It doesn’t matter if you have been wearing protective styles for years, are new to the game, or are a stylist who can install Box Braids in her sleep.

Knowing the benefits of protective styling is important, and adds value to the experience, whether it’s your personal one or the one you are providing.

So, why do people put their hair into a protective style?

The best protective style for natural hair growth

It protects your hair

Yes, this may seem obvious, but do we know exactly what we are protecting it from? Usually, there are two things:

Manipulation of the hair

When we’re touching our hair, pulling it up into a bun, combing it, untwisting, and retwisting it daily, we are manipulating it. The more we manipulate it, the more we risk breaking it.

Protective styles give us a breather from all this action. When we wear something like Senegalese Twists, we aren’t directly touching as much of our strands when we style them.

Weather

We all know the weather likes to wreak havoc on our hair. The sun’s UV rays can damage our strands, the Winter’s air can dry them out, and our ends can catch on our thick woolen scarves. Not to mention when you finally perfect your look, and the rain completely frizzes it out.

While with a proper regimen, and lots of care, we can combat the seasons, sometimes it is easiest to wrap up our locks in a protective style and get on with it.

Photo credit: createherstock.com

It gives you variety without the permanence

Want bright purple braids this month? Natural-looking Crochet Braids the next? We can do as we please, and not worry about making a decision we can’t take back. We get to try on different looks without really altering our hair.

It’s worry-free

No matter what lifestyle you have, there will always be a time where you don’t want to be worrying about your hair.

• Are you traveling the world?
• Do you have back-to-back business meetings all month?
• Do you just want to sleep in a little extra every morning?

Protective styles give you that freedom. You can lock your hair away in some kinky twists, and focus on that new experience, getting that promotion, or savor your beauty sleep!

You will look amazing

Sometimes it really is just about vanity, and that’s okay. Many people get a protective style put in simply because they love the way it looks on them.

Photo credit: createherstock.com