There are many reasons to protective style for natural hair, especially if your hair is dry and prone to breakage.

Pros for Protective Styles

• Gain length due to less manipulation and breakage from daily styling
• Easier to care for daily
• Less damage from the elements (extreme weather)
• Prevent split ends

Even if your natural hair is in a protective style it doesn’t mean you can ignore it! If you do not properly take care of your protected natural hair, these cons might apply to you.

The Cons

• Damage from lack of moisture resulting in brittle dry hair
• Tight, scalp pulling styles cause thinning of the hair line and possible hair loss
• Leaving a protective style in for too long can cause build up from shedding hair and dirt, which means a tangled knotted mess

In order to avoid the cons there are simple things that you can do:

• Oil your hair every day so it does not collect dirt or become heavy. It’s good to use something like our Euro Oil or a Jojoba all natural oil.
• Keep to your natural hair routine! If you shampoo once a week or twice a week and condition daily, do so. It is extremely important! Maintain your deep conditioning routine as these are vital for your scalp and hair.
• Avoid keeping your protective style in longer than three months. Some protective styles, like braids can be left in up to six or eight weeks. To go any longer than that may cause serious build up from dirt and shed hair. Weaves, caps, or synthetic hair, like wigs can be used for two or three months. To do so safely requires keen attention to the health of your hair and scalp.
• Be careful not to stress the scalp with too much tension and not to keep it from drying out. The scalp is the most important part. Keeping your scalp clean and healthy is important to growing long, beautiful natural hair.

Here are a few of the many options available for protective styles for natural hair:

• 
  One strand twists, two strand twists, mini twists, Senegalese twists (Check out MahoganyKnots doing twists with the Styling Dragon Pomade!)
• Box braids, single braids, braids with synthetic hair, Marley braids, up-do braids,
• Bantu knots, loose buns, corkscrew braids/twists,
• Hair extensions, sew-in synthetic hair (partial, weave, full weave, wig cap) quarter or half wig (quick to put on and take off), full lace wigs or v-part wigs.