Protective Styles vs. Low Manipulation Styles

When I first started my healthy hair journey, there was so much information at my fingertips, I was overwhelmed. It was very easy for me to skip over important details and even easier for me to become confused. One thing that I was often confused about was protective styles and low manipulation styles. I thought they were synonymous. I was sadly mistaken and my hair took the lashings for it in some instances. Thankfully, I know the difference now and hopefully after reading through this you will too.

Protective Styles

A protective style does exactly what it implies. Similar to how a lioness shields her cubs from danger, a protective style protects your hair (more specifically the ends) from the elements of the harsh environment from day to day. Common protective styles are: braids, twists, buns, wigs, weaves (sew-ins), hair pieces (phony ponies), and cornrows just to name a few. Please keep in mind that just because it is a protective style, that doesn't mean that your hair will not break. Without the proper care in these styles, your hair can sustain severe damage! But that is for another post.

Low Manipulation Styles

When we think of manipulation, many often think about their ex, coworkers, family members, etc. It isn't very often that one thinks of hair in terms of manipulation, but, it is very easy to manipulate your hair if you think about it. Anytime you touch, comb, blow-dry, brush, or fiddle with your hair in any way shape or form, you are manipulating it. A low manipulation style is a style that requires very little fuss, touching, combing etc. Most times a person can finger-comb through the style (braid-outs and twist-outs) or it is a style that may take some manipulation in the beginning but then is left alone for days (corn rows). The bottom line is when the low manipulation style is finished being styled it is left alone for at least the rest of the day.

Now here is the confusing part, a protective style can be a low manipulation style but a low manipulation style isn't automatically a protective style. Remember what a protective style does and you should be okay to remember the difference. HHJ

Have You Clarified Your Hair Lately?

It's no secret, there are toxins all around us. That's why we wash our face and bodies daily. When you have ethnic hair, you are often told not to wash your hair. This, itself, throws you into a conundrum! To wash or not to wash... And with what? Clarifying! Clarifying is necessary. Without it your hair will be similar to a dry sponge covered in petroleum jelly... Try dropping that sponge into water so that it can absorb what moisture it needs... It wont, because of the build up of petroleum jelly. The only way to get the water immediately into the sponge, is to apply soap to the sponge to break down the petroleum jelly and remove it from the sponge...

I have found, for my own hair, that I must clarify once a week (I can probably go longer than that but, I got myself into a regimen). When I clarify depending on what I am trying to strip out of my hair I either reach for my ORS Uplifting Shampoo or my ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo.

ORS UPLIFTING SHAMPOO

This shampoo tingles when you use it so you may want to do a patch test to be sure you have no allergic reaction. In my personal experience, this shampoo is very good for stripping build up in the way of oils and conditioner has built up. My hair doesn't really get flakes, so I didn't have to worry about getting those.

ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo

This shampoo removes some of the same build up that the ORS Uplifting Shampoo does. Because it is used as the neutralizing shampoo following the no-lye relaxer, it is a chelating shampoo. Chelating shampoos remove the build up of minerals on the hair shaft. This comes in handy when you live in an area with hard water.

Regardless, of if you live in an area with hard water or if you have too much product build up in your hair, clarifying is a way to remove this and you can do the treatment right from home. I hope this helps any questions you have on clarifying your hair. Happy Hair Journeying!