After a summer filled with frontals and sew-ins, we’ve entered a great silk press season. And although humidity could also be gone for some time, your strands are still open to environmental damage and stressors from the cold. While I, too, am obsessive about blowouts, it might be time to provide our hair a rest with a protective style. 

Protective styles aren’t just limited to the natural community. It’s a strategy to keep your hair healthy without constant manipulation from brushes, water, or products every day, saving you a variety of time and maintenance. During fall and winter, hair is subject to being dryer than usual, which brings split ends, static from hats and scarves, and even hair loss. With hairstyles like braids, twists, and locs, your tresses are safely tucked away, protected by the faux hair used. There are many ways to style it under the central umbrella, corresponding to passion twists, knotless braids, butterfly locs, and crochet strands, all in various lengths and thicknesses. 

While attempting to stay warm this winter, save half-hour of a wash day with one in every of these protective styles to try, and as a substitute of scrolling through pages of Pinterest boards and Instagram searches, we’ve put together our favourite looks to make it easy to point out your stylist. 

01

@amourjah

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@hairbyjeleah

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@crystaljoy

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@klaire

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@k4mcovr

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@iamkay1

07

@arrisdollhouse

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@khaleaharris323

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@daedohair

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@nianaturalhair