The colder weather can be tough on Afro hair textures. With no summer heat to help air-dry your tresses – and harsh winds sucking the moisture out of them too – when winter falls you need to up your grooming game to prevent damage and breakage.
Sound like too much effort? It doesn’t have to be. From braids to locs, protective styles for men are having something of a renaissance at the moment, after years of close cuts dominating as the majority of men’s go-to styles. A$AP Rocky has been rocking braids for years, of course, as have many other men in the limelight, but as more and more men and women embrace the natural hair revolution, male protective styles are having a bit of a moment.
“Protective styles are great to help you make sure your hair’s healthy,” says SliderCuts stylist Shannon Currie, who counts Krept and Mr Eazi as clients. “There has 100 per cent been an increase in men requesting protective styles. I work in a barber shop, so the majority of guys who come in do cut their hair, but a lot of guys now are coming in to start growing their hair out and I’ll start their long hair process. If your hair is about two inches, then you’ll be able to get a style.”
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“It definitely has its pros and cons,” she explains. “You’re probably going to be more likely to use styling products if you have a protective style and a lot of men aren’t used to using a lot of products in their hair, so if you haven’t had a protective style before, that’s something you should be aware of. You also have to keep it neat, so wearing a durag or a hair tie at night is necessary, and you need to avoid rain and getting your hair wet in the shower.”
Think you’re ready to switch up your look? We asked Currie to talk us through some of the most popular protectives styles for men at the moment, so you have everything you need to know before you hit the salon.
Cornrows
Who this style is good for
“The hair has to be long enough and the end result depends on whether you’ve got a full head of hair or shaved parts. A lot of people have cornrows at the top now and then the sides and back will be shaved. If your hair is long enough to be tied back, then this style is an option.”
Things to consider
“A lot of people are scared of getting cornrows, because there’s a myth that it can pull your hairline back, so you can leave a gap at the front and keep that shaved. Your hair will only fall out if the braids are done too tight. People also braid hair differently, so if you have the style done by one stylist and then go to a different one, it will take time for your hair texture to adjust.
“This is also the most painful style, because you’re plaiting close to the scalp, but that shouldn’t last beyond having the treatment done.”
How long it lasts
“It can last and look neat between two weeks to a month, as long as it’s looked after and maintained. It’s a style that you have to redo quite often, because your hair keeps growing and the braids are close to [the] head, so the regrowth can make it look untidy.”
How to maintain it
“Cornrows are a style that, once you have them in, you don’t have to do much to maintain it. As long as you’re making sure it’s covered with a durag or a headscarf at night and you make sure to moisturise it with oils on your scalp every few days, you should be fine. You do have to be mindful that it can get messy if you do activities that make you sweat a lot, but if not, once you get it done there’s not much you need to do to it.”
Products to stock up on
“That depends on the hair texture, but I usually recommend natural products to my clients, such as coconut oil, avocado oil, stuff like that. For cornrows, I wouldn’t say that you need to put creams and stuff like that on it.”
Braids
Who this style is good for
“Plaits grow hair the quickest out of all the styles and if you don't want to loc your hair, but you also don't want to cornrow it, this is a great option. It's kind of like a middle-ground style.”
Things to consider
“I would say you'd need at least three inches of hair to plait it, because, if it's quite short, you'd need to put elastic bands at the ends instead of leaving them to curl round and lock the plait in. It still looks good with elastic bands, but it's just an extra thing that you'd have to do.”
How long it lasts
“This style can last from a month to six weeks.”
How to maintain it
“Similar to cornrows, as long as you wrap your hair at night and keep your scalp moisturised it will be fine. This hair is less likely to get messy than cornrows, because cornrows spread across a long section of your head and one plait holds all of that hair, so there's more loose hairs exposed on the sides. Whereas braids have a smaller amount of hair in the plait and it's coming directly from the scalp, so that's why it can last longer with less maintenance.
“Most people wouldn't wash their hair for any of these styles except for locs, so you just wash your hair when you take it out. Once these styles are wet they can get messy a lot easier.”
Products to stock up on
“Once again, natural products such as coconut, almond and avocado oils are the best moisturisers for the scalp.”
Locs
Who this style is good for
“Hair will naturally loc anyway if you don't maintain it, but styled locs are the most long-lasting style, because your hair doesn't fall out and it doesn't need to be brushed and things like that.”
Things to consider
“You can get instant locs, which are literally done by locing each hair around itself so you can't comb it out – it's an irreversible style. Or you can graduate to locs, which is easier to reverse as it will only be locked at the ends.
“Locs take the longest to do, because you have to do each section individually. Obviously, the longer your hair the longer it will take. It can vary from two-and-a-half hours and eight hours to do.
“You can also get faux locs, which are done by either adding braiding hair or loc extensions, but they are only temporary and don't last as long. This would be a good option for someone who isn't sure if they'd want to keep the style, because obviously it's not a long-term commitment, so you wouldn't feel like you can't go back.”
How long it lasts
“If you have real locs, they can last forever.”
How to maintain it
“Once the hair has locked together, all you have to do is moisturise it and cover it at night. You don't need to wash locs too often and your scalp will naturally produce its own oils, so you don't necessarily need to add lots of products.
“You literally wash the locs in the same way you'd wash it normally with water. The locs will be quite heavy when they're wet as they tend to hold on to water, but you can let them air-dry or tie them up in a microfibre towel. There are some other methods that you could use, such as cleansing with apple cider vinegar. This is good for if you have a lot of product build-up in the locs that you need to get rid of.”
Products to stock up on
“Natural oils and anti-itch oils can be good, as people who aren't used to styles like locs might find that it will itch and notice more pressure on their head.”
SliderCuts,176 Hackney Road, London E2. 07951 754927. slidercuts.com. Follow Shannon Currie on Instagram @shanstyling
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