Coarse, type 4, afro textured natural hair is a wonderful hair texture.
On the plus side, it can be straightened, curled, braided and worn in an infinite amount of cuts and colors. It’s just amazing that way but, in all honesty, it has a downside too.
Coarse, afro textured hair can take forever to detangle and even longer to air dry after it has been washed. Straightened type 4 hair curls back up at the very hint of moisture in the air and, as if all of that isn’t bad enough, chronic dryness and tangled curls and kinks can make breakage a nightmare.
That’s where protective styling comes in – it takes all of the negatives and makes them much easier to deal with.
Simply put, protective styles are hair styles that protect hair from the perils of daily manipulation. Protective styles generally last from two to six weeks thus relieving the wearer of the need to style their hair and as a result can virtually eliminate breakage and dramatically shorten the time it takes to do daily maintenance.
Typically, those who wear protective styles only apply oil or other very basic products to their hair and scalp and cover their hair with a satin scarf or bonnet to protect their hair before going to sleep at night.
Protective styling is also amazing. Styles can include braids, wigs, weaves or a combination of the three. With a little creativity and a lot of patience protective styling options are just about limitless and can even result in hair growth due to the protection they provide from daily manipulation. These styles are especially helpful during the winter months when wearing hoods, hats and scarves become a necessity.
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As with everything in life protecting styling does have its drawbacks. Protective styles must be cared for properly to look their best, removing the hairstyle can take a few minutes or a few hours depending upon the style and if they are worn for long stretches without change or if hair is braided too tightly hair loss can occur.
Also on FNH: Traction Alopecia and Hair Loss
Looking for protective styling ideas? Browse the latest looks in natural hair on the FNH.com Pinterest Page. 
1 comment :
Nice read. Learned something new with this article. Thanks! Have a nice day!
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