For black women, taking care of your edges goes beyond simply understanding how to lay them. It’s almost like the first commandment. If you don’t have them, life may be very stressful. You can swoop them, swirl them, wave them, or just let them be.
Unfortunately, many of the looks we love and adore, including weaves, box braids, and sky-high ponytails, can seriously compromise your edges. Spoiler alert: There is no magic potion that will restore them to their former glory in just 30 days, but you can genuinely restore your hairline with time, patience, and professional advice. Michelle Henry, a dermatologist with board certification, says that hair follicles can be picky. “If your hair loss is recent, we can frequently accelerate regrowth, but repeated and severe styling can permanently harm hair follicles.”
Here are a few easy tips on how you can recover your hairline after doing a protective style
Cleanse
Use a gentle shampoo that won’t thin or dry your hair to avoid more hair loss.
Avoid
Give your hair a break from protective styles for about two weeks after undoing one. Also avoid stretching your hair or hairstyles that pull it, rather leave it untied to recover.
Protect
Wear a satin head wrap when you sleep to protect your hairline from friction. Anything that keeps rubbing on your edges and dries it out in the process is something that can thin out your edges. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to go without the styling options that you love; just be proactive about properly caring for your hair underneath it.
Grow
Use hair stimulating oils, products with growth actives or hair food to stimulate hairline growth. Try to find reputable brands that offer hair restoring oils.
Also see: Embracing your natural hair
