Sean goes protective styling

First off, major apologies for not posting due to vac work issues! It was too cold to type in Krugersdorp XD Now for le post!

Most naturals reach that point in their journey when the ol’ wash-&-go just isn’t doing it anymore. No hate, the LOC method is bae and all, but sometimes a girl just wants to wake up and not have to go through all the de-pineappling, refreshing, scrunching and praying the curly girl “please Jesus, let it do something bomb today” prayer. I love spending time on these curls but sometimes it gets hectic . i.e. I get totes lazy #sorrynotsorry #imyoung

I reached said point in June 2016, and decided to go through with the box braids I had been mulling over for the longest time. I wanted a way to protect my hair from the harsh drying Ladysmith winters that was not the LOC method. I insist on air drying, so running the risk of pneumonia each wash day #nahfam #notaboutthatlife. After some online research -and finding out about traction alopecia, can we just have a moment of silence for the snatched edges #naomicampbellweprayforyou- I realised I needed to find a braidist who understood the natural journey. By insta-stalking (thanks @amyleigh_44 😉 ), I found Chibwe Akombelwa aka God’s gift to the protective styling naturalista. 

 

7 hours and 9 packs of Yaki braid later XD

 

Those two weeks… They were glorious. I was on my #longhairdontcare vibe, and every morning I actually could say #iwokeuplikethis 😀 All I did each morning was spray my hair and scalp with a mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar, water and Jamaican Black Castor Oil, and I was good to go for the day 🙂 My scalp was very itchy, but after the morning sprays it cooled down. Now if everything was going so well, why did it last only two weeks? The DIY spray made my hair grow like grass! Baby hairs were everywherrrrre, and no edge control in existence was up to the challenge. Being me, I thought co-washing the braids might help #idk #justbecause, and that just made my natural hair curl up and frizz in majestic ways beneath the braids. Thus, down they came 😦

 

3 people and 2 hours were required #goodbyemylover #goodbymyfriend #youhavebeentheone #yuhavebeentheoneforme

 

After take-down, I coated my hair in Amla oil and at long last massaged my scalp :’D              It was when washing my hair that the shedding really happened. It was basically what you would expect to see after 2 weeks of not detangling XD I used a deep conditioner in lieu of normal conditioner, figuring my strands needed the extra love.

 

#bae ❤

After LOCing the moisture in 🙂

PROS	CONS
·         Looks bomb af	·         Incredibly heavy initially
·         Less maintenance than wash-&-gos	·         Itchy scalp requires daily ACV+JBCO spray
·         Versatile styling, high buns or fancy plaits to suit any mood	·         Tying it up to sleep at night = achy neck
·         Actually protects hair, and saw 2cm of new growth in 2 weeks	·         Doesn’t look too neat after washing

FINAL VERDICT: Go for it- but only if your braidist is willing to respect your natural hair. A protective style is only as good as the stylist 🙂

As always I’m up for questions, comments and any feedback from you peoples 😀 How did protective styling work for you this winter?

k bye

Sean xx

PS- If you want to locate the stylist of life, she’s based in Durban 🙂

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/braidsbychibwe/#

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chibwe_a/