If you are a member of #team natural then the term protective styling is not new to you (and you may find it wild that folks still have no clue as to what protective styling entails). But to the rest of the world to whom may be a living under a rock, protective styling is a form of hair styling that helps one maintain length.
In my opinion protective styling is not just for coarse, kinky, "Afro", type hair. Protecting your hair from the elements, and harsh manipulation (i.e. excessive combing and
brushing) is an important factor in retaining length.
Protective styling is quite simple, all you will need to do is wear your hair in a style while the ends are hidden, unexposed and protected from the elements. Protective styling can be buns, up-do's, wigs, sew-in weaves or any style where your ends are hidden and not touching your shoulders or clothing. Why protect the ends only? Given that your ends are the oldest part of your hair, by protecting your ends, you are preserving those old ends, and hopefully retaining length and avoiding split ends.
Below is a quick video of one of my go-to protective styles. Just keep in mind, just because you do a protective style doesn't mean you should forget to moisturize and seal. Every few days I would suggest taking down the style, moisturize and seal with an oil, then restyle. Twist-outs, Braid-outs and ponytails are low manipulation styles, however this is not the same as a protective style, as you must hide the ends of your hair to be considered a "protective style".
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