Protective Styles?

[carolinaberry]

I know the topic of protective styles has been gone over and over on the boards. My question is, given the way my hair is layered, when I use hair elastics (I have the no-metal kind), they are always secured on some tippy-ends of some of the layers. My hair is very layered. I can finally do it in 2 french braids, but I am worried that the damage being done to the ends kind of counter-acts the protection of the braids.

Can any of you guys help me out here? For someone who doesn't have mostly one layer hair, and not even a few layers cut in to frame, but shoulder-length hair with razored hair from ear to shoulder (I know y'all get tired of that description), does the protective style do more good than the elastics do harm?

Is a regular jaw/butterfly clip updo less damaging? Like, start a bun, and once the ends are twisted up, clamp the clip on? Or are hair elastics totally safe? Once my hair is a little longer, it will be easier because I can gradually fade these layers out.

Thanks!

[akilina]

I am sorry but this statement really really confuses me maybe you could elaborate? :)
"Can any of you guys help me out here? For someone who doesn't have mostly one layer hair, and not even a few layers cut in to frame, but shoulder-length hair with razored hair from ear to shoulder (I know y'all get tired of that description), does the protective style do more good than the elastics do harm? "
I guess I dont understand the "one layer" part. You could never count all the layers in one persons hair. To me hair with "one layer" would be basically all one length hair....with literally one cut all around that one area at one point of reference...lets say the ear.
My only other way to explain would be that someone came to my salon once and literally asked me for ONE layer...like her hair was past her waist...and she only wanted ONE layer like really short close to the top around at the ear. It looked like a mushroom and i was SO confused when she told me this..I had to have another stylist try to help us figure it out and after about 10 minutes we finally got it. Finally we decided to just go in with the razor selectively and create that "one" layer right around the ear. Like a mushroom. I was baffled the rest of the night but she left my chair Oh so happy :)
Other than that maybe you should invest in some hair sticks and clips that don't look too mean. A lot of the times I just twist all my hair up and clip it. If hair starts flying out (mine does) I spray it with water. Or put some aloe in it. Or oil it. It helps.
I feel like elastics, even though they don't have the metal, are kind of mean to my hair. And I know what you mean by you feel like the layers where the elastics are tied to get thrashed. I don't know if you feel exactly that way but I feel that way everytime I put one in my hair

[Slug Yoga]

My only other way to explain would be that someone came to my salon once and literally asked me for ONE layer...like her hair was past her waist...and she only wanted ONE layer like really short close to the top around at the ear. It looked like a mushroom and i was SO confused when she told me this..I had to have another stylist try to help us figure it out and after about 10 minutes we finally got it. Finally we decided to just go in with the razor selectively and create that "one" layer right around the ear. Like a mushroom. I was baffled the rest of the night but she left my chair Oh so happy :)

Haha, this is such a funny story. Good thing you took the time to really figure it out, and that was really what she wanted! What a mental image, wish I could see the haircut :D

[bumblebums]

At your current length of 18 inches, the goal should be to keep the hair out of your way so it doesn't annoy you into cutting it. The ends are still fairly young, so go ahead and use elastics. Jaw clips, too, if they work for you. You can start worrying about protecting the ends when you are at BSL or so.

[TeaEarlGreyHot]

At this length I favored ficcare type clips in a tails up type style. My hair is now reaching my bra strap (but not at the bottom for a true BSL) with layers that start around collar bone length. It is very frustrating! The ends stick out of a braid or cinnamon bun so I'm banned to a life of french twists with a 3 pronged hair fork.

[carolinaberry]

I am sorry but this statement really really confuses me maybe you could elaborate? :)
"Can any of you guys help me out here? For someone who doesn't have mostly one layer hair, and not even a few layers cut in to frame, but shoulder-length hair with razored hair from ear to shoulder (I know y'all get tired of that description), does the protective style do more good than the elastics do harm? "
I guess I dont understand the "one layer" part. You could never count all the layers in one persons hair. To me hair with "one layer" would be basically all one length hair....with literally one cut all around that one area at one point of reference...lets say the ear.
My only other way to explain would be that someone came to my salon once and literally asked me for ONE layer...like her hair was past her waist...and she only wanted ONE layer like really short close to the top around at the ear. It looked like a mushroom and i was SO confused when she told me this..I had to have another stylist try to help us figure it out and after about 10 minutes we finally got it. Finally we decided to just go in with the razor selectively and create that "one" layer right around the ear. Like a mushroom. I was baffled the rest of the night but she left my chair Oh so happy :)


Sorry...I always have trouble trying to explain what I mean (about everything)...I mean, I currently have so many different lengths of hair because when it was cut very short, the sides were aggressively razor-layered. She did this because my hair had a lot of damage from bleach and heat. They are layered unevenly, and it is worse, I'm sure, from breakage. The ends I have are not old, but they are fragile from previous damage.

By "one layer" I just meant a more even overall length, so when I put in an elastic, I can avoid the fragile ends by altering where I place it. Right now, no matter where I place a braid or ponytail, the elastic will rub against the very tips of some of the hairs. As of now, the longest layer is around 20", the bulk of the hair (it looks) is around 17", and the rest is somewhere between chin and shoulder. I don't really know how to explain it, because it isn't a "style", it is a "style" growing out, and even when it was freshly cut last year, it wasn't a good style.

[kdaniels8811]

Jaw clips are fine, as are elastics. Sounds like you are doing everything right, moving the placement around. and trimming to get rid of damage was good, too. When my hair reached shoulder, I started using a tiny bit of coconut oil on the ends only to keep them healthy. That is the only advice I can offer. Good luck and happy growing.

[carolinaberry]

Jaw clips are fine, as are elastics. Sounds like you are doing everything right, moving the placement around. and trimming to get rid of damage was good, too. When my hair reached shoulder, I started using a tiny bit of coconut oil on the ends only to keep them healthy. That is the only advice I can offer. Good luck and happy growing.
Thank you. I never used to see elastics as damaging...when I had longer hair, I used to just move the placement around, but that was because I just assumed that using them in the same place would cause breakage.

I actually recently started using coconut oil on the ends of my dry hair. I use argan oil in my damp hair...sometimes on dry length if I'm looking frizzy. I love the argan oil, because my hair always absorbs it and it never looks oily. Of course, I only use a couple of drops.

[torrilin]

I can finally do it in 2 french braids, but I am worried that the damage being done to the ends kind of counter-acts the protection of the braids.

Everything you do to your hair can cause damage. EVERYTHING. You can't prevent all damage, because even if you try to sit perfectly still and not move... you still have to breathe. So just put the idea of protecting your hair from everything out of your head. It's not going to happen.

It should be pretty easy to evaluate if the braids are a good idea or not. You know what sort of tangles you get if you wear your hair down, and what it takes to detangle. If the braids result in less tangles than that, they're a good idea, even if the elastics are putting some extra stress on your ends. This doesn't mean braids are a perfect protective style or anything... just that less tangles are a good thing.

Any style that's repeated in the exact same way every day can cause damage, even if it's protecting you against tangles. Doesn't matter how you put your hair up. Doing the same thing over and over is stressful. Even with that caveat... I've got really fine and breakable hair. As long as I can rotate between about 3 different styles, I don't find excessive breakage.