Do You Have to Protective Style Forever to Retain Your Length?

[SelahOco]

I know Protective Styling is important when you're trying to reach your hair goals. But do you always need to hide your hair to keep your ends from suffering?

Do you wear your hair out for special occasions only? Do you wear satin shirts to protect your ends?

Please post links if you know this has been discussed previously.

 

[SelahOco]

Cute pictures i found when I googled "protective style"

Lots of your images popped up too!

 

[robot.]

Good question. I've wondered about this before.

@ horse

 

[SelahOco]

bump? bump?

 

[pookaloo83]

 

[SelahOco]

Did you vote?

 

[Dposh167]

i think you don't HAVE to. However, I got the best results when i did often. Now i hardly do it and it seems my retention has slowed down. I may get back in the habit tho

 

[Aggie]

When I reach my goal "again" I will most likely PS my hair about 60-70% of thee time

 

[Mystic]

Looks like sistalick has an article on protective styling......

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...g3.html?cat=69

 

[hillytmj]

i think you don't HAVE to. However, I got the best results when i did often. Now i hardly do it and it seems my retention has slowed down. I may get back in the habit tho

I agree with you. Right before I joined LHCF, I wore a phony pony as a protective style for 9 weeks, and I only needed a dusting rather than a full trim. I then started wearing my hair up (off my shoulders) but I still needed regular 1/2 inch trims.

My guess is that once you reach your goal length, you can wear it out on a regular basis. If you do need a trim, it wouldn't hurt too much because you would be trimming back to your "goal length" every time, if this makes sense.

 

[Desarae]

I dont but I need to because I do see better,quicker results when I do.

But I probably won't. I tend to take the long road in many areas of my life....

 

[aquajoyice]

I do protective styles because i'm extremely low maintenance and it's easy. I'm doing it now to help stretch my relaxer 6 months and protect my ends. I'm really motivated to reach MBL and have overall healthier hair.

 

[BrownieBrie]

I am protective styling now, but once I reach my goal (bsl) I plan to PS 50-60% of the time, so I can maintain my length and enjoy my hair.

 

[msa]

Protective styling really helps me retain length especially because I don't moisturize/DC like I should. When my hair is most healthy and moisturized, I can wear my hair out with no problems.

But, most of the styles I love are protective styles. I can't wait to reach WL just so I can finally wear buns and updo's that look elegant instead of anorexic. I don't protective style 100% of the time now so I'm sure I won't be doing it 100% when I reach my goal. .

 

[aa9746]

I have fine strands so I know I'll need to do protective styles to keep what I grew.

 

[FlowerHair]

I noticed that I didn't use protective styles very often this year and my hair has stopped retaining growth.

So for me, I think I can get away with wearing my hair down if I'm happy with the length, but for growing/retaining I really need protective styles at least 75% of the time or more...

 

[harrison]

I think it has helped me. Twists and braids are my style of choice. So by wearing them, wetting my hair daily, and using lots of conditioner.. I've had great results.

 

[tocktick]

Personally, I think so (in order for my hair to retain). The only difference when your hair gets longer is that you have way more options and you can use your own hair to create those styles.

I cannot wait until I reach goal, so that I can do two long French braids, long twists, updos or buns etc with my own hair. I don't think protective styling forever is necessarily a bad thing. There are so many hair styles that still allow you to protect your hair, moreso than just leaving hair loose, imo.

I think that mainly leaving hair loose (like wash n gos) will equal a lot of problems for the curlier hair types over time. Even if you plan to keep cutting your end back to goal length when it gets longer, your hair can become damaged anywhere along the strand.

 

[FluffyRed]

I voted no, but then as I read, I agree with tocktick

I think you have to do what it took to get there to maintain.

Mainly continue to avoid heat and overmanipulation, and keeping up the frequency of cowashes. If I could do that without protective styling, I would. But without wet bunning, I would be a hot mess.

Plus, when a stray hair gets caught under my seatbelt, I go into a screaming rage, so I better keep the bunning up.

 

[MagnoliaBelle]

I will still use protective styles to maintain my length even once I reach my goal. Wait--will I ever reach my goa??!! I can't even imagine that!!! Anyhow, I can't risk losing my hair after all the time and hard work it will have taken to reach the goal.
**If Flowerhair still needs protective stying, then I can't see myself ever not needing it. I'll do what I do now, protective style on the weekdays, and out on Saturday and Sunday if I feel like it. I really don't think that I'll have a problem only wearing my hair out every once in a blue moon. After one of two days of wearing this hair down, I'm ready to put it back under wraps!! LOL

 

[HoneyA]

I retain a lot more length when I PS and my ends are kept nice and moisturised. I like my updos now so I don't mind PS.

 

[anon123]

When I cut my hair very short, it would grow pretty well without protective styling up to a certain point. After that point, I need more protective styling to get it to grow longer. At a certain point, which is not very long (apl to bsl?), my hair is like Flower said. I can maintain my length w/o protective styling, it won't get shorter or anything, but it won't get any longer, either.

 

[sunnieb]

I voted "No. I'm not at goal, but I likely won't always PS. ", but I think I voted wrong. What I meant was that I won't likely PS all the time like I do now. When I began my HHJ, I kept reading how so many ladies had success with PS, so I decided to try it hard and heavy for a year. After that, I'll probably go with wearing my hair out twice a month.

Like some others have said, I actually prefer my hair up. Now that it's getting longer, my buns are so full and pretty. Not like the pitiful little "bunnette" I had back in February! I also don't like my hair getting caught in my seatbelt, purse straps, clothes, doors, etc.

 

[that_1_grrrl]

At the length I am now, no. Protective styling puts too much stress on my hair. Now, once the front half of my head reaches SL, then I will start PS as much as possible. My ends can get pretty crabby and would probably prefer not to be out in the open.

 

[beans4reezy]

I PS 99 percent of the time now in trying to reach my goal. Once I am there though, I will only PS if I feel like rocking a bun or wearing my hair up for "cuteness" sake. PS will no longer be an integral part of my hair routine.

 

[gymfreak336]

I don't think so. I also don't think that protective styling is essential to having long hair either.

 

[Kerryann]

i hate protective styling but i make sure that my hair/ends is extra moisturize

 

[tallnomad]

I think for my hair, protective styling is a must. I've reached the longest lengths with crochet braids and sew in weaves. Right now, I'm trying out the wet bunning when wearing my hair natural, and when wearing it pressed, I still bun with lots of coconut oil.

I'm not a fan of updos on me, but I'll sacrifice the "look" right now so I can retain more length. I know that Pinkskates said she never really did protective styling on a consistent basis, and we all know how long and fab her hair is.

 

[Saffirejuiliet]

I have not reach my goal, but I do protective style. I probably will protective style half of the time when I reach my goal because I do enjoy wearing them and they do help my ends. Although I would not feel 100% pressured to wear them.

 

[nichole21]

I voted for... Yes. I reached goal and I do PS.

I have reached my goals and I still use protective styles to maintain my hair. Protective styles have helped retain length and thickness as well.

I figure if I just stop, and subject my hair the elements of the past then over time it will shorten and thin itself again. I started at NL, my goal was BSL and Im WL now. As long as I'm retaining length I can keep cutting off the extra length to keep thick, healthy ends!