Protective Style Errors That Cause Breakage and Damage

Hello Ladies,

This post is a short one but it is long overdue. To all my consultation clients, thank you for keeping me super busy.  I will always find time (somehow) to update Hairducation even though it may not as often as I’d like.  I am making efforts to improve my work-work balance (I don’t have much of a social life right now) .  For now,  my uploading of posts here will be sporadic.  So please do keep checking in for new posts and if you are new to Hairducation, there are loads of posts you can catch -up on.

So on with todays post which is about common mistakes ladies make when protective styling with their natural (relaxed and virgin) hair.  It’s great to see more and more ladies rock their real hair in either its virgin or relaxed state however I have noticed a few mistakes that can lead to thinning, damage and breakage.
The most common errors are…..

 

• Not hiding the ends
  One of the main aims of a protective style is to hide/tuck your ends so that the moisture in your hair does not evaporate excessively.  It also ensures your ends do not rub against your clothes or upholstery. Whether it is a bun or goddess braids, try to have your ends well hidden or tucked in.

• Making the style super tight
  I see so many ladies with ponytails, buns, puffs, wigs and cornrows under wigs etc that are super sleek and super tight. I wont lie, it can look really cute when a protective style is hella sleek but there should be a balance between sleekness and safety.
  There is a mistaken view that only braids, weaves or other extensions hair styles cause traction alopecia.  Styles created with your own hair can do that too.  If you can feel your temples  being pulled tightly……. or you feel blood rush to your head when you undo the hair or take off the wig or hair band ………or you cant turn and bend you neck comfortably …….or have had the ponytail “facelife”….it is too tight.

• Using a lot of gel and hard brushes daily
  A continuation from the hella sleek mistake in the point above is the laid for the gods mistake. Using a lot of gel and hard brushes on your delicate edges on a daily basis will result in thinning of your hairline and damage to the hair fibres.  It is okay to use a natural gel or non drying gel and a soft brush from time to time.
  Some ladies may have a hairline that can tolerate daily stress to their hairline.  Some of us, like myself, certainly do not.

• Parting or bunning in the same spot
  If you have a go-to protective style that requires a part, try to alternate the pattern of the style so that you are not always parting in the exact same spot over the years. Doing so will result in the hairs in that area being manipulated more often than other areas.  This will often result in small amounts of breakage which over time will make the hairs in those areas shorter.
  If you are a lady who loves buns and ponytails, move the location of your bun or ponytail to avoid causing stress on a particular spot.

• Using pins and bands that are defective or damaged and snag and tear your hair. I think this one is self-explanatory.

As promised, a short and sweet post. My next few posts will be educatative product reviews and a microcsopic comparison between afro textured hair and Caucasian and Asian hair.

As always, I’ll work hard on making the posts worthwhile so see you soon.

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow