Natural Hair Dairy: Protective Style Challenge
Protective styling is quite divisive in the natural hair community. Some say it isn't essential for length retention, others swear by it. What's a girl to do?
Decide for yourself, I say. See what works for you.
This year I determined to keep my hands out of my hair and so far it is working. My hair is recovering from the slight heat damage I incurred last year. I'm keeping it protected in twists. I love twists because they are low manipulation and can be very protective when those ends are tacked away. They are also quicker than mini braids to install and for me, they have the benefit of not having to be done by a "professional stylist" who usually pulls the hair too hard, braids too tight or breaks off those precious ends by combing my hair like its straight!
I began this protective style challenge on Boxing Day and decided to keep it going. I trimmed about an inch of hair at the back and a little less everywhere else and it seems to have all grown back and I have retained the length. My goal was to keep my hair twisted for 3 months. I've achieved that. I'll keep going and see how long I can keep this up.
In later hair posts, I plan to discuss styling, porosity, managing natural hair and why I choose to keep my hair natural.