. I do not do it after because it can interfere with the clumping of your curls and can cause more frizz. If you are using a shampoo to clean your hair, it is imperative that you do not skip conditioner. UNLESS you are doing the next step.

The Deep Conditioning

This is one on the most important things that you can do for your hair. I deep condition every wash day, regardless of co-wash or shampoo. This ends up being once a week with heat, when the stars in my world are perfectly aligned (sometimes wash days need to be rescheduled, no biggie). If you aren’t deep conditioning your hair often, you are doing a disservice to your hair. Try it and see the difference!

The Rise Out

Alright, I know I have talked about importance of a lot of things. At this point, you’re probably thinking: “Damn Daniel, everything is important!”… It is true. Hair is like a finicky aunt. You know, the one that likes you and behaves depending on how she felt you treat treated her recently. If you show her a lot of love, she brings you gifts when she visits and if you don’t… well, you get a bunch of “Mhmmmmms” and side eyes. Learn your lesson. Be kind to your hair and your to aunt…

Clearly I was side tracked, back to business. When you are rising out your condition, touch your hair as little as possible. This means little friction which translates into little frizz. This is why detangling earlier is so important. This also means no ringing out the excess water in your hair. This could be different depending on your hair type. Looser curly types might be able to ring out their hair. Again, I have kinky curly coily hair so more water equals less frizz.

The Products

Since I work in sections throughout the whole process, I also layer my products in section by section. I complete each section fully before moving on to the next. I start with my leave in conditioner, then a creamy moisturizer, then a styler. I do so with the praying hands method and the raking method. The praying hands method it when you put the hair between your hands as if you’re praying and slide it down the length of your hair and raking is when you use your fingers like a rake. Both methods are for the purpose of distributing product.  I use oil after my hair dries so hold off on that until later.

The Shake

After you’re are done putting in your product take the time to laid down your edges if needed. Once they are tied up or not, it’s time to shake. I do this in the shower after the water is turned off to prevent product fling everywhere. It’s pretty simple, just shake your head like a mad women! This helps define and separate your curls.

The Wait

Now can air dry and this means you just wait. It’s just something you gotta do. This could take forever! ….or at least hours… in my case 24 hours. I use a t-shirt around my shoulders to catch the drip. It’s best not to touch it to (yes, you guessed it!) prevent frizz! Diffusing with a blow dryer is another option. This is good if you are in a rush or it’s the dead of winter and wet hair outside is not an option. You could also do a mixer of both but be aware of the heat!

The Scrunch

Here’s whether you bring in the oil. Now that your hair is dry, you can touch it! YAY! I know it hard to not touch those beautiful locks. Now that you can, coat your hands in your favorite oil and scrunch it into your hair. This should bring softness and shine to hair. Stylers can often leave hair crunchy because of the hold, this should help.

The Stretch and Fluff

Shrinkage can be a pain. The best way to deal is to learn to love it and to learn to stretch it out. There are a few ways to stretch I can make a more detail post at a later time. The two I do the most often are: pineapple my hair at night. This is when you put a loose ponytail at the top of your hair as close to your hairline as possible. This is how I preserve my hair every night.

I also use the concentration nozzle on my blow-dryer to stretch my roots. I tug about mid shaft in medium bunches of hair, and hold it while I focus the blow-dryer on my roots. I only do this one time, right after my hair is dry. Pineappling helps keep it stretched the rest of the week.

After you stretch fluff that hair, girl! Use a hair pick or you fingers. How much you fluff is based on your own preference. The more you fluff, the bigger your hair will be. Your hair will get bigger over the days regardless.

I hope this helped some lovely ladies out there. Now, go forth and be fabulous!

The Pros

Worry Free Rain or Shine

Before I went natural, unsuspected water was a BIG deal! It may sound petty to some but spending so much time and money for straight hair is pointless if rain comes around and wrecks it the next day! Now that I mostly wear my hair in its natural state, I don’t have to worry about weather as much! Bring on the rain, sleet or snow! And the summer impromptu swimming! 😉

Healthy Gym Time

Along with wet weather, sweat pretty much gave me the same problem. I often found myself having to choose between hair or health, which is unacceptable. I need to be able to go to the gym! Even when I did go to the gym, if I had a fresh wash, I found myself not working my hardest. Now I can go to the gym and wash my hair when needed without having to worry about the time it took me to straightening my hair and whether or not I should style it again or use heat in it (again).

Thicker and Healthier Hair

This is not to say that you cannot have healthy, thick relaxed hair. I have had relaxed hair and it was healthy and for the most part thick. It wasn’t until I became natural that I found that my hair could be healthier and thicker. Relaxer chemicals cause some form of damage to your hair that’s just the way it is. No relaxer, no relaxer damage.

Versatility

I have way more versatility with my natural hair! I can pretty much to anything I could when I was relaxed when my is straight and do all the same styles and more when my hair is curly. I never get bored and my buns are so much fuller!

 Self-awareness

It’s nice to know who I am in my unapologetic entirety. I was relaxed at an early age so I never knew what my natural hair looked like. There is something empowering about knowing every part of yourself. Even if I relaxed my hair tomorrow (which I’m not planning on doing) I would be happy that I went natural and had this experience.

The Cons

Straight Hair isn’t Always Possible

I don’t even bother with straight hair in the summer. It is a waste of time, money, and a heat card if you’re keeping track. Side note: a heat card is a set amount of times that some naturals plan to put direct heat on their hair a year. In any case, it’s hot in the summer and even though Colorado is a dryer state, sweat from my scalp alone is enough to mess up my style. Not to mention the gym.

Perfectly Sleek Hair is Hard to Come By

Sometimes you want your hair perfectly in place. Whether it’s a bun, ponytail, or some other style. The problem is natural hair does what it wants to do. As you learn your hair, you learn tricks to help you achieve differently looks but those tricks like tying down your edges won’t always work. Sometimes my hair won’t corporate and I just have to let her be.

Dry time

Drying takes forever! It takes a full 24 hours for my hair to air dry. A blowout takes more time than it did when I was relaxed. Drying just takes longer. I might be the only one but wet hair really bugs me but it something I have to deal with now that I’m natural. Whomp.

Extra Steps to Every Hairstyle

I can no longer just put my hair into a ponytail now that I’m natural. It was so simple in the past. It might partly be due to the fact that I like my hair to look a certain way but I think it’s more than that. My edges never just look nice like they did when I was chemical processed. If I want them to be laid, I have to take the time to lay them. Which means not only adding edge tamer, gel or water, I also need to wrap them and then let them set. I need to refresh my hair with water or leave-in in order to make it more pliable and not cause excessive tangles or damage. There is more brushing so I have to worry about preventing more damage. Don’t even get me started on whether or not an average ponytail holder is big enough for this thickness! Ponytails are just not as simple for me anymore and this saddens me.

Takes Time to Maintain

On top of the extra steps to other styles, natural hair just need a little more maintenance. I could wash my hair once every two weeks with a relaxer and style it and be done. Yes, I did moisture and seal but that took no time right before wrapping my hair and going to bed. I can’t go that long without washing my natural hair or the detangling process alone would take a million years… Okay, I’m exaggerating but natural hair just requires more work.

Shrinkage

All naturally curly girls have been visited by our good friend “shrinkage” but for those of you who don’t know who he is, I’ll introduce you. He is the one that has come to rain on your parade. You have styled your coils to perfection only to have them shrink to half the length after it dries. Sure, it’s proof that you hair has elasticity, a good thing, but it’s a bummer. You can combat it with stretched styles but there is no cure.