A protective style can give your afro hair a much-needed break from environmental stressors, tugging, pulling, and heat styling. Protective hairstyles can reduce shedding, tangling, and breakage. While these styles cannot help your natural hair growth by themselves, they can assist in maintaining length and good moisture levels.
But for your curls to make the most of this process, you must take care of your curly hair before, during, and after a protective style regimen. So, here are our tips for creating a regimen for this style before, during, and after.
Pre-Protective Styling Tips
Use A Clarifying Shampoo To Cleanse
If you are going to adopt a protective style that you aim to keep for more than four weeks, you must use a clarifying shampoo to remove any build-up. This is because once you install your protective style, it will not be possible to wash your natural hair as thoroughly or as frequently as you like.
Hydrate With A Conditioner A Conditioner And A Leave-In
You need a hydrating conditioner to replenish the moisture in your afro curls once the clarifying shampoo has removed your product build-up. Our Moisture-Rich Conditioner With Manuka Honey And Avocado contains ingredients that can treat hair loss, split ends, and dry scalps. All these afro hair problems can occur while your natural hair is in a protective style. More importantly, our conditioner can also make it easier to detangle your hair with your fingers in the shower gently.
Next, our Leave-In Conditioner With Manuka Honey & Avocado Oil can help prepare your curly hair for any protective style. It does this by locking in the moisture from your wash day, reducing the occurrence of split ends, and ensuring your curls remain shiny and flexible. To get the best results from this leave-in, use a wide-tooth comb or a soft bristle brush to comb a small amount of this hydrating mixture throughout your strands.
Choose A Product Which Can Moisturise And Style Your Curls
Opt for a natural hair product to simultaneously moisturise and style your afro curls. The extra moisture will prevent breakage and frizz for your afro hair and make your protective style easier to take down. For instance, our Curl Elongating Gel With Flaxseed Oil & Rosewater keeps your hair soft and strong while in a protective style. Additionally, its properties can naturally stretch your afro curls to give them the best definition before installing your style.
Caring For Your Afro Hair While In A Protective Style
Do Everything You Can To Ease The Tension On Your Scalp
Whether installing a protective style yourself or using a stylist, ensure that your afro hair is not pulled too tight, especially around your edges. After, your protective style is in, give yourself regular scalp massages to ease any tension you may feel on your scalp.
Gently Cleanse And Condition Your Natural Hair
Keeping natural oils on your scalp whilst wearing a protective style is essential. So rather than using a clarifying shampoo to remove build-up, use our Hydration Shampoo With Manuka Honey to gently cleanse and replenish moisture to keep your natural hair soft and manageable. Continue to keep your afro curls moisturised.
On your wash day, use our conditioner and leave-in mixture after shampooing. However, if it's not your wash day, you can ensure your afro hair is still moisturised with a light daily spritz of our Everyday Curl Refresh With Coconut & Jamaican Black Castor Oils. This mixture can revive your protective style and can also improve curl definition.
Protecting Your Natural Hair Post-Protective Style
Begin With A Pre-Poo Before Shampooing
Even if you have been hydrating your natural hair during a protective style, a pre-poo can help you replenish the moisture in your afro hair and make it easier to detangle and take the style down. You can use a large amount of our Curling Crème With Coconut & Jamaican Black Castor Oils on your natural hair from your roots to your tips. Then, leave this mixture on your afro curls for 10-15 minutes before washing it off with a clarifying shampoo.
Condition Using The Steaming Process
Adding steam to your conditioning routine with a shower cap can help the conditioner work more effectively. Steam can allow a conditioning mixture to penetrate further into your scalp and strands so that any damage from protective styles can be repaired. Then, use our leave-in with a wide-toothed comb for maximum moisture retention.
Trim Your Curly Hair If Necessary
If you have split or rough ends after removing your protective style, then it might be time to trim your ends. Always consult your stylist for further advice on split ends, as it is vital to diminish any signs of breakage as early as possible.
While protective styles can make it easier to go about your day without worrying about your afro hair, you can maximise its benefits by maintaining a protective style routine. This guide can help you build a routine to care for your natural hair regardless of your protective style stage.