How to have long lasting neat protective styles.
Scalp dry as the desert.
Protective styles are styles that keep the hair tucked away and free from manipulation. They can protect the hair from various factors like weather, chemicals, or tugging. They can also help the hair grow healthy and prevent knotting, snagging, or breakage.
Types of protective styles:
Braids, Twists, Locs, Crochet, Wigs (without lace glued to edges), Sew Ins, Bantu Knots... etc.
Tip #1 - Make sure protective style isn't too tight.
First thing first... Too much tension on your hair is the worse way to start a protective style. You're going into the style damaging your hair, edges and hair follicles. Make sure your edges are free and that there aren't any tight bumps around the nape of your hair. The point of these styles is to have them weeks without it tugging and pulling from the follicle.
Tip #2 - Night Head Scarf or Bonnets
Purchase silk or satin bonnets and head scarfs. Most damage is done at night while you are asleep. While laying on your hair you are rubbing it on cotton pillows and pulling and tugging through the night. Cotton also takes the moisture out of your hair. Purchasing a silk or satin pillowcase is a plus but should not replace bonnets and scarves.
Tip #3 - MOISTURE! MOISTURE! MOISTURE!
Usually when we get our favorite protective style, we begin to neglect our hair. We feel we don't have to do anything to our hair once it's done but that is a horrible decision. The best way to keep your protective style looking fresh and healthy is to constantly add moisture. Dryness is the cause of the damage. Dryness of the scalp and hair strands causes the hair to snap and shed.
What can be used to keep hair and scalp moisturized:
Leave in spray conditioners
Water mixed with conditioner in a spray bottle
Rose Water
Hair Oil (Applied correctly after applying a spray, SEAL in the moisture with your favorite hair oil)
Glycerin
How often? Depending on the type of style and the length of time you will have it.. you should add moisture at least once a week.
Stay away from these products that is misconceived as great products for hair moisture.
-Hair Grease (Example: Blue Magic, DAX. These products clog your pores and promote product build up. You want to use very light products that are actually beneficial and won't weigh down the hair.)
-Coconut Oil (Only coats the hair does not penetrate the cuticle or provide any nutrients to the hair or scalp)
-Oil Sheen Spray (Apply only to shaft for SHINE. These sprays are filled with alcohol and cause the hair and scalp to dry out immediately.
Tip #4 - Types of Products BrownBeauty.Essentials Have for Protective Styles.
My Edge Control Works as a double agent! Yes, it lays your edges down smoothly without leaving
white residue, but it also moisturizes and promotes hair growth.
2. Rose Water Spray: Benefits of Rose Water for Hair
Fight against dandruff: One of the benefits of using rose water remedy on natural hair is that it can help fight dandruff.
Anti-inflammatory property: Many people suffer from scalp con-
ditions like eczema and psoriasis, which can lead to dry hair and hair loss.
Frizz-fighting and moisturizing properties
Astringent properties to keep scalp clean
Reduce hair loss.
3. Rice Water Spray:
Rice Hair Infusion in loaded with Rice Protein as well as Rice Bran oil and the Hair-Loving Flax Seed Oil that will help keep hair and scalp healthy with proper use and care. Rice Water is loaded with protein.
Rice water is thought to contain many of the vitamins and minerals contained in rice. These include:
amino acids
B vitamins
vitamin E
minerals
antioxidants
4. Itch away hair oil:
Yes, I also get caught patting my hair and head to not scratch and mess up my style but let's not do that. My itch away oil pairs great with my hair sprays. After applying a spray seal in moisture with this anti itch oil. Main ingredient is peppermint abstract and zinc.
Peppermint Benefits for hair
Peppermints abstracted into an oil is good for your hair and scalp. It helps with dryness, itching, or other scalp problems.
The benefits of peppermint essential oil can be described as:
antimicrobial
insecticidal and pesticidal
analgesic and anesthetic
vasodilating (and vasoconstricting)
anti-inflammatory
Peppermint oil increases blood flow when applied topically. As such, it also increases the delivery of oxygen and nutrients.
Zinc benefits for hair
Reduces hair loss
Regulates hair growth
Zinc enhances healthy hair growth by inhibiting entry of hair follicles in catagen phase (also called as hair follicle regression) and also leads to an improved anagen stage of hair growth cycle.
Controls dandruff
Zinc pyrithione is derived from zinc itself. It is beneficial in battling seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff) and Malassezia (fungus which causes dandruff) because it offers antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial characteristics. It stops yeast from growing, which is what causes dandruff on the scalp.
Lowers Androgenic Alopecia Risk
Zinc has been found to have antiandrogenic potential because it inhibits the activity of the enzymes 5-reductase type 1 and type 2. Some of the body's testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by this enzyme. The main hormone behind both male and female pattern baldness is DHT.
By affecting the enzyme, zinc supplements and foods that are high in zinc help lower DHT levels and enhance hair growth.
Tip #5 - Watch for signs of damage... take it down.
If you are feeling any type of discomfort do not hesitate to take the style down. If the tugging and pulling cannot be resolved by spraying some conditioner, you are risking tractional alopecia.
You develop traction alopecia from wearing your hair pulled too tight. Pulling on the hair repeatedly loosens the hair shaft in its follicle. People with very long hair can also get traction alopecia due to the weight of the hair pulling on the scalp.
Proper take downs are very important. Please remember to detangle hair immediately after taking down the protective styles. Use detangling conditioners and remove as much of the hair fall as possible before shampooing hair. If you skip this step, you will cause more damage and experience matting and tangling.
I encourage you all to use what I call the CSC method.
CSC METHOD: When you are done detangling hair strands, do not go straight to shampooing. Do this instead:
CONDITION (Rince Out) ----> SHAMPOO (Rince Out) -----> CONDITION AGAIN (Rince)
CSC will prevent pulling and breaking and boost more moisture to hair and scalp.
DONT SACRIFICE YOUR HAIR HEALTH FOR A PRETTY HAIRSTYLE.
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