Natural hair needs to be detangled, and gently, for hair growth/retention. Due to the shrinkage in which natural hair produces, it tends to knot on itself which leads to hair breakage. — This is why gently detangling is so important.

If you find that your natural hair has reached a growth plateau, it’s probably because your hair strands are knotting together and therefore, easy to break. Put plainly, your hair isn’t growing because the strands are not retained for growth, instead, the strands are ‘breaking-off.’ Detangling reduces breakage since you are removing the knots that will soon result in hair loss if not proactively removed. I recommend listening to a good podcast, show, or watching a movie, to keep yourself entertained as you spend the time necessary to detangle. As stated in a previous blog post, due to the delicacy of natural hair (especially as in my case - thin 4c low porosity natural hair), solid time investment is needed to detangle properly. It personally takes me about one to two hours, and can sometimes take longer depending on how much detangling is required after wash day.

It’s important to note that the rather time-consuming detangling process simply cannot be rushed; take the time necessary to effectively detangle. Once detangling is done, style your natural hair into a protective style (such as a braided wig) which will maintain your detangling efforts and ultimately grow your natural hair.

In the past, I rarely used protective styles to actually protect my natural hair. A lot of times I went from protective style, to protective style with no break in between. Consequently, my hair was not thriving and frustration quickly set in. I eventually decided to get deeper with my hair; I learned its likes, dislikes, wants, and needs. Intentional hair care is still a work in progress but I’m happy to say that today, I use protective styles the right way: to protect and grow my natural hair.

What about you, are you really protective styling your natural hair?

I have low porosity thin 4C natural hair — it’s kinky, coily and very delicate. Throughout my life it’s been a struggle to properly grow my hair due to the delicacy of its strands.

With trial and error, I’ve learned that one of the best solution for my hair, is to just leave it alone (after it has been shampooed and deeply moisturized). Braided wigs are great protective style options for low porosity natural hair because they don’t involve a lot of manipulation. The thick density of braided wigs in comparison to non-braided wigs also acts as a solid moisture-retention cap that encourages the growth of low porosity hair.

For best results, apply your braided wig with the following steps:

1.Shampoo your hair;

2.Condition, deep condition, & leave in condition;

3. Seal in moisturizer with hair butters and oils;

4. Cornrow your hair;

5. Apply braided wig

Time is of the essence in this modern world, and I have to admit that my natural 4c hair upkeep is a struggle. I sometimes feel that I don’t have enough time, in any given time, to really dedicate the tender love and care that is needed to keep my 4c hair nourished.

I realized during COVID (as I’m sure many of you have), that staying home has highlighted the importance of convenience. Particularly, the need for convenience with our hair. I’ve found that the following has worked for me: 

1. Wash, deep condition, detangle and moisturize my hair as often as I see fit for my schedule.

2. Braid my hair and/or wear a braided wig.

3. Oil and moisturize often in-between.

The steps above are how I maintain my natural hair with a full schedule. I would like to point out that my strands are delicate so leaving it alone has done it more good than harm. I can confidently say that my hair is in one of the best state it has been in a long time.

One of the best ways to prep your hair for a unit is to style your hair in classic all-back cornrow braids. The smaller the size of the cornrow, the flatter it’ll make your scalp and the longer the cornrows will last. The advantages of cornrow braids under wigs include:

• Easy to DIY

• Wigs lay flat and look more realistic

• Simple maintenance

• Long-lasting

Easy to DIY - Yes, you will need to know how to braid in order to do your own cornrows but all back cornrows is one of the easiest style to learn. Your braid does not have to be perfect since you will be applying a wig but it should lay flat enough to avoid a bulky appearance. The smaller, and flatter the cornrow, the less bulky it will be. I personally braid about 12 cornrows in total on average. On a lazy day, I don’t go less than 6 cornrows.

Wigs lay flat and look more realistic - Our scalp should be flat in order for units to lay realistically on our heads. All my natural girls, especially us 4c naturals, have you tried just putting your hair in a low bun before applying a unit? It doesn’t look as natural. Cornrow braids on the other hand condenses your stands while protecting it and allows wigs to lay flat and appear more realistic.

Simple maintenance - It’s a simple process refreshing and renewing cornrow braids. Though not something to do consistently, washing your hair in cornrows is a way that you can quickly moisturize and care for your hair. It’s easy access to your scalp and hair strands, and there’s no guessing what style needs to be done next.

Long-lasting - Finally, cornrow braids are long-lasting. Though I recommend to refresh your braids often, leaving in your cornrows for long periods at a time, is okay. Do not neglect your hair during this time however; it’s important to always wash, moisturize and condition your cornrows even if you do not refresh the braids themselves.

I’m a hair braider, a braided wigs maker, and I also wear my braided wigs religiously. Braided wigs are fun!

Here are the reasons why I love braided wigs:

• Braided wigs last long! We’re talking years.

• Easy maintenance. Wash it, condition it, dry it & go!

• They are convenient. No need to sit for hours!

• Provides an easy protective style alternative (quickly throw it off to care for your natural hair properly).

• I’ve already said this, but they’re fun!

While there are many benefits of protective styles, it comes with its own set of problems. Let’s talk about the advantages and disadvantages of protective hairstyles.

Disadvantages

• Lack of easy access to your scalp.

• Natural hair tends to be neglected.

• Styles can be done too tight which strains the roots and can eventually lead to hair tension and loss.

• The overdue length of time with one style limits regular maintenance needed to care for your hair.

• Styles can be costly.

Advantages

• Protects natural hair which encourages hair growth.

• Regular hair care is within your control so you have full ownership in making sure your natural hair is treated well.

• Reduces daily tension and breakage.

• Helps to retain hair length.

• Easy maintenance especially with wigs.

• Promotes hair strength due to less manipulation.

• Changes up your look.

• Saves you on time.

My 4c textured natural hair is flourishing during Covid — I finally have the time necessary to spend on the process of caring for my hair. With the current climate of the world, most of us spend our time at home which is the perfect scenario to practice some self-care and hair maintenance.

How do you grow your natural hair easily during current times? By leaving it alone. Okay… not exactly ‘leave it alone’ because you must always take care of your hair… what I mean is to make sure you’re not constantly manipulating your hair strands. Simply wash, condition, detangle, moisturize, and set your hair in a protective style using your natural hair, a protective style with extensions, or a wig. Very important to note: make sure that you delicately detangle for length retention. Put on your favorite tv show or podcast, and detangle away. So if you’ve ever struggled with natural hair growth, try leaving it alone for periods at a time after it’s been washed, conditioned, detangled, and moisturized. Then oil / moisturize your hair often. That’s it.

As a black woman in America, it is no secret that we are conditioned into society’s ‘norm’ of how we should look. From relaxers to straight hair extensions, a lot of us have assimilated at some point in life and have completely disregarded the beauty of our ethnic uniqueness. —Our big afros, locs, braids, and natural curly hair.

Natural hair is not “unprofessional.” Protective styles are not “ghetto.” It’s time that we re-define these terribly inaccurate sentiments. Let’s own the beauty that is unique to us and finally have a say in how we wear our natural hair and protective styles; unapologetically black.