We all know that protective styling can help with growing your hair long and healthy. However, have you ever thought about using protective styling to keep your mind, body, and soul healthy as well?
I installed tailbone length Havana twists as a protective style about 3 weeks ago. I was going out of town and I refused to have to “do” my hair. A road trip with 2 small children was going to be challenging enough, and I really wanted to take this time to relax and enjoy myself, and my family.
That mission was accomplished, but I obviously kept my twist in once I returned from vacation as well. My life returned to as it once was, busy as ever, and I was back to being pulled in a million different directions.
While I am (unfortunately) used to being stressed out and overworked, I noticed that something felt…different. I was annoyed with the amount of things that I had to get done (per usual), but not stressed. I also noticed that I was actively checking things off of my list that had been there for months… weird!
What is this foreign substance that I have stumbled upon? Have the gods blessed me with the eighth world wonder of…
TIME!?
I think they did 🙂
But, seriously, the installation of this long term protective style had given me back hours in my week were I would have normally been moisturizing, styling, gel-ing, washing, conditioning, detangling, etc. With this extra time, I was able to get things done, have a piece of mind, and dare I say, do something that I actually wanted to do.
“I should do this again!” I thought to myself.
But, then I saw a new product that I wanted to try… and my wave formers arrived in the mail… and then it kicked in:
“I miss my hair!”
I had to make a decision: Time? or new products? I chose time.
I wanted more time to get my life in order, spend more time with my children, and actually finish one of the books I’ve been reading. Or maybe just to get some rest for crying out loud.
Once I decided to not give in to my inner product junkie, I heard that tap dancing Sandman Sims from that episode of The Cosby Show in my head:
CHALLENGE!
I decided to embark on my first protective style challenge. I had never done one before, though they are extremely popular in the natural hair community. I always thought of them as being only for hair growth, and I’ve never had an issue with growing my hair long.
This protective style challenge is different though. This protective style challenge will have a main focus of my self care, self love, and my mental health.
I have technically already started this challenge, but I will be keeping it going. My goal is to make more time for the things in life that are satisfying to me, while still being able to take care of my hair.
so now: The Guidelines
Duration:
This protective style challenge will last until Sunday November 17th, 2019. This makes the challenge approximately 3 months long (4 months for me).
As for how long I will be wearing the actual style however, I will not leave my protective style in for longer than 6 weeks at a time, ideally 4 weeks will be the cut off.
Hair Care Routine:
I will moisturize my hair at least 3-4 times a week. I will achieve this by with water rinsing, or spritzing my hair with aloe-vera juice and/or my hair and scalp mix. Ideally, my hair will be saturated with water every.single.day.
I will also be oiling my hair length and scalp 2-3 times a week to help lock in any moisture and nourish my scalp and hair stands.
I will also be washing my hair with either apple cider vinegar (ACV) or a sulfate-free shampoo bi-weekly to make sure that I am removing any debris and buildup that may occur. Because I won’t be using any heavy products on my hair or scalp, and will be water rinsing several days a week, I’m not as concerned about this. I do still want to make sure that I am keeping my hair and scalp free of any debris and buildup however, thus maintaining its health.
Once the time has come to take down my style, I will treat my natural hair to a full on hair spa! I will wash with a sulfate free shampoo, detangle, apply a henna treatment, deep condition, a hot oil treatment, and a full moisturizing session. I’ll probably give my hair a break by wearing my natural hair out for a few days before ultimately re-twisting my hair for another 4-6 weeks.
Style of choice
The style that I’ll be wearing for the challenge will be the tailbone length Havana twists that I love so much, but any style can be worn. I personally love the look of long twists, and will be installing medium sized, kinky textured twists. The length of the twists will allow me to have styling versatility, while the kinky texture is closer to my natural hair texture, and will allow me to stretch this style out because frizziness is already incorporated into the style.
Document
I will be documenting all of the things that I accomplished with the free time that I’ve gained over the duration of this protective style challenge. This should not be rigorous or another chore, and it should not just be about documenting only the work that has been done.
I will be documenting anything that I see as an accomplishment; whether it’s something that was actually on my list of things to do, or just taking a photo with my family while on that vacation we finally got the chance to take.
So who’s with me!?
Will you be embarking on this protective style challenge with me? What does your routine consist of? What will you be doing with your new-found free time?
-Sea
