If you have hair, you probably have hair problems as well, especially when the weather’s warm. You see, warm weather brings with it heat and humidity which can seriously harm your luscious locks. As for the winter, the harshness and dryness of the season can also damage your hair quite badly. Moreover, both water and sweat can potentially wreak havoc on your hair which is why you need to find a way to eliminate these threats. But don’t worry because protective styling does just that- it allows you to protect your hair from all natural elements, including but not limited to humidity and heat.
But what is protective styling all about? How can you go about it? Is it even worth it? Should you opt for it? And how long can you keep them in?
We get it- you have a lot of questions. And we’re here to answer all of them! So, simply read on to learn all about protective styles, hair extensions, sew-ins, and how they impact hair growth!
Why Go for Protective Styling?
Apart from the obvious fact that hair extensions and sew-ins make you look good, protective styles have many other benefits as well, such as:
#1 Protect Your Hair
If the name didn’t already give it away, protective styles protect your hair from the dirt and grind of life and the environment. You can simply use hair extensions to cover your hair, and thus, ensure that the hair underneath your wig stays safe from the harms of the outside world. Hence, you can use sew-ins and the like to protect your hair and preserve its lusciousness.
#2 Retain Hair Length
Since protective styles protect your hair by preventing breakage and exposure to intense heat, humidity, and dryness, it actually helps to improve hair growth. Because obviously if you’re losing hair faster than it’s growing, your hair probably won’t grow as much. But throw in protective styling and your hair will stay safe and healthy- and voila, your hair growth is faster than ever!
#3 Low Maintenance
Another benefit of using sew-ins is that you essentially don't need to style your hair. You can simply roll out of bed and you’ll be good to go. And yes, you can still have perfectly French braids or sexy, straight hair because that’s the power of hair extensions- all play without having to do any work!
#4 Retain Moisture
By using protective styles, you effectively eliminate tangled hair as well as breakage. Hence, this can help to lock in moisture and keep your hair looking fresh all day. Plus, you can even make it a habit to apply a leave-in conditioner to help with moisture retention when you’re wearing a protective style.
#5 Ideal for All Weather
Extreme weather can drastically affect your hair which is why you need to adopt different strategies to protect your hair during different times. However, with protective styles in place, you don’t have to worry about the weather because your hair is essentially unbeatable, thanks to the protective shield that is your hair extensions! Therefore, you can have hair that is ideal for all sorts of weather conditions.
How to Protective Style?
Whether it’s your first time wearing a wig or whether you do it all the time, you need to make sure you do it right! Otherwise, you might end up looking like a disaster, which is definitely not something you want!
But how do you protective style the right way?
Well, start out by cleansing your hair because you obviously need a clean base to put in your hair extensions. Dry shampoo is convenient in this regard because it cleans the scalp while still keeping the scalp dry. For best results, we recommend using regular shampoo but as a sort of dry shampoo. So, dilute your regular shampoo with water and apply it using a washcloth so that your hair won’t take too long to dry. Next, moisturize by spritzing on a mixture of water and olive oil or any light oil like coconut or jojoba. You could also simply apply a water-based leave-in conditioner.
If you’re using protective styles to help with hair growth, you will want to perfect the installation part because improper installation can actually cause tension which in turn can lead to breakage and hair loss. And that really just defeats the entire purpose of wearing a protective style in the first place! A good rule of thumb is that if hair extensions are giving you a headache, you should remove them at once. Also, don't go for heavy sew-ins if you have very light hair as that can also be potentially damaging. As for maintaining and protecting your hair extensions, we recommend wearing a bonnet or silk cap to bed so as to avoid tangles, snags, and friction.
Protective Styling Tips
Now that you know how to go about installing protective styles, here are some tips to help you maximize the benefits of using hair extensions:
· Keep your scalp clean by washing one every week, or at least once every two weeks if you’re wearing a twisted or braided wig.
· If you go for twisted or braided hair extensions, make sure you don’t pull too tightly, or you could actually cause breakage or hair loss.
· Moisture retention is a big deal, so use a leave-in conditioner. Plus, sleep on a satin pillowcase with a silk bonnet to avoid friction and potential damage while you sleep.
How Not To Protective Style?
Knowing what to do is good, but there are also some things that you most certainly must avoid at all costs when you’re wearing hair extensions. Lucky for you, we've rounded them up and listed them down here, so you don’t have to worry about a thing!
· Don’t use non-water-based products with sew-ins as it can cause build-up or flaking which makes your hair look all cakey.
· Don’t forget to put on a silk bonnet at night or wrap your hair in some way to prevent friction and consequent damage.
· Don’t leave in your hair extensions for too long because protective styles only last so long. Keeping them in beyond a certain point will only cause hair damage.
· Don’t just pull it out. If there’s a right way to install hair extensions, there is also a right way to take them out. If you try to rip out your sew-ins, you'll actually negate all your progress with the protective style.
· Don’t put in another style immediately. Let your hair relax for at least a week when you take out your extensions before putting in another set.
· Don’t put in the same style repeatedly because this will pull your hair in certain directions and cause it to grow only in certain sections.
When to Take Out Your Protective Styles?
As much as you might want to, you can’t keep in your protective styles forever. You will have to take them out after the appropriate time. The average time deemed appropriate is around 6 to 8 weeks. Also, of course, if you notice buildup in your hair, that’s another sign that it’s time to finally take out those extensions. You should also wash your hair bi-weekly to ensure that your protective style stays fresh and clean. All of this would ensure that your protective style does what it’s intended for- protecting your hair by preventing breakage. Not to mention, it also helps promote hair growth.
Protective Styles for You to Try!
The beauty of using hair extensions is that there are just so many options to choose from! Straight, curly, twisted, braided, colored- literally anything you want! Your hair can be whatever you want it to be! You can look and feel your best because the variety is seriously insane!
In fact, here are some of our favorite protective styles that can help keep your hair healthy while still looking absolutely stunning:
· Crochet hair
· Flat twist
· Lemonade braids
· Box braids
· Wig
· Flat twist
· Pineapple updo or puff
· Faux Locs
· Braided crown and low bun
· Braided bun or ponytail
· Two strand twist
· Sew Ins
· Wig application
The Bottomline
Protective styles are a kind of quick and easy remedy for hair growth. Plus, they are very low maintenance which means you can just put them on and forget about them altogether. Well, maybe not altogether because you do need to take them out. In fact, you will need to be somewhat cautious with hair extensions in your hair so that you don’t damage them. And of course, you should take them out properly after the appropriate time so as to avoid any problems.
So, what are you waiting for?
If you want fast hair growth with protective styles, head on over to Sewicy Boutique for all sorts of sew-ins and hair extensions! Not to mention, their expert team of hairstylists can also guide you about what style you should opt for, and how you need to care for your new hair to keep it fresh and beautiful!