6 REASONS WHY YOUR PROTECTIVE STYLE DOES NOT LAST LONG AND HOW TO MAKE THEM LAST LONG.

6 reasons why your protective style does not last long and how to make them last long.

Yes! six. Have you been wondering why your braids do not last for three to four months? Do you keep on asking yourself why your hair stinks? Why won’t my regimen be on point? Why can’t I just have a successful time without my hair? I’m trying to retain length but my braids won’t last long enough. Why this, and why many more.  Chill sis calm down. In today’s post, I’m going to tell you 6 reasons why your protective style or braids won’t last and how you are going to make your protective styles last long. Let’s get into it.

1. You don’t use shower caps.

Shower caps are very essential in making your protective style last.  Yes, SHOWER CAPS. It never crossed your mind right? I know you’re soo tired when it is time to get a shower after a long day. You don’t even have a second to put a shower cap on. You just tie your braids into a bun and hop right into the shower. Some of us just walk straight into the shower if we happen to have our hair already in a bun or away from our shoulders. Others also use a regular bonnet.  As we bath, whether or not we mean to get water into our hair, it happens anyways. The bonnet is not plastic. It holds on to water and so when it’s wet, our hair is wet too. And we all know what happens when our hair is wet. Meldrew, molds, and others. It’s yack! This is when we experience soo much itching and the hair eventually smells. Bonnets are used to protect the hair when we sleep and not when we are taking our bath or shower.

2. You do not make good use of your bonnets

When the day is over and a sis has got to go to bed, she sleeps without a bonnet or scarf. Sleeping without bonnets is a real problem for many. If it’s hard to put it on, sleep on it. Lol, I’m not asking you to sleep on your bonnet, No. I’m asking you to sleep on a satin or silk pillow case. If you do not have one, I know what to do. Helping broke girls is part of the drill here chill. Find an old night wear of yours whose material is silk or satin and use as a pillow case. It’s as simple as that sis. If you do not have an old one, but one you are already using, just sacrifice it for your hair and get another dress to sleep in. You must have heard this but sleeping in bonnets make your protective style last long because, it reduces frizz and also prevents moisture loss when you sleep. Cotton pillowcases, soak the little moisture and oils you have in your hair when you sleep on them.

3. Dandruff or a dry scalp.

Now this right here is the culprit for most people. Dandruff is a health condition and most people happen to suffer from it. There are so many ways to treat and prevent it. Apple cider rinses and others. Check out my post on preventing and managing dandruff at home. For dry scalp, it just happens to be to be a skin condition. You can curb this by properly moisturizing or using honey-based conditioners. Why honey? Honey because honey is an emollient. This means that, it attracts moisture from the atmosphere.  or DIY moisturizers if you are a fun of DIYs.

4. Your protective style is not protecting enough. If there is one thing you need to know about hairstyles and protective styles in general, it is that there are protective styles and low manipulative styles. Protective styles are styles that protect your hair from external factors such as the elements of the weather, your clothes, constant styling and so on. including your ends which are the most susceptible to breakage because, they are the oldest part of your hair.

Protective styles include faux locks, weaves or sew ins. You must be wondering why I am not mentioning braids right? Personally, classifying braids as protective styles is a bit difficult for me. This because, in braids, your hair is not completely hidden. I have seen just a few braiders who are able to really hide their client’s natural hair in braids. Once the hair is exposed but cannot be manipulated, it’s classified as a low manipulative style. Simply because, all it does is to prevent you from constantly manipulating. i.e. combing, daily styling and frequent washing. It is not protecting your strands. I hope you know what it means to protect something or what it means to be protected right? Low manipulative styles are styles that only save you from combing your hair regularly. (manipulation)That is literally it. low manipulative styles even if they hide the ends of your hair is not a protective style. These styles include twists, buns, cornrows and braids. Once a protective style is exposing your hair but it stops you from manipulating your hair, it is called a low manipulative style.

5. You don’t prep your hair properly. When you are protective styling, whether or not you like it, you are taking a break from caring for your hair. So if your hair is going to be out of sight for that long, it is essential that, you prep your hair and scalp for the journey ahead. One sure thing to do is to deep condition your hair and moisturize your scalp.  Also, it’s importance to use the right products as well as the right approach. For products, make sure you are using products that are moisturizing enough. Be sure to see water as the first ingredient sis. Second is to look out for an emollient, such as honey, this is because, emollients attract moisture from the atmosphere. There are other ingredients that are moisturizing enough such as aloe vera and others.

6. For braids, you do not use the right color of hair extensions . This point is for those who use braiding hair a.k.a. hair extensions for protective styling. Did you ever pause for a second to think that, the color of braiding hair you choose actually affects the longevity of your braids? Let me tell you why. So when you get braids installed and it is not done properly to hide your actual hair, after a short while, your hair begins to stick out. When the color of braiding hair you chose does not match the color of your actual hair, your actual hair now becomes visible because obviously, they are of two different colors. When this happens, the beauty of the braids is lost and now, you are forced to take them down. I am not against using different colors to braid your hair no, it’s beautiful and bold and all of that. All I am saying is that, if you do not want to be taking your braids down anytime soon, you would want to choose a braiding hair a.k.a. extension that matches the actual color of your hair. Most often here in Ghana, ladies braid with the intention of keeping it in for quite a long time. So sis, if you are looking forward to keep your next braids in for a long time, please do your future self the honors and choose a braiding hair that matches the color of your actual hair.  
   Take away
   protective styles are meant to protect your hair from manipulation. you should make the most out of them while you can. I hope this article helps you. Do let me know what you learnt in the comment section below.