Could You Have Grown Long Hair Without Protective Styling

[aribell]

No, which is why I've been here this long and not passed APL, though I can get there easily enough. My dedication to long hair apparently hasn't grown strong enough for me to be consistent with no/low manipulation. I'd have to wear full sew ins for 2 years straight to actually reach BSL or beyond. I'm considering it but don't know whether it's worth it. No one wants to be a slave to their hair.

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[havilland]

No. Protective styling got me to my longest lengths since childhood. And when I was a kid, my mom "protected" my hair. It was always up. And it was long then too.

I don't think ALL women need protective styling to retain. But for me, I have to PS in order to have maximum retention.

I tested one year wearing PS. One year using low manipulation. The year I PS-tyled, I retained WAY MORE.

Sent from my iPhone while out living my best life!

 

[NappyNelle]

I have fine, medium-density hair. I need to protective style if I want to retain.

 

[niqu92]

i dont think protective styling is really necessary because ive always had long hair BSL-MBL/WL and i always wore my hair down

 

[DDTexlaxed]

I think I've retained more with protective styles, but I don't feel it is the absolute rule. My hair was longer when I relaxed and roller set. I'm really thinking about changing my hair journey.

 

[MissDarcei]

Yes, my hair has never been short (APL-MBL my whole life. Only APL by choice.) and I never protective style usually. I used to wear my hair flat ironed and now i do wash and gos.

 

[Nonie]

I do believe that protective styling will let you reach longer lengths faster if you have fine hair than if you weren't PSing. But just because speed of getting there is affected by whether you PS or not doesn't mean you won't get there ever. I think patience is a virtue many lack so when they say they would never have reached the lengths they are, they mean "never have reached them in the time they did" rather than "never have reached them ever!"

No - my hair is too fine. I couldn't have achieved any decent growth without braids.

Austro-Afrikana My hair is fine too and braids help with retention. But I consider braids low manipulation not protective styling--unless you're talking about cornrows. Singles and the tails of cornrows have your ends exposed so they'd still rub against clothing and be dried by air...so not exactly PS.

I don't PS and I'd never had APL hair for over 30 years. I've reached APL now even w/o PSing. But because I have fine hair, low mani is a necessity. In my case I wear braids or twists for days on end...and that's how I'm able to retain any length. I also must dust regularly.

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

Yea, I have always had long hair. So growth/retention was never a problem with me. My problem was I was killing my hair with heat. Heat is my numero uno enemy!

The same for me

 

[sylver2]

yes..I've done it! i never protective style ..even durin my 1 year stretch. i do however maintain a very simple low manipulation no combing regimen. and that helps a lot. i wear my hair out every single day!! i hate hate hate if i have to put it up or in bun. if u see me in one it was a horrible hair day or im trying to hide dry scalp/dandruff until i wash..lol

 

[Austro-Afrikana]

Nonie I meant braids with extensions, where the hair is nicely cocooned up in there lol.i could never do singles on my own hair! That would be a disaster.

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie I meant braids with extensions, where the hair is nicely cocooned up in there lol.i could never do singles on my own hair! That would be a disaster.

@Austro-Afrikana I know that's what you meant. I meant the same thing.

The hair is not circled completely by the extension hair but rather just lies side by side with it. Which is why when you wash it, it gets frizzy because your own hair shrinks and sticks out.

The ends are not hidden either and if you look closely you can see where your own hair ends you can see the ends. So even with extension hair, the ends are not protected.

When I posted photos of how not dusting caused me to have thin ends, I was in extension braids. My ends were not protected even though I'd braid to the ends of the extension hair--which was way past my own hair. I've never not braided to the ends of the extension hair. Still, braids are not "PS" per se. They do allow you not to manipulate your hair, and that's where the blessing is.

 

[Nonie]

@Austro-Afrikana, to show you what I mean, I borrowed this image from Google Images (I'll take it down if the owner recognizes herself and wants it down)--just send me a PM:

Notice that blonde extension hair is used, but you can see the model's own hair lying side by side with the extension hair in the braids so that both colors show up. In each braid, her own hair as well as the blonde extension hair are exposed to wind and friction--like if she were to let her hair hang or wear a hat that rubs against the braids.

In the braid she has tucked behind her ear, you can see that her hair doesn't reach the end of the braid but it stops somewhere behind the ear or maybe just before. Just like her hair is exposed for most of the length of the braid, so too will that end be exposed, meaning it's vulnerable to the elements just like any hair that isn't buried in a bun or some other protective style.

So what braids afford her is the freedom not to constantly comb her hair and cause it undue trauma. So it's a low mani style not a protective one.

Cornrows are protective for the most part whether with or without extension because particularly if the cornrows are long and winding, most of the ends of the hair are buried inside the cornrow so only the tail ends hang like extension hair and so aren't protected. Weaves are protective styling because besides there being cornrows, you also have the hair forming this blanket that keeps hair protected from the elements.

 

[Kurlee]

^^ Thanks Nonie! You always have informative posts. I have worn weaves and braids and have found weaves easier to deal with.

 

[Whimsy]

I think so...in the warm months I wear wash n gos and I still retain length, BUT I know i'd get there way slower because I care about my ends. I'd have more splits to trim if I didn't PS a lot in the cold months.

 

[naturalmanenyc]

My natural hair, no. I was at BSL when I was relaxed, before I started using weave, and I had no problem with retention. I think my natural hair is more fragile in that it needs to be handled very carefully (detangling, single strand knots) and my natural hair needs to be moisturized often to retain it.

 

[aa9746]

I voted no.

 

[mscocoface]

No silk pillow cases
No silk head coverings
No pin ups, updos, twists and braids, wigs and 3/4 hair pieces
None of the products I am using now....... I doubt it.

Maybe gotten to shoulder length, which I could do but then it would need to be cut off again, and again. It was an ugly cycle and gives me shivers just thinking about it.

 

[regina07]

Like a lot of posters, I've always had long hair -- unless I cut it. Never a problem growing it to BSL with no effort.

For me, it's low manipulation. When I wear my hair out, I find myself puttin it up. Otherwise I'm playing in it or it's getting caught in something

PS'ing works for me because I'm lazy and like buns. I hope it aids me getting to TBL!

 

[FearfullyMade]

Yes, I could have grown my hair long, my hair has always been "real life " long (SL/APL) I think that it just would have taken longer.

The terms that we use like "low manipulation" and "protective styles" are things that I did off and on (pre LHCF and didn't realize that they helped me to retain length.

I agree with everyone that what works for some, won't work for others.
For me to grow my hair past SL/APL:

Low manipulation=great retention
PS=almost 100% retention

 

[kandiekj100]

I think low to no heat usuage and low manipulation is probably what is key for most folks. I don't know if you have to necessarily protective style. Whenever I have a growth spurt (ie most retention) is when I'm not fussing with my hair and keeping it stretched in some manner.

 

[mzcris]

for me....no I needed protective styles. lately I've been doing low manipulation and no heat (just sitting under the hair dryer). my hair seems to be growing well and retaining length this way now. kinda tired of protective styles for now

Cris

 

[Chameleonchick]

Not with this hair. My natural hair needs protective styles and I don't mind. If I didn't I would do the ultimate ps locs.

 

[madamdot]

I wear a bun but its mostly because I am lazy. The best progress for me is low manipulation (I NEED to practice this more), stretching my relaxer (this means 8-10 weeks and not 4-6 weeks) and finding a stylist whose automatic answer to everything is NOT: your hair is damaged and I need to cut it off.

I have superfine hair.

 

[thehairmaverick]

Yep definitely...low manipulation helps me more than ps...i've made it to apl multiple times but I'm just scissor happy

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[CurlyMoo]

I answered no, but not because because of protective styling but because of protective haircare practices. I think it has lead to longer AND thicker hair. When I started my journey I was growing out a relaxer and my hair was starting to thin near the nape. It's so thick and lush right now. I would say using a silk pillow cover, keeping hair up and ends oiled. No excessive combing, no brushing, no excessive heat and no trimming. I also manipulate less. Co-washing more.

 

[lilyofthenile]

I wish.

I can't because my hair tangles up like crazy if it's let out. Also my hair tends to form these notorious SSKs etc when I don't protective style.

So I wouldn't be able to retain anything if I didn't.

 

[Dee_33]

Yea, I have always had long hair. So growth/retention was never a problem with me. My problem was I was killing my hair with heat. Heat is my numero uno enemy!

Heat was my downfall as well. Once I stopped all direct heat I retained my growth.

 

[ChristmasCarol]

I have had long (past shoulder length) hair all of my life and I had never heard the term "protective styling" until I joined LHCF. In the past I have been a scissor happy kind of girl so once my hair got to the point it was below my shoulders I would cut it.

This was me. I wear buns 90% of the time because I'm lazy - not because I'm worried about my hair breaking off.

However, I must admit that my retention would probably not be quite as good as it is with bunning.

 

[Monaleezza]

I've just reached APL and I'm ecstatic. I did the Hide your hair for 2011 challenge and I had a peak this month and it's coming along just nicely.
Had I had my hair out it would have been a different story; combing it regularly, getting fed up of PSing at the weekend, special occasion hot stying, I'd have no retention to show.

 

[chebaby]

i big chopped my hair 2 and a half years ago down to one inch. itll be three years come april. anywho my hair is dang near mbl now and it hasnt even been 3 years and i NEVER protective style. i wear my hair kinky 98% of the time(not anymore i just decided yesterday to become a straight hair natural lol) and my go to style was a wash and go. so my hair was in its natural shrunken kinky curly state all the time and here i am with between bsl and mbl hair.
so yea, your hair can grow without protective styles.