Protective Styles Suitable for Work

What is a protective style?
In my opinion a protective style is one that consists of very low manipulation, ends of hair pinned up or tucked away, and does not stress the hair in anyway. I would not consider any loose or extremely tight hair style to be protective.

There are a lot of protective styles out there but unfortunately quite a few of those styles can leave you looking a little "childish" and unprofessional in the workplace. One of my favorite "suitable for work" protective styles is the bun. Buns keep your hair up and away from harmful elements and they also refrain from drawing attention too much attention to your hair.  Here are a few protective styles that I feel are suitable for the workplace:

• Updos & More Updos
• Buns
• Miscellaneous 

You can alter the look of any protective style by changing your approach to the look. For example, you can pull twists up into a bun/updo, define your curls and do a loose curly/messy bun, change the positioning of the bun/updo, or weave it up.

If your hair isn't quite long enough to bun/updo there is always the option of the fake bun and it can easily and quickly achieve the same results.

Feel free to post a link in the comment section to your favorite protective style.

Style Basics

In July 2010 I.M.I. held a giveaway that asked readers to suggest topics that they would like to see on the blog. The following topic was inspired by one of those suggestions:

Protective style: Consists of cornrows and twists

I have found over time and through experience that styling natural  hair in cute protective styles can be more fun when you are able to do what I call the basic foundations. For most protective styles the basic foundations consist of cornrows, flat-twists, braids, and/or two strand twists. There are a vast number of tutorials on YouTube than can help with developing those skills. The key is to find the right tutorial that explains without confusing the technique further. Here are a few that I found helpful:


How to do Cornrow Braids 
Senegalese Twist Braids 
Flat Two Strand Twists (flat twisting starts around 1:30)

Three Strand Twists

Two Strand Twists (twisting starts around 1:30)

Bantu Knots (start at 3:30)

If these tutorials are not to your liking, YouTube has a slew of others that you can choose from. It is likely that if you are able to do some of the techniques above there are many styles that you should then be able to achieve.

Happy Styling ♥

Be sure to click the Suggested Topic label to see all the posts in this series.

Style Search: TWA, BBA, and all lengths in between

In July 2010 I.M.I. held a giveaway that asked readers to suggest topics that they would like to see on the blog. The following topic was inspired by one of those suggestions:

When I am looking for a new style and I get stumped, I have found the that internet and a good ol' Google search can provide me with some inspirations. Recently, I have discovered Tumblr and the numerous natural hair photo blogs that are housed on that website. Here are a few that I like to browse regularly:

Natural Hair Rules!
le coil
Currently Obsessed With...
**** Yeah Natural Hair

Those will keep you busy for a few hours and if you start clicking around you will come across more photo blogs. Hairstyles will  not always fall into your lap, especially natural hair styles, so you must go looking for them. Happy Hairstyle Hunting.

Be sure to click the Suggested Topic label to see all the posts in this series.

My Shampoo Routine

source

1. Separate hair in sections and wet each section thoroughly
2. Apply a small amount of shampoo to the scalp in one section and massage with fingertips
3. Rinse the shampoo out of the hair in a smoothing motion from the roots to the ends
4. Apply conditioner to the ends first and then apply the the rest of the length
5. Follow the same steps for each section

I have been following the steps above for cleansing my hair for months and the results have been great. I don't experience any drying and the detangling process has end been quicker. Rinsing the hair in a smoothing motion helps start the detangling process before applying conditioner which is usually the starting point for detangling for many of us. So there you have it - my shampoo routine, simple.

How does your shampoo/wash routine compare?