How To Prep Your Hair For A Protective Style

Protective styling is one of those life-saving tactics that allows you to be lazy because you don’t have to do your hair every day, all while optimizing hair health and growth by allowing it to rest.

Whether you are getting braids, a sew-in, crochet braids, or faux locs you have to make sure that you adequately prepare your own hair first. Often we think that since we are getting a protective style that that is enough, but if you want to make sure your hair is healthy in that state there are a few measures you should make sure you complete first on your final wash day.

Apple Cider Vinegar* Rinse

First, I like to make sure I start with an ACV rinse to help with fully clarifying my scalp. No matter the protective style, you know that you will not be able to wash your hair really well so starting off with a cleansed scalp helps cuts down on itchiness and flaking.

You can easily do this rinse by mixing 1 part ACV and 1 part water along with about a tablespoon of olive oil*. Apply to your scalp and lightly massage prior to washing.

Shampoo

I am definitely still an advocate of a good shampooing at least once every one to two weeks. With that said, I will definitely recommend shampooing with a sulfate-free shampoo prior to getting a protective style installed. As I stated earlier, knowing that you’re not going to have direct access to your scalp should motivate you to get it as clean as possible prior to styling.

Protein Treatment

I am also always intentional about making sure my hair has enough protein to uphold the styling process that is about to take place. Protein treatments are great for strengthening your strands by filling in the gaps where keratin may be lacking.

You can do this by doing a homemade concoction typically consisting of an egg, mayonnaise, conditioner, olive oil* and honey*. If you do a homemade mask I recommend applying it prior to shampooing, leaving on for 30 minutes, followed by washing out.

Another alternative is to purchase a protein based product. One of my favorites is Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser Reconstructing Butter that can be applied for about 15 minutes after shampooing. It smells amazing and makes my hair feel great.

Deep Condition

After shampooing, you always want to make sure that you deep condition your hair fully. This will add moisture, softness, shine and elasticity back into your hair.

Because this is the last full wash day for at least a couple of weeks to a month you will want to make sure your strands have as many nourishing components as possible. Shea Moisture* offers tons of great hair masks that have amazing benefits for all hair types.

Apply a good Leave in

After rinsing out your deep conditioner*, make sure you don’t forget to apply a leave in to help seal in all of those bonuses you just added. In addition, I like to apply a good dose of coconut oil* to help seal in the moisture.

Air or Blow Dry

I feel like for just about any protective style stretched hair works the best so I like to blow dry my hair with cool to warm air. If you are completely against pulling out a blow dryer* you can either band or twist your hair in sections and allow it to fully air dry in a stretched state.

Edge Protection

Any protective style revolving around braids of any sort has most females fearing for their edges. The tightness of box braids or faux locs leaves a style looking sleek and fresh but often can result in pulling away and breakage at the hair line leaving an appearance of no defined line or “no edges”.

I like to coat my edges with Jamaican Black Castor Oil* which is known to promote hair growth with continued use. I will be sure to readily apply it to this part of my edges daily through out the course of my protective style.

Scalp Oiling

Lastly, I ensure that I oil my scalp really well. We often forget about scalp care when it comes to our wash days, but it is vital to make sure that you have applied the necessary oils and aids all over to optimize hair growth and comfort.

This is especially important when getting a sew in because it’s extremely hard to get to those part of your hair and with a nice coat of oil I know that my follicles are being fed as well as eliminating itchiness and flaking.

I often like to use coconut oil* or Jamaican Black Castor Oil* on my scalp. If you feel like you need something a bit thicker, Carol’s Daughter offers many different types of pomades that are free of petroleum that offer scalp relief and nourishing benefits.