How protective is protective styling?

We all love a protective style from time to time, from braids, bantu knots, cornrows, buns, wigs and so on. These protective styles help to keep hair tucked away and help decrease the amount of manipulation to the hair. On one hand, some people see protective styling as a fundamental to hair health and growth, not having to touch and manipulate your hair so frequently, less breakage (or so we think) and a fun way to style hair. On the other hand, there are also opinions that protective styling can sometimes be damaging. Let's weigh out some of the pros and cons to this hair care method and figure a middle ground on how to protective style without compromising your hair and scalp health.

PROS

Protective styling is very versatile, meaning the methods of protecting your hair are limitless. Aside from the creative and beauty elements of such protective styles, the amount of times and ways you need to manipulate your hair is less frequent during this time. This leaves room for your hair and scalp to have time to breathe from any excessive combing, tangles and manipulation and minimizing things such as the use of heat and heat damage from blow drying and/or straightening for example.

CONS

Protective styling can vary from each individual. Firstly, for some people, such methods of protecting hair can place tension on the scalp and edges. This in turn could make your roots weaker and your edges more vulnerable. Although hair fall is common while taking down a protective style, if you notice an unusual amount falling, hair tension and a weak/tender scalp could be the reason. Try doing your styles less tight particularly those of you who are more tender headed.

Another con to protective styles can be the amount of dryness/brittleness of your hair once you take it down, which can also be a factor to hair breakage. If you wear your styles for long periods of time i.e. 3 weeks to a month or more without adding some form of hydration or moisture, your hair may grow within this time, but may also be prone to excessive shedding and/or dryness. As we know, keeping our hair hydrated and moisturised from time to time is key to maintain your hair in a healthy condition.

In conclusion, protective styling is a great option for those who struggle to keep their hair healthy or those who constantly manipulate their hair and want to give their hair a break. However, when protective styling it is important to apply the correct methods and level of care to keep your hair and scalp healthy and reduce dryness and breakage. Think less tension and more moisture!

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