HAIR LOUNGE - Protective Styling Can Do More Harm Than Good

The gospel for naturalistas is "do more protective styling" which I quite agree with but did you know that if you don't get it right, that protective style can damage your hair? Yes, it can. 

Types of protective styles

Wigs
Natural hair twists
Crotchets
Braids


How protective styles damage hair


Wigs: While it's great for every woman to own a wig or two, it's also important to care for your hair underneath the wig. You can wear one wig for as long as you want especially if it's the removable type as long as you ensure your hair is moisturized for as long as you wig it. I have seen a lot of women who wear a wig especially lace wigs for over two months, while this is great do not let the urge to enjoy your money's worth from purchasing that Nwanneka's 200gram Mongolian hair at N250, 000 to damage your real hair. Unless of cause you don't care about hair loss, it's important to moisturize hair before installation and If possible while you have it on. Visit a stylist if you require assistance.


The most common mistake we make is to assume that once you have a wig on your hair is protected, it's not if the hair is left dry and unwashed especially if it's the removable wig you can have the weave re-done at an interval of two weeks or less.


Natural hair twists: This is a great protective style and it looks good on every one. It also helps to stretch your hair and you can see how far your hair has grown. Some people can take their twists for as long as a month or more but also it's important to moisturize the hair. The longer you wear twists, the finer it becomes. It even looks like real locs if done properly but please moisturize, dry hair and scalp breaks natural hair.





Crotchets: This is the in thing now and you can find crochet in almost any hairstyle you want but did you know that crochet can give you temporary alopecia if not done right? The first time I did crochet I had a headache for over a week and my neck was stretched out like an ostrich because of how tight it was and I assumed it was normal because you see it was my first time and I didn't know better. Please the weave that you want to install crochet on should not be tight because when the crochet pin goes in your hair would come out with it. After my first experience, I never went back and started installing them myself. You can do the same too if you can just get someone else to weave your hair.

Crotchet installed for my friend, notice how I avoided her edges. 

Notice how not too loose or tight this is, perfect for crotchet installation.



Braids: While I like crotchet, some people don't and would rather have their hair braided. Nothing wrong with this, but tell your stylist to go easy on your scalp. Always take note of the stylist that can't have your hair done without pulling at the scalp. Hair can be well braided without your scalp looking snatched by the devil himself. Also, avoid very tiny and long braids so your edges don't suffer. Length of braids means your scalp hair is being pulled downwards and many of us tend to pack our braids in pony tails or let loose. Lastly, Remember that while you can take your braids for a month or longer. 

They can be washed and oiled by a professional and still look new. Personally, I don't keep a hairstyle longer than two weeks, at most three weeks but if you must do longer especially for million braids and the likes, please have it oiled as often as you can and wash it too.

BY BV DOPPELGANGER.