A protective style. How brilliant for our kinky curly ones to have. It requires less manipulation, you can leave your hair alone for a while and within a couple of hours you go from having maybe short hair into long hair. That’s amazing right or not? I’ve experienced that a protective style doesn’t always go by the term “protective” and I’m glad that my edges are still here! I could have ended like this for sure ↓↓↓
In this post I’ll let you know: my top 5 mistakes having a so called protective style.
1. A protective style that’s too tight
It may be familiar to many of us that have or had extensions in the past. Braids or maybe a weave that’s just tooooo tight that it almost feels like your heart is knocking in your head. Your head hurts like hell! If you haven’t experienced this then lucky you because I had. For one day I couldn’t move my head without moving my whole body. There was just too much tension in my head. One time I experienced that my protective style was so tight on my edges that the braid just fell of with my own hair. I could cry seriously.
2. Wearing a protective style too long
I used to wear a protective style too long. I remember I had a protective style one time for 3 months while I was backpacking. The moment I took out the extensions it was so difficult to detangle my hair. My own hair was infused with the extensions, like dreadlocks so I lost a lot of my own hair.
3. Attaching too much hair
This can be pretty awful in a way. Taking a part of your own hair and a big part of the fake hair and braiding or twisting your hair. It’s just too much weight for the hair follicles. One day I let somebody twist my hair and she took too much of the fake hair twisting little parts of my own hair with it. We all know that the hair at the edges is more fragile and has less density than the rest of your head right? It was so heavy and I felt the tension of course on my head but still I didn’t listen to my body. The most dramatic moment was that I was standing in front of the mirror going with my fingers through my hair and I had the whole extension with that part of my edge in my hand! I felt like the world turned upside down or like I was dreaming. I just couldn’t believe that just happened.
4. Not moisturizing my hair underneath the extensions
Don’t think you don’t need to hydrate your own hair because you have extensions because you do! I wasn’t taking any care of my own hair while having extensions for a long time. I just thought having extensions that’s it, I’m leaving me hair to rest for a while and that’s good enough. NOOOO it isn’t. Hydration here to the fullest! I used to have dry, damaged and brittle hair after having extensions. My hair grew but the dryness broke my hair. Dry hair is very vulnerable for breakage. Use a hairspray to keep moisture in your hair. At the moment I have these two hair sprays here below:
5. Not being careful using synthetic hair
Be careful with braiding and twisting with synthetic hair because synthetic hair can cut your own hair. Braid or twist gentle. Treat both the fake and your own hair with love while twisting or braiding. Also be careful when you take the extensions out.
And for the ones that have a weave or a lace wig and flat braids underneath. Make sure as well not to braid tight and to be careful when you take the weave or lace wig off. Especially when you use glue or a strong gel (when it comes to gel many use Got2b of Schwarzkopf). The glue or gel is attached on your edges and the edges are like I already mentioned very fragile.
Have you ever experienced a hair drama? Would love to hear your story.
Shair My World 