Has Protective Styling Run Its Course?

[bronxsoloist]

I've been exclusively protective styling for years. But I'm realizing with longer hair comes more tangles and knots leading to breakage. And my hair not retaining as much. Also my once slightly layered hair, is so catching up to one length. What is this... lol

I've been against keeping my hair straight but wondering if this, coupled with protective styling would be helpful.

I got a wash and press yesterday, I'm hoping to wear it loose for a week or 2, and than getting 2 straight backs for the other 2 weeks.

Maybe I've been doing this all wrong, maybe heat isn't the enemy.

And advice or input would be great.

 

[Colocha]

My hair has grown longer and I've notices problems with my old protective styling routine as well.

I can't do small/mid twists anymore.

And when I wear my hair straight I jave much less tangling and breakage.

However my hair is fine and cannot take regular heat. I've resorted to still keeping my hair stretched somehow. Right now it's been large braids in a bum that I take down once a week.

 

[beingofserenity]

Idk if I believe in protective styling. I don't believe in going more than a week without washing/detangling. I believe in low manipulation hair styling.

I've never noticed much of a difference in hair growth by keeping my hair wrappwd up.

 

[bronxsoloist]

How do you keep your hair stretched

My hair has grown longer and I've notices problems with my old protective styling routine as well.

I can't do small/mid twists anymore.

And when I wear my hair straight I jave much less tangling and breakage.

However my hair is fine and cannot take regular heat. I've resorted to still keeping my hair stretched somehow. Right now it's been large braids in a bum that I take down once a week.

 

[Colocha]

How do you keep your hair stretched

Right now I just keep it in braids. I'm planning to do roller sets once I have access to my rollers.

Curlformers do an excellent job but I causr breakage putting them in.

Low heat tension blow drying would work too but big braids are easier and effective.

 

[Prettymetty]

Heat isn't bad for my hair. In fact I retain more moisture when my hair is stretched. Protective styles are just convenient for my life (wigs), but if I had the extra energy I would wear my hair blown out 24/7

 

[Daina]

Heat used responsibly is not terrible for my hair. I just didn't use it responsibly over the last several years. I wasn't really DC with purpose, wasn't using protein, definitely wasn't heat protecting to the level I really needed and I was going to the Dominican salon almost 3x a month. That was just a recipe and regimen for disaster. Thankfully my hair was in good shape from the years I spent in Colorado when I first went natural. No dominican salons and heat maybe once a month. I didn't find a stylist until my last 2 years and she stayed booked so I only saw her monthly. Still wasn't DC or using protein and paying attention to my ends but I definitely wasn't frying it every week.

Now that I've gotten back into the discipline of less heat and being purposeful about my hair choices and practices my hair is in much better shape. I'm not a wig or weave person, so I bun, braidout or do a twisted bun for my protective styling. There are times I can tell my hair would act better if I lightly blow-dry instead of air drying. As long as you know what works and are enjoying your hair stay straight for awhile. Once I reach my desired length I'd like to be able to main a flat iron for a month. The longest I've made it is 2 weeks and a few days.

 

[Aggie]

Wigs (my protective style of choice) have saved my hair for the two years I've been wearing them. My last big chop was in 2014 and since then, my hair is already APL again. If I had PS from my first big chop in 2011, my hair's length would be much further along, probably close to MBL maybe even waist length by now...I'm kinda reachin' right here, but one can hope.

For about a year and a half, I would only DC twice a month but in the last 6-8 months, I've been DCing once a week. So low manipulation has definitely worked for me. I rarely use heat on my hair since my hair is fine and I get heat damaged fairly easily. I just braid my hair up in big plaits and secure them under a wig as my daily style.

When I'm giving my hair a break, which by the way, would only be for one week to ten days in between the wig wearing, I would wear a loose bun. I'm thinking about trying out medium twists and twist outs just to see how my hair likes that. As soon as she tells me she hates it, back to my wigs I go. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[ceecy29]

My stylist blow dries my hair before installing cornrows to wear under a wig for about 6-8 weeks at a time. My hair has never been better. Retention on fleek!

 

[Ajna]

My hair just likes to be left alone. If I wear a bun all week or a wash and go or braids as long as my fingers are not playing in it and I am not moving it every which way it seems to grow at the same rate. Maybe a little faster in braids.

Sadly I think it is like everything else try it for three months in only protective styles then try it doing what you want and compare.

I will say I do think women on LHCF who wear a weave and do all the magic in the weave seem to have remarkable growth.

 

[nothidden]

I'm going into protective style mode soon. It's only going to get hotter, and I work out a lot and don't have time to completely wash and restyle my hair after every session. It will just be for convenience, but when I wore braids when I was younger, new growth was noticeable. Growth isn't the goal but more than welcome.

I don't need anything major, just a 3-4 week break off and on will work.

 

[charmtreese]

I wear medium-small twist as my protective style. However, it's more of a convenience thing for me as well. I'm not a morning person and it's just way easier (faster) to style my twist in a ponytail, bun, or updo then it would be to style my loose 4b hair. I also feel that by wearing twist my hair is always prepared for any occasion, for instance, I can workout easily with no issues in twist and if I need to fancy it up on the weekends I can always do a twist-out.

My retention has been pretty steady, so if I can do this for another year or so with no issues I should be Golden!!!

 

[Saludable84]

My sister has much tighter hair than myself and has told me she is going to rely on heat to retain. Told me she has problems with tangling and retention when her hair is curly.

I just hate my hair straight now, but my hair retains pretty well just with regular washing and twist outs/bunning weekly. I find that heat doesn't "benefit" my hair and doesn't "hinder" it either. Which is why I don't use it too much.

I've never been against heat, as for some it's more beneficial for others. If your hair is really tight, you may just benefit from using heat more regularly. If you don't abuse the heat too much, it may help with retention along with knots and tangles. Even blow drying will help.