5 Ways Your “Protective Style” is Damaging Your Hair

Black people have been using protective styles for years to maintain healthy hair. However, not all of these styles are as protective as they seem. When choosing a hairstyle, it helps to know what might damage your hair instead of keeping it healthy.

5 Ways Protective Styles Can Damage Your Hair

1. They Can Damage Your Edges

Protective styles can cause a lot of tension in your hair - especially when they’ve just been installed.

As a result, you feel a lot of pulling on your edges. Given how delicate that part of your hair can be, protective styles can end up damaging it to the point where some people develop a receding hairline.

2. They Can Cause Split Ends

While hiding your hair from external damage, some styles use extensions that can cause friction with your natural hair.

Over time, this can result in split ends. Since your hair is inaccessible while styled, you won’t notice the damage until the style is undone. At that point, there might be quite a bit to deal with.

3. They Can Cause Knots

Your hair will shed whether or not it’s being combed every day. In fact, it’s estimated that you shed up to 100 strands per day. That number can really grow when your hair is in a protective style for a few weeks.

The shed hair can cause a lot of knotting when it’s time to pull it out. Worse yet, if you don’t detangle your hair properly, you might lose a lot of healthy hair in the process.

4. They Can Encourage Build-Up

It’s not easy to efficiently wash your hair when you have certain protective styles installed. The buildup of oils from your scalp and any hair products you’ve used can make extensions even heavier and increase the likelihood of damage. Continued build-up can also hurt your scalp.

5. They Can Cause Breakage

With the combination of friction and the build-up of products, protective styles can easily cause breakage.

It might not be easy to see the difference between shedding and breakage when undoing your protective style either. You’ll usually notice when clumps of your hair come out that don’t have the cuticle attached.

How To Choose The Right Style

The right style will depend on your hair. While extensions can be beautiful, some stylists recommend working with your own hair as much as possible. Using loose cornrows or simple twists instead of opting for extensions every time is a great option.

If you’d like to use extensions, however, look for those that are lighter or don’t put as much stress on your hair. For example, knotless braids are known to be easy on your edges.

How To Take Care Of Your Hair When Styled

According to many stylists, you can reduce the odds of damaging your hair with a few tweaks to your haircare routine. While wearing a style, you should still oil your scalp and keep your hair moisturized. Though it’s tempting to avoid oil-based products because of the resulting build-up, they’re better for your hair than water-based ones. Additionally, it’s recommended that you still shampoo and condition your hair regularly.

When you’re going to bed, it’s a good idea to wrap your hair and cover it. It’s also crucial to mix up the types of styles you put your hair into. Constantly using ponytails or an updo will put even more stress on your hair.

When To Be Careful

While it’s normal to shed some hair while wearing a protective style, you should take note if you’re losing more hair than expected. Once you’ve carefully detangled your hair and allowed it to rest in between styles, take note if you continue to lose hair. It’s possible that there is damage that needs to be assessed by a doctor. Certain chronic conditions like alopecia can also result in persistent hair loss so it’s best to deal with that as soon as possible.

Protective styles can be great for your hair but only if you use the right ones and take care of them. It’s essential to prepare your hair for styling and practice careful aftercare between styles. If you have any concerns about damage or your scalp’s condition, talk to a professional.