It’s almost that time of year again. We just came out of a really hot summer and may still be rocking our protective styles. Now it’s officially fall ya’ll! What does that mean? It automatically means cooler weather, less humidity, silk presses, and braids.

There’s been great debate as to whether or not protective styling does more harm than good. The majority of us “put our hair up” simply because we want to give our hair a break. We’re tired of trying to manage it every day and just want to leave it alone so it can “grow”. Let’s talk about three ways you can get the most out of your protective styles!

What’s Proper Scalp Care?

The best analogy I can give is to liken our scalp to the soil and our hair to the leaves from a plant. Anyone who loves to garden knows the importance of having good soil. The soil sets the foundation as to whether or not the plant will be healthy. The same goes for our scalp. Product companies spend billions and billions of dollars on marketing ads for conditioners, serums, and the likes. The truth of the matter, proper growth starts at the dermal papilla of the hair. The dermal papilla is responsible for inducing hair growth, regulate follicle pigmentation, and creating the right environment for growth.'

We’ve been taught improperly cleansing of the scalp! Just like our face and skin, our scalp needs to be constantly exfoliated. When you exfoliate the scalp you’re allowing the hair follicles to become unclogged and promote growth. The hair and scalp must be treated differently.

A person who has a garden does the same thing to their soil. Except they use a tool such as a plow or a hoe to help teal the soil.

How Often Should I Cleanse My Hair and Scalp?

This would depend on what type of protective style you opted to wear. If you’re wearing braids, locs, or crochet braids, then it’s definitely easier to get to your scalp. In my professional opinion, I always suggest a minimum of at least once a week. If you’re worried about fuzzing up your braids, I would suggest looking for products that have a nozzle applicator. One such company is Girl and Hair, which was formulated and designed by a black dermatologist Dr. Camille Verovic. Another way you can deep cleanse the scalp is by using a product called Scalp Therapy, by Decca Plus. This is an amazing product that’s formulated to unclog the hair follicle, cleanse, and extract impurities from below the scalp.

My Top Picks For Protective Styles.

When it comes to choosing the best type of protective styling. I want you to think about the following. Pretty shouldn’t hurt. What do I mean by that? Black women in particular have been conditioned to think that if our hair and scalp don’t hurt after a braiding session then something is wrong. You want the exact opposite. Save your edges and protect your crown by making sure that the braids aren’t too tight. If you have to take pain relievers before or afer your install. It’s too tight, sis. I would reccommend the following. Crochet braids, knotless box braids, wigs ( that you can remove daily). The importance of these options is that you’re able to treat your scalp by cleansing, nourishing and moisturizing.