In the story of our daily lives, heat and humidity can sometimes play the villains to natural hair, taking us from main character energy to feeling like an extra. That’s when protective hairstyles come in clutch as the best costar for our stressed tresses.
[SEE ALSO: How To Protect Your Hair From Your Protective Style]
Not only do the play an award-worthy role in keeping our hair in formation, they also help to protect it from the elements. Ready for your close-up? Get into these drama-free summer options to help you stay camera ready.
Braids & Twists
Want a low-manipulation, humidity-proof protective style? Braids or twists are almost always your best bet. Any kind of braided or twisted hairstyles will work, but knotless box braids, knotless goddess braids, and feed-in or “lemonade” braids continue to have a hold on us in 2022.
Knotless Box and Goddess Braids
Knotless braids put a lot less tension on the root of your hair and have a more sleek and polished finish.
To achieve the goddess look, your hairstylist will braid the hair about halfway down, leaving out a strand of hair from each braid. The end result is a delicate tangle of braids and curls that are great for just letting the braids hang, or styling them up in cute ponytails and top knots.
“Lemonade” braids
These feed-in braids continue to have a hold on us in 2022. You’re getting upgraded with adornments and accessories this summer. They continue to be popular because they generally take a lot less time to install and take out than box braids. They’re perfect for a one- to two-week styling break and are an easy vacation look that you can change up once you’ve arrived back home.
The best thing about braids? Versatility! Who can get bored with the endless arrays of hair colors, styles, and lengths to try?
Clip-Ins
Shrinkage can be a challenge for curly hair when it meets moisture and humidity. Add a little length and preserve your style at the pool, at that summer happy hour or on vacation–without committing to full sew-in, fusion or tape-in extensions, by using clip-in extensions instead!
Clip-in extensions are perfect for temporary, removable length. They can be professionally done, yet they’re easy enough to install at home, too. You can find just about any texture to match your own, from a straight relaxed look and feel to a natural straight texture to full-on textured curls.
You can remove your clip-ins at night or at regular intervals to give your scalp a break.
Some of our favorites to use are from Black woman-owned Heat Free Hair, based in Washington, DC. Heat Free Hair offers four textures: For Kinks, For Kurls, For Koils, and For Blowouts.
Headband Wigs
Got a last-minute event invite right before your next salon appointment? Did your boss add a surprise 9am Zoom meeting to your calendar? No worries! Headband wigs are another easy, but polished look for summer hair.
These wigs have a wide band at the front that helps keep them secured to your head (along with adjustable straps and sewn-in combs inside), while just casually looking like a stylish headband.
Simply pull your hair back or lay it down flat, slip on your headband wig and it’ll have you covered–both literally and figuratively!
We like the “Relaxed Natural” and “Sasha curl” options at Black woman-owned True and Pure Texture.
