Four easy protective hairstyles: best of all times

It is important to keep the ends of your hair tucked away for length retention. The ends are the oldest parts of your hair and hence are the most fragile. As a result, they need to be protected as much as possible. 

Protective hairstyles help a lot with this. Protective hairstyles are basically any styles that can help keep your ends tucked away. 

A  bun is a protective hairstyle. In fact, a bun is a protective hairstyle at its simplest. Some protective hairstyles include wigs, weaves, and braids.

Perhaps more importantly, protective hairstyles also allow some time off from manipulating your hair! Every girl with an afro deserves a very good timeout. 

Here, I present to you four  protective hairstyles that are easy to achieve and will give you that timeout without feeling like you wasted a whole lifetime.

You will realize that all of them are braid-hairstyles, this is because I prioritize convenience and ability to do it myself over anything else. 

 

1. Fulani hairstyle

 Fulani hairstyle came into instant popularity to the natural hair world. 

It was loved by many to an extent you couldn’t walk five minutes without coming across one person who had it. 

I was sadly not part of that crowd. I did not get the wings-like braids hanging from the front of the ears.

After trying it out on a do-something-you-wouldn’t-normally-do challenge, all that changed.

 I loved how it looked on me although the ears were, and sometimes they still are, awkward. 

This hairstyle is most certainly not easy to achieve if you’re a DIY kind-of person, but what can’t a hairstylist do right? 

I usually keep this hairstyle on for two weeks, but it can go for longer, up to a month maybe. It depends on you. But be sure not to keep these kinds of hairstyles i.e. straight backs, straight ups etc., long enough for them to feed on your edges.

2. Bob braids

Bob braid hairstyles are very chick and cute, and they probably look good on everyone. 

This hairstyle is not as hard to achieve as the first one. You need to set out a day to braid this yourself, although you can do with in less time.

Braiding this yourself will require some  willpower.


But who cares about that right? you’ve saved yourself the pain of your hair being tugged at like a horse’s and you also saved some cash. It never gets better than that!

But then again, what can’t a hairstylist do?

This hairstyle can last up to over a  month. I normally leave mine on for one month. Or less.. I am certainly not big on keeping a hairstyle on for too long. Weaves maybe.

3.  Two braid hairstyles (French or Dutch braid)

This hairstyle here has been a very big part of my 2018. When those moments of frustration come, and I have no idea what to do with my hair this has always been my go-to hairstyle. It never disappoints. It takes less than thirty minutes to achieve and it looks good.

Fellow DIYers, I invite to try this hairstyle. With just some basic braiding skills you can achieve it. You don’t even have to worry about it not looking good on you because chances of that happening are very low. See if this will not become your go-to hairstyle as well.

The only downside to this hairstyle is that it does not last long. I usually keep this style for a week or two. 

see how I achieve the second look here:

 

4.    Chunky twists

Chunky twists take first place! The length, the volume, the versatility, I love it all!

This hairstyle is very good for winters because then you will not mind the length and the volume.

 Otherwise, this hairstyle can be a nightmare! Chunky twist (of the length and volume like the ones on the picture) will feel like you are wearing a poncho or a long scarf. 

So, imagine wearing a poncho in the blazing South African summer! If you ever get the chance to, please don’t. 

Chunky twists are not at all heavy if you were already thinking that. Because twists are two braids loosely tied around each other, they do not get to be dense and hence they are very light. 

Believe me, I would have box braids in this list, but those things are heavy,  and they tug on your hair. The longer you stay with them, the more your hairline suffers. 

That is not the case with chunky twists.

It obviously takes some time to twist this much braids, but you can do it in one day… or you can let the professionals do it for you.

I keep this hairstyle for three weeks, but It can go for up to a month, certainly not more that.

What are your all-time favourites? Which braid hairstyles will you always bring with to every new year? Would you rather wear braids, weaves or wigs?