Heal the body, tuck the hair

Did you hear that bleep on the radar? In case you didn’t recognize, it’s me back on the scene again after months of recovery and introspection. If you care to take a peek behind the curtain and get all the gory details on some of my plight click here. Otherwise we’ve got some catching up to do!

As many of my readers already know the rationale behind the Braidouts & Barbells name is the combination of two of my passions- healthy hair and fitness. Considering that my entire focus for the better part of this year has been healing my body my hair has been an afterthought. To be honest, I’m experiencing some degree of pain at this very moment and the last thing I want to be bothered with during these times is my hair. So what have I been doing to ensure the health of my hair while I focus on recovery? If you guessed protective styling you know me well!

During the past several months I’ve utilized crochet braids, wigs, buns and braided styles to get me by for a couple of reasons. The first reason was I lost use of my left arm and shoulder due to my injury, making it difficult to style my own hair as I usually do. The second reason is I performed a serious chop of my locks and I knew that I could depend on protective styling to regain those lost inches. Even though I know I’m striving to do right by hair with protective styling I’m also all too aware of some protective styling disasters that can lead to tragedy such as:

·         Leaving a style in too long causing one’s natural hair to lock.
·         Styles that are too tight and cause breakage especially along the hairline.
·         Washing a sewn in weave without drying one’s natural hair properly which can lead to mildewed
hair…yuck!
·         Utilizing the same protective style consistently such as wearing a bun in the same place on one’s head which can lead to breakage.

I literally could go one but instead I’ve compiled a list of protective styling Do’s and Don’ts that I hope you’ll consider when choosing a long term style.

Do’s

·         Rotate the position of your bun on a weekly basis and take down at night to relieve tension, moisturize and seal
·         Mist your scalp with a leave in spray and/or oil to keep your braided hair moist when wearing braided styles or a sew in
·      Clean your scalp with dry shampoo (be sure to choose a dry shampoo that goes on dark) or be sure to thoroughly dry your hair after washing. I've even heard of sisters using baby wipes to clean their scalp, whatever works!
·         Limit long term protective styles to no more than two months and give your hair a good deep conditioning treatment prior to the install

Don’ts

·         Wear tight buns or ponytails and avoid rubber bands and hair elastics with metal casings
·         Forget to take care of your real hair when wearing long term styles
·     Utilize styling accessories that will snag or break your hair. My favorites accessories that are easy on the hair include : Goody Oucheless Elastics and Good Hair Days Hair Pins.
·      Forget to detangle your hair prior to washing after taking down a long term protective style. Remember your hair continues to shed even though it's put away. I once failed to heed this step and it led to a matted mess and five hour detangling session.

I'm a big fan of protective styling, it's kept me sane these past few months. I've also been witness to the horrors of protective styling gone wrong. If growth or continued health is your goal then protective styling is a great addition to your hair care routine but be sure to follow the do's and don'ts!

Have you ever overcome a protective styling disaster?