How Your Protective Style Habits Could Be Sabotaging Your Hair Growth!
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Storytime!
Braids are one protective style we wear religiously — seriously, you’ll never catch us without a crisp set of two or three-strand plaits or twists. There’s just something about a fresh installation that gives you an instant skin glow with a partial facelift. Formerly, our go-to and preferred daytime ‘do was the Ariana-Esque up-do. But after styling it this way far too often, our hairline went through the absolute most — typing this RN is bringing back such distressing memories of breakage but thankfully our resilient edges bounced back baby! And this was due to carrying out at-home care and maintenance practices that were much gentler on our stands, and providing them with the necessary TLC they required to flourish and grow again.
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Recently, we reached out to two incredible pros: New York-based braid stylist and educator, Stasha M Harris (@magicfingersstudio), and London-based braid specialist, Shayna Dawes of Braid Bar LDN (@braidbarldn), to chat all things protective styles so you can get the most out of your braids or twists, and maintain good hair health throughout.
Let’s begin by chatting about the primary purpose of protective styles, and when they become counterproductive…
“The main goal of protective styles is to prevent breakage, maintain healthy hair and length retention,” says Dawes. Harris expands on this further, describing them as “any style that covers your natural hair to protect it from outside elements, such as the sun or cold weather in the winter months, that can contribute to breakage.” However, she warns that damage can kick in when “your style has been put in too tight or worn improperly. For example, if you hold them in really tight ponytails, this can pull at your hairs and potentially cause traction alopecia.” Dawes provides similar cautionary advice, adding that when “too much braiding hair has been attached, the weight of it can strain the hair follicles [as well].”
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So how long should you keep in your protective style?
A general rule of thumb is eight weeks at most, but Harris reveals that “it definitely varies from one style to another and it, of course, depends on the product you used for the installation. Typically for knotless box braids (and most other protective styles), 4-6 weeks is what we advise our clients. Some people have them in for much longer, but this is when they can become counterproductive if left in for too long. Then once you remove the braids, there can be a lot of shedding and breakage due to this.”
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Regarding breaks in between your braids, twists, locs, or cornrows, Dawes recommends that “every time you take a style out, you should be aiming to leave at least a week in between until you install another. In that time frame, you should take time in caring for your natural hair and I highly recommend deep treatments.”
Harris highlights that this breathing period can also differ according to your style’s level of tension, “if you’re doing styles that have very little to no tension, once you remove them, it’s okay to take a two-week break, do some deep conditioning and wear your hair out. But for those who don’t like wearing their hair out or don’t know how to maintain their natural hair, it’s okay to remove your braids, treat your hair and jump back into a protective style. However, just make sure that whoever is styling your hair is not using a lot of tension. This can make or break [your style], so you just have to be very mindful of the stylist, and if you’re doing it yourself, making sure you’re not applying too much pressure.”
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Back-pedalling to Harris’s advice on how styling techniques can “make or break” growth, she highlights how stylists “play a big role in how long your style lasts and if it’s going to cause breakage or not.” She explains, “a very common type of alopecia is traction alopecia, and this comes from very tight braids or tight ponytails. I see it quite often when new clients come in, and their edges are little to none for some of them. So we then recommend an alternative style that will have little to no tension on their hairline.”
Speaking of edges, for people struggling with thinning baby hairs, what would you suggest to kickstart a healthier growth cycle and gradually repair that area?
Harris proposes “moisturizing and scalp manipulation in order for your blood to start flowing. So doing regular scalp massages” is key. She also adds that “brushing is good for blood circulation too, so whatever protective style you put in, make sure that you have access to your edges to brush them and do little scalp massages.”
And what are some of your go-to maintenance tips to help lessen damage and stimulate further hair growth?
For Dawes, her “first and most important tip is to know and understand what hair type you have. It could be low porosity, high porosity, or normal porosity. Knowing this about your hair will allow you to select the right products and styles for your hair regime. For example, if you have low porosity then hair moisture is key [but] with high porosity, protein is essential.”
Regarding at-home haircare, post-appointment, Harris encourages that you regularly “oil your scalp and do a massage — I’m big on scalp massages! After the first two weeks, depending on your activity, I also always tell my clients to apply mousse for flyaways and place a durag over their hair. Then air dry or use a handheld dryer for 2-3 minutes, and this will maintain your style and keep it looking fresh.”
There was a huge lockdown trend on Tik Tok of all sorts of DIY protective styles. What would be your do and don’t recommendations for DIY hairdos?
Dawes’s list of tips:
- DO take your time with your hair and detangle carefully with a wide-tooth comb.
- DO ensure that you are using the right products for you.
- DO protect your hair while sleeping with a satin/silk scarf, bonnet, or pillowcase.
- DON’T pull your hair tightly.
- DON’T use excessive heat and always use a heat protectant, however, where possible don’t use heat at all.
- And lastly, DON’T use elastic bands as an aid to style your hair.
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Let us know in the comments if you guys have any other protective style Q’s, and also check out our guide to sleek cornrow maintenance.
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