Most protective style for shoulder length and layered?

[AimeeMarie]

My hair can all go in a pony, but I know that is not protective! With the layers, there is not much else I can do right now...buns are out, braids I think are out. Deciding I will wash and air dry, no heat and then just put up for at least the remainder of May and summer. I wash every 3 days. What else can I try? Or should I go with a pony?

[Panth]

Peacock twists are good at that sort of length.

That said, protective styling is, IMO, not something you really need to worry much about at that length unless you're hair is exceedingly damaged or delicate.

[Zesty]

Peacock twist with a claw clip would be my first thought. If your hair can go into a ponytail I'd think you could do it. So if you're looking for a go-to hairstyle, that would be my recommendation. If you want more variety, try YouTube, there are probably more hairstyles you can do than you think.

[Arctic]

When you have enough posts, take a peek in my blog; I have lot of styles for shoulder length hair there (many of which are protective). Links to those particular posts with photo collections are under my blog's header.

[AimeeMarie]

When you say peacock twist, is that like tails up? I can sorta get that accomplished. Takes a few tries to get tight and secure, would that be better than a pony? I can do it with a Flexi and a claw I think.

Panth, yeah my hair is not damaged, no splits, due to having it chopped in Feb! I just wanna keep it that way so I can do no trims in 2015. Truthfully hoping not to cut until I turn 33 in March 2017.

[Nique1202]

Dutch and French braids should absolutely be possible past ear-length! There are lots of youtube tutorials out there, look for one where the person is doing it on their own hair so you can get an idea of how your hands need to move. You might need to do twin braids instead of a single one but twin dutch braids were one of my go-to styles at that length.

[Panth]

When you say peacock twist, is that like tails up? I can sorta get that accomplished. Takes a few tries to get tight and secure, would that be better than a pony? I can do it with a Flexi and a claw I think.

Panth, yeah my hair is not damaged, no splits, due to having it chopped in Feb! I just wanna keep it that way so I can do no trims in 2015. Truthfully hoping not to cut until I turn 33 in March 2017.

Yup, a "tails up" is the same as a peacock twist. It's better than a ponytail as it uses kinder tools (ponytail bands cause damage over time, especially if you tighten your ponytails by splitting the tail in half and pulling the halves away from each other).

No trims is an admirable goal, however it's not necessary to grow long hair (indeed, depending on if you have any damage from pre-LHC, e.g. dye, bleach or flat iron damage, then it may do more harm than good). I'd not worry too much about protective updos at this length (unless you really like them) but likewise I wouldn't get too fixed on the idea of no trims - a little trim won't be the end of the world if you end up needing one.

[AimeeMarie]

S
Dutch and French braids should absolutely be possible past ear-length! There are lots of youtube tutorials out there, look for one where the person is doing it on their own hair so you can get an idea of how your hands need to move. You might need to do twin braids instead of a single one but twin dutch braids were one of my go-to styles at that length.

I'll try. The layers make it a little harder. I am actually better at French braiding my own hair than others as I was taught to do it on myself not on others!

Thanks all!