After taking out an install, you look at your hair and have no desire at all to put extensions back in. Your scalp needs a rest, but you still have to do your hair tomorrow morning. Here is what to do.
This isn't a fallback or a cut-price version of braids. It is the lightest way to protect your lengths: no extra weight on the roots, no permanent load, and the freedom to wash whenever you like. Here are ten styles that need nothing but your own hair. They all hold on supple hair, never on dry hair: our step-by-step tutorial describes the six steps of the Rituel Texture® that prepare your hair for styling.
What makes a style protective
The word gets used so loosely that it has almost stopped meaning anything. A protective style does three specific things, and a style that does none of them doesn't deserve the name, whatever its shape.
First, it lets the ends rest. That bit of fibre has several years of life behind it and has already taken everything: tucking it inside the style puts it out of reach of collars, scarves and shoulder bags. Second, it reduces handling, which is the main factor. Not combing for several days means that many fewer chances of breakage. Finally, it limits moisture loss, because hair gathered together exposes less surface to the dry air of heated rooms.
Nothing in that list mentions tension. A tight style is not protective, however long it lasts. If your hairline is thinning from one style to the next, see the signs explained in when a protective style damages your hair.
Yet tension is the only way to damage your hair with this repertoire. A twist started too tight at the root, a hair tie put back in exactly the same spot every day, and your hairline is working just as it would under an install with extensions: it is this repeated pulling that leads to traction alopecia (Khumalo et al., Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008). A style that pulls gets taken down and redone the same day, never the next. Corrected early, while the follicle is merely irritated, it leaves no trace. Once established, it leaves a sparse patch with no guarantee of coming back.
Styles 1 to 3Styles that go up
The high puff opens the series because it asks for almost nothing: the volume gathered up and held by a wide band. Everything depends on that band. A thin hair tie in the same place every day draws a permanent line of tension, whereas a soft band spreads the load. Choose La Crème Coiffante over a gel that sets hard: the edges stay neat without turning brittle.
The fro-hawk follows the same principle, just moved. The sides are brought towards the centre and held with pins, for a crest that embraces the volume rather than flattening it. Keep the pins well spaced and don't put them back in exactly the same spot two days running.
Bantu knots are the most structured of the three. Sections twisted round on themselves into small cones, spread across the whole head. The rule is an old one and fits in a few words: tight on themselves, never on the scalp. Worn as they are, they look very graphic; taken down, they give a bantu knot out with bold waves. Two styles for one piece of work.
Styles 4 to 6Flat styles
Flat twists are twists done flat against the scalp. They take less technique than cornrows, frame the face and last several days. Their main quality is that they go in without forcing: the pattern holds through the way it is laid, not through tension.
The flat side is the minimal version, and often the one worn most during the week. Just one side styled, in two flat twists or with clips, the other left free. It takes ten minutes, comes out in the evening without damage, and adds shape to a style that had none.
The halo braid is, of this whole repertoire, the most protective. One big braid or one big twist goes around the head and the ends disappear completely into the crown. It is effortless at the office and holds through a whole day of meetings. It is also the most demanding to do on yourself: have a hand mirror ready for the back the first time.
Styles 7 to 9Styles that tuck the ends away
The low bun is the most understated of the list and one of the most effective, since the ends are completely enclosed. Work in suppleness with La Crème Coiffante for a neat finish without having to pull, and smooth the edges with your hand rather than a fine-tooth comb, which wears away the hairline over time.
Loose twists are the least manipulative style of all. Two sections wound around each other, with no extensions, all over the head. They are light, easy to moisturise every day, and they cope with washing. Our full method is in how to do twists.
Mini braids without extensions call for a long session, sometimes an entire Sunday. In return, they give you total freedom: you wash them, moisturise them and wear them like your own hair, for the simple reason that they are your own hair. No added weight, no starter knot, no deadline set by extensions.
Style 10The one that gives you another
The twist out isn't one more style, it is the result of one of the previous ones. Twists put in the night before and taken out in the morning on completely dry hair give a full definition that lasts several days. That is why a well-thought-out protective style never really ends: it turns into something else.
The thing to watch is drying. Taking twists out while they are still damp gives instant frizz and a definition that collapses within an hour. Let them dry completely, then separate each section with your fingers, never with a comb.
Suppleness decides how long it holds
Dehydrated hair is stiff. It resists styling, breaks just as you twist it, and the result looks dull whatever style you choose. That is why how long a style holds isn't decided when you style, but before, during the Rituel Texture®.
La Crème Coiffante goes onto damp hair, section by section, to make the fibre pliable: the hair takes the shape you want without resisting. On the other hand, avoid wetting your hair every day to refresh a style; a full routine every 7 to 10 days maintains moisture far better than a daily mist of water. And be as demanding about accessories as about braids: hair ties, pins and clips should stay gentle from start to finish.
At night, take out the day's style, add a little more Crème Coiffante, focusing on the ends, then do a few plaits, twisted tight on themselves and never at the root. A silk scarf and a silk pillowcase do the rest.
When it comes to styling, we are lucky to be able to do so much with our textures, and I think it is a shame to miss out. A style without extensions isn't a retreat: it is often the one that gives the most freedom, because you can take it down one evening and do another the next day.
Ghana Elin, founderFrequently asked questions
Without extensions, does the style last as long?
What is the minimum length needed?
Which one should I choose for work?
Should I wash while wearing the style?
Can these styles damage your hair?
Further reading
Sources
- Khumalo N. P. et al., "Determinants of marginal traction alopecia in African girls and women", Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008.
