It's Only Natural..."Protective Styling"

Since I've become a natural head, my routine has been all about protective styling. It's not for everyone, I know, but for me it's become a way of life. I rarely wear my hair wild and free (I often get yelled at by my friends for not doing so), but for me...it just works. No fuss, no muss and its been a crucial step in my hair growth. Protective styling is all about minimal manipulation, keeping in moisture and protecting the oldest part of your hair: the ends.
Your ends are the the oldest part of your hair and because of this they are also the most fragile and if they become dry and/or damaged...bye bye promotion of healthy hair growth. Your hair is growing from the roots as always, but because of dry, damaged ends..the length is not being retained. Protective styling can help in aiding the promotion of hair growth by "protecting" the hair from the ever changing elements and can help keep in moisture. It also protects hair from the daily stress of styling, combing and brushing, so it reduces the amount of damage that can occur over time. Some methods of protective styling can be seen as:

• Braids
• Twists (any size)
• Straw sets
• Buns (loosely done)
• Finger coils
• Bantu Knots
• Any kind of Updo

 Seriously, if I actually think about it...99.9% of the time, my hair can be seen in twists and braids (my favorite protective stylings of choice). And I barely ever wear the same style twice (Thanks to a super great hairdresser, lol ). At work...I have even been called "The Girl With the Hair"...because my hairstyle changes so often. I don't style my hair every week, but I successfully manage to keep my hair looking on point for about a month with each style. I usually just spritz with water (which since becoming natural has become my best friend), dab it with some natural oils and at night, wrap it in a silk scarf...and voila!...maintained protected hair. Now, you don't have to be like me and keep your hair in a protective style for a month...just doing it for a day does wonders in shielding your hair from the elements and protecting your ends. So if you haven't tried protective styling as of yet...give it a go!!

One of my recent styles: