PROTECTIVE STYLING | CROCHET BOX BRAIDS

My natural hair truly thrives when it is put away and left alone. I’ve learned that over time too much manipulation to my curls causes breakage and ultimately leaves me with the feeling of being unhappy with the dry and unhealthy look of my hair.

My natural texture is very tightly curled (see HERE) and takes more time and effort to maintain, especially after a wash. Keeping my roots de-tangled on a day to day bases is also key for me. I also find that twisting my hair daily and the overall styling methods I had chosen in the past left me with so much breakage. So not only does my hair need a break, but so do I. The freedom of having a protective style is what I seek at this time. There’s no better feeling than to not have to worry about if your hair will turn out right when you absolutely need it to or regularly ‘preping’ your hair before bed . This is why Crochet Braids have been my go-to style this season.

Here are a few reasons why crochet braids will always be my favorite protective styling method:

EASY TO INSTALL

The crochet braid installation process takes very little time to install. The style can take 3 hours or less depending on whether you have to prep your hair into cornrows. My process was simply braiding my own hair in cornrows and using a latch hook to install each pre-looped braided extension into my hair. Easy, to the point, and done.

A VARIETY OF STYLING OPTIONS

I chose to go with crochet box braids because this style gives me so much versatility! I wanted to be able to wear my braids down and freely on the weekends, but also pull them up into more professional styles during the work week. Having professional styling options was an important factor I considered when getting my braids. I was careful to choose the appropriate length (14 inches) and size (medium) for this very reason. I feel that because of this, I am able to pull off those conservative looks when I need too!

LESS TENSION

Gone are the days of having to wait a few days to wear a ponytail or bun because of the tension that individual braids can be known for. One of the great advantages of crochet box braids is that there is little to no tension on the edges and the hair. I was literally able to wear just about any style that I wanted to after my braids were installed. Most importantly, I am able to wear a protective style that isn’t hard on my already fine hairline.

EASY TO MAINTAIN

With crochet box braids I can easily cleanse my scalp when needed. I can do this without worry of compromising the overall look of the extensions. When I need to wash my hair, I use a spray bottle with my favorite shampoo or cleanser mixed with water to spray and massage onto my scalp. I am then able to allow the water from the shower head to thoroughly rinse away those solutions.

Other than washing my scalp I sometimes apply oils around my hairline and throughout my scalp. To prevent frizz, I tie a head scarf around my hair at bedtime and use a bit of hair gel around my edges in the morning.

After about a month, I normally like to go through the braids and cut any frayed hair away from the braids or make sure I don’t have any lint on the ends. I really like to maintain a neat and polished look.

EASY TO TAKE DOWN

Having crochet box braids are so easy to take down. Since the extensions are practically ‘looped’ into your hair, you are simply taking each braid by the root, ‘unlooping’ them and pulling them out. I can have the extensions removed in no time and from there I am able to take down my cornrowed braids. You more than likely won’t need any scissors!

Have you tried crochet box braids? What’s your favorite way to protective style?