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HOW TO PROTECT YOUR EDGES WHILE BUNNING

By Hadassah Agbaps - September 29, 2017

Hi people, what's been on?

Lately, I've been pulling my hair in a low bun because it's a classic look and it's different from a high bun.

The thing with doing buns on the regular is that it tends to put extra stress on your edges.

My main hair is fine textured and the hair on my edges is even more fragile and wispy. It has the tendency to break off if any stress is applied and it gets worse as I age.

To prevent a situation where I'm turned into a Chinese monk just because of the convenience that comes with simply throwing my natural hair up in a bun, I do the following listed below ....and it's been working great for me

1. Use a turban

The most common advice given with regards to protecting your edges is "Make buns loose". The problem with this advice is putting your hair in a loose bun means your bun is frizzy, rough and unattractive because there's a lot of hair that couldn't fit into the bun ... especially if you don't have long natural hair!

So, to make sure I don't stress up my edges, I would pull my hair into a loose low bun and then use a scarf to make a turban around my hairline. Putting a turban around my hairline tames flyaways and keeps my style looking neat and thus, it prevents me from gathering my hair tightly as I try to keep every strand in place.

Tips:

- In a very conservative working environment, I'd use a black turban or just take off my turban once I get to my location. By the time I do this, my hair is smooth without the use of gels.

- To get the best result out of this method, I'll apply raw shea butter to damp hair before wrapping it up in a turban.

2. Make "V" shaped parts.

Making "V" shaped parts instead of the regular single parts means I distribute the stress to multiple parts. I don't have to pull my hair as tightly as I would if I had a single part to get a sleeker look.

Tip:

- I use bobby pins to hold the hair in each part in place.

- I use a small amount of Ecostyler gel and a scarf to keep my hair in place when I can't find bobby pins.

- I slightly dampen the hair on each part and used raw shea butter/castor oil to hold the hair in place when I run out of Ecostyler.

3. I use Marley hair.

For this style, I used the same "V" shaped parts but instead of pulling the top "v" backwards into the bun, I braided it up with Marley hair and wrapped it up forward.

Then I loosely gathered the back and braided it up with Marley hair and wrapped it up into a bun. By using extensions, I do not force all my hair into a bun. This helps save my edges.

Tip:

Using extensions is good if you're at "in between length" natural hair. You can make more sections in front so you have less hair to pull back into a bun.

4. I avoid cornrows and braids.

This one is personal. You may skip it if cornrows/braids don't break your hair. From experience, cornrows and braids are way too much stress for my hair. I prefer flat twists and twists. Putting them in is not stressful and taking them out does not require the use of any pointed end. I could just do it with my fingers. Also, flat twists/twists don't hold my hair and the hair on my edges as tightly as cornrows/braids do, so personally I favour these for my hair type.

Finally, everyone's hair is unique. You know your hair more than anyone does. If you have fine, light hair, you shouldn't be doing the same things people with coarse, thicker hair are doing.