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During the colder months, protective styling is a go-to for me. I guess I tend to tuck my real hair in more as much as possible when it’s cold because I can’t really walk around with my hair wet as I would in the summer. For example, I hardly ever do a wash and go when temperatures are below 50 out of fear of getting sick…..as my grandmother would call it pneumonia season. I keep my air drying process strictly for overnight when I am inside and asleep, where as in the summer I could air dry while out and about throughout the day. But having my hair out during the wintertime only accounts for about maybe 1/3 of the winter, the other 2/3 of the time my hair is tucked away using some form of weave, or I may straighten it with heat. Right now, I have reached the one year and 2 months mark for my No Heat Challenge so I have not really been touching on my own straightened hair lately. My preferences for protective styling include sew ins, wigs, marley twists, mini twists, and goddess braids.

1. Sew Ins
   I was introduced to the hair method of sew ins during the later parts of my high school years. I prefer straight hair for this particular style, as I wrap it to maintain it for an extended amount of time. Check out some of my previous looks while protective styling with sew ins below.

   

   

   

   

2. Wigs
   Choosing to wear a wig as a protective style is fairly new for me. Growing up, I was always taught that wigs were stereotyped towards just the elderly, or if you had some sort of medical condition going on that required you to wear them. There was also talk that you know for a fact that one day you may have to wear them so you should always wear your real hair out as much as possible. With these two teachings, it made it very hard for me to mentally try out wearing a wig period. During middle and high school, the only times you would see me with a wig on was during Halloween at the most. This all changed for me during college when I was introduced to the idea of wearing a half wig during the beginning of my natural hair process. With me having two different textures, wigs made it easier for me to manage my hair overtime. Check out some of my looks below.
   

   

   

   

3. Marley Twists
   These jumbo sized marley twists became a go to for me during the second half of the summer months, right before fall/autumn when the temperatures are still pretty warm during the day but fairly colder during the evenings. This became a favorite for me because they were convenient and not a lot of maintenance had to be done with them. Don’t get me wrong with a sew in and a half wig there isn’t much maintenance, but you still have to styling and comb and make sure it looks descent everyday. With marley twists, all you have to do is make sure they stay moisturized, along with your scalp and tie them up at night so they don’t become frizzy. You can get these done or do them yourself smaller but I prefer for mine to be fairly bigger in size and very long, almost completely down my back.
   
   

   
4. Mini Twists
   If you have been subscribed to DeluxHair for some time, then you know that I love my mini twists. I consider these the most convenient protective style of all of them because my real hair is solely used, no weave is included and they last about two weeks straight for me with no manipulation. The only downfall about this style during the winter is that I can’t let them air dry while I am out and about like I would normally do during the summer months. This leads to my hair shrinking more with them during the colder months compared to the hotter ones. As a solution, my mini twists are not left down a majority of the time, but instead pinned up in a nice style. Check out my tutorial on this below.
   
5. Goddess Braids
   If you have 4A-4C hair type like mine, and you’re looking to completely cover your curls for an extended amount of time, I would recommend trying out Goddess Braids. They are very quick to do or get done, mine only took about 30 minutes to one hour at the most. They are extremely low maintenance if none at all, mainly just making sure you tie them up at night. Check out my previous styles with goddess locks below.
   

   

   

Surprisingly, when I first went down the natural hair road, I thought I would love buns but I soon let that one go. I started to see a pattern of me ripping my edges out with buns from the constant tension around my head. With my hair texture it is very hard for me to keep my edges down how I want them with buns as well so I tend to stray away from them.

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What is your protective style of choice for the colder months? Let us know my leaving your style of choice as a comment in our comment section below!

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Resources
ulovemegz – Virgin Diamond Hair Company Mink Brazilian Body Wave Wig Tutorial
Naturally Curly – 2 Products Made My Protective Braids Last Longer
Naturally Curly – How to Rock Your Protective Style
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