Why You Should Protective Style

Here are a few reasons why you should protective style…

I recently installed Marley Twist as my protective style (as pictured).  I shared more about how to install Marley Twist, the products, and process. I decided to protective style with twist for a few reasons.

To Prevent Breakage

I was noticing that my hair was dry and frizz.  These are signs of potential damage and split ends. I know that I have a good regimen but I wanted that extra assurance that I was giving my hair time to repair.

Improve the Health of My Hair with a low manipulation style that allows me to moisturize daily. When you’re practicing a low manipulation regimen it is very important to still clean, condition and moisturize. This style allows me to do that.

To Give Myself A Break
As you know I have a lot of hair.  Even though I can shampoo and style my hair within an hour, it still gets laborious. I have been rocking updos and twist out but I still can’t keep my hands out of my hair.

What Causes the Need To Protective Style?

I noticed that my hair was dry and frizzy.  My curls are just lackluster with no curl definition.  I believed there were a few things that contributed to the potential damage and breakages from dry hair that I was seeing. Protective styling helps to prevent breakage from the major causes of breakage.

The major types of breakage are physical/mechanical, environmental and nutritional/dietary. Physical or Mechanical breakage is rough housing with your hair for example improper detangling or combing dry hair.   Environmental breakage is caused by external factor that damage or break the hair.  A good example is dryness that is caused from the hot summer sun. Nutritional/ Dietary damage is usually an excess or deficiency of vitamins, mineral or even hormone that promote healthy hair.

I was suffering from the following hair damaging factors.

• Environment:  heat and humidity of Houston, Texas are killer.
• Hormones: My hair has never fully recovered from the hormonal changes of my pregnancy and postpartum hair loss.
• Using the blow dryer: I was blow drying my hair more frequently.  I didn’t experience any heat damage, though. But it doesn’t help when you already have hair that lacks moisture. {Read 5 Reasons You Don’t Have To Be Afraid to Blow Dry Your Hair}
• Not Deep Conditioning: For some reason, I wasn’t sticking to my weekly moisturizing deep conditioning treatments and monthly protein deep conditioning treatment. I guess, I was just too busy or maybe lazy. Either way my hair is paying for it.  {Read The Benefits of Deep Conditioning Your Natural Hair}
• Over Clarifying: I was experimenting with Sheamoisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo.  Its a great shampoo for dry scalp which I have but its also a clarifying shampoo.  Clarifying shampoos can be very drying to natural hair and should only be used as needed. Definitely not weekly, like I was using it for about a month. Lesson learned I have since switched back to SheaMoisture Coconut &  Hisbiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo orCurls Curlicious Cleansing Cream

For more reading on Protective Styling

What is a protective style

The Benefits of Protective Styling