What is protective styling and is it really necessary?

Learn about the benefits of protective styling

So what is a protective style? The clue’s in the title! It is simply a style that protects your hair, specifically the ends from all the breakage causing dangers we face every day. The point of them is  to keep the moisture in your strands where it belongs by keeping the ends intact.

Believe it or not, if your hair is about shoulder length, this is the period that it is most vulnerable to breakage. When your locks are constantly brushing against your shoulders, friction will do it’s nasty work and the clothes you are wearing, particularly cotton will sap the moisture from your ends and make them more prone to breakage. Enter the protective style, the saviour that will help you through from shoulder length to arm pit length and beyond.

Protective styles like weave extensions are utilized by longer haired ladies too. It stands to reason that if your ends are hidden then they cannot break right? So the long and short of it is that protective styling helps you retain length by keeping your ends intact. For example, twists and braids even at shoulder length would be considered protective styles as the ends are intact hence less prone to breakage.

Let’s face it however, protective styles tend to be a bit boring. Who wants to wear tight grandma curls daily and a chignon is only elegant if worn once in a while!

Now the all important question; Is protective styling necessary? That’s a difficult one to answer as it really depends on the person. If you are starting with a solid foundation of good hair practices and a simple effective regimen then chances are you will already have protective styling in your styling arsenal.

If however you are more carefree, it might be wise to err on the side of caution and add a few protective styles to your regimen weekly. Who knows, you might find one that you actually like!

Whether your hair is shoulder length or longer, it’s wise to actually comprehend the purpose of protective styling. It is simply a means to keep your ends intact and not a way to wear your hair every day until the end of time. A bun worn daily may protect your ends but can play havoc with your hairline especially if worn tight. Ask yourself, what is the point of having long hair if you can’t enjoy it sometimes? Go on, show off your length and enjoy the fruits of your labour!