Protective styles and braiding has always remained an essential and vital part of the history of Black hair. Braided hairstyles were also apart of many African tribes and each style was unique in ways that enabled people to identify them. Braiding hairstyles were used as a secret messaging system for slaves to communicate with one another, using their braids as maps to freedom. But in a more modern time period, getting these varieties of protective styles is a rite of passage for Black women in America. Pain is beauty in our eyes and those hours spent sitting on the floor between a loved one's legs or long days at the salon were always worth it, as it becomes more of an outward expression of self-love and self-acceptance. Ironically, whites --the people that originally forced the ideals of beauty and its standards upon us -- began to mimic the styles of our ancestors (or rather were actively committing cultural appropriation, and no, Black women have never committed this act because whites do not have a culture, hence why the "w" is not capitalized). Although their naturally straight hair is not adaptable to these styles, they are nevertheless praised for trying to accomplish the looks that I will be listing. But remember, Black women and non-binary are and have always been the blueprint!
Box Braids
Box braids have definitely been the ruler of all protective styles for Black women that aspire to have a different look or a little break from wash-and-go's. The look is often achieved with synthetic additions from your local beauty shop and the name is solely based on the way that the hair is parted which is square-shaped, but the variations of parting aren't uncommon and can be triangle or diamond-shaped. Personally, individual styles like braids are my weakness and enable you to do so many different things whether an updo, a bun, a ponytail, or an other style. There are also beauty stores that sell hair jewels to put on your braids if you desire to spice some things up!
Knotless Box Braids
This protective style is a variation of box braids except it's an entirely different braiding method. The style is created using the feed-in technique which is when braiding hair is added to the person's natural hair in smaller pieces, resulting in a plait that is flat and is not as heavy on the scalp. There are also so many types of styles that you can do with these braids! Knotless is a highly recommended hairstyle if you are more tender-headed as they are painless, feather-light, and are also intentionally done in that manner to enhance the density and length of your natural hair.
Fulani Braids
Fulani braids are typically styled with very unique patterns of small-to-medium sizes, tightly braided close to the head and tapered into hair extensions of all lengths. They get their name from the Fulani people of Africa that utilized this hairstyle to symbolize their origins, social status, wealth, religion, and marital status, which gives reason to why these braids are commonly seen with beads, hair jewels, or cowrie shells. But this style is very gorgeous and can be styled in a manner that allows you to wear it at any type of event!
Faux Locs
Though the concept is very similar to box braids as far as being single braids and parting variations, these loc extensions are intended to look like an extension of your natural hair. They are installed by twisting or braiding your natural hair and then wrapping additional hair around the shaft of the braid or twist. These also are known to offer more versatility than braids for protective styling and they look more natural regardless of how long they have been in, so in that sense, there is less pressure for these braids to look fresh.
Lace Wigs
Or should I say, "What lace?" Lace front wigs are a special type of hairpiece or wig, either human or synthetic hair, tied by hand to a sheer lace base that goes over the scalp. For one, there are numerous types of lace such as French lace, stretch lace, and lace without stretch, and second, there are two types of wigs: lace front and full lace wigs. Lace front wigs have a little part of lace that can cover the hairline as they only place the lace at the front top of the head. On the other hand, full lace wigs have the entire lace cap base that covers the entire head. But when either of these wigs are done to the 'T', those looks are so gorgeous!!
Marley Twists
Marley twists are another protective style with braiding extensions but the look is only achieved with a two-strand twist. These are commonly more favored because they are much closer in texture to natural hair, extremely simple to look after, and they also look fabulous at any length and allow a lot of versatility. Though they seem to resemble dreadlocks, it is much easier to install since the twisting method is far more manageable.
Cornrows
Cornrows are generally a very manageable hairstyle but there are a lot of variations of this style. For example, there are Ghana braids and simple straight-backs that are very simple to take care of, though this hairstyle could be the most painful of them all, but that would depend on your pain tolerance. Also, depending on the braider and their experience, you can have more patterns and cute designs that make the hairstyle more unique.
All these hairstyles are very much recommended, especially over the hotter or colder months when your hair can give you some complications. Protective styles have aided in my appreciation for being blessed with the ability to be more versatile with my hair and switch it up every now and again, and I most definitely believe it has done the same for many other women and non-binary. I hope this inspired some of you to try some of these hairstyles and I hope you enjoyed today's topic! Please feel free to share and like the post! See you next week!
xoxo
Kamea