If you have natural hair, you know: styling your hair every day can be extremely time consuming. From detangling and blow-drying to hydrating and oiling - even thinking about a different hairstyle every single day is a lot. That's why we love protective natural hairstyles.
Though we've come a long way with properly caring for the health of natural hair, sometimes you just want something low-maintenance that's also going to look good. Enter: protective hairstyles for natural hair. By definition, a protective style is any hair configuration that keeps your ends safely tucked away. These hairstyles require very little daily upkeep and help your hair remain moisturized while promoting hair growth thanks to low manipulation. When you get a new protective style, gone are the days of pulling and yanking at your hair in the name of vanity. An added bonus? You can ditch the arm work that comes with all the parting and lifting.
Luckily we now have plenty of hairstyle options to choose from. Everything from knotless braids and cornrows to sew-ins are protective hairstyles that will keep us looking put-together with very minimal effort on our part. If you're looking for a new go-to look that will keep your natural hair out of the way for a little while, we went ahead and gathered some of the best options we could find. Whether you need something to hold you over until washday or you're looking for a longer-lasting style, get ready, because your mood board is about to undergo a major transformation. Check out all the best protective hairstyles for natural hair ahead.
- Additional reporting by Ariel Baker