Butterfly Locs Are The Ultimate Protective Hairstyle - Here's How To Care For Them

Protective hairstyles are a great way to keep your hair healthy. These hairdos minimize the exposure and damage to your strands. Your hair is saved from the everyday trials of heat, pulling, and the environment. The best protective hairstyles for curly hair can help you grow out your strands or transition to a completely natural mane. While braids and twists are styles people know off the top of their heads, butterfly locs are breaking into the top three.

Butterfly locs are a variation of faux locs. Instead of a straight barrel, the loc is interlaced with curly loops that mimic butterfly wings. It is a chic protective style that adds a feminine twist to traditional locs. They have a distressed vibe as opposed to the slick curls of goddess locs. Move over passion twists and box braids because butterfly locs are the ultimate protective style, and here's how you can maintain your stylish do.

After sitting a minimum of four hours to install your butterfly locs, you'll want to keep them looking the best to make all those bathroom and stretch breaks worth it. Butterfly locs can last from four to six weeks with the proper maintenance. To keep your hairstyle neat for as long as possible, cover your hair at night. Wrapping your locs with a silk scarf or wearing a bonnet will prevent strands from unraveling as it rubs against your pillow. You can also opt for a satin or silk pillowcase to protect your hair while you sleep.

It's essential to care for your scalp and natural hair under the extensions too. You don't want to neglect your mane while it's in a protective style, especially since synthetic hair pulls moisture from your natural tresses. To hydrate your hair, apply oils like olive, argan, or almond oil as needed straight to your scalp and massage it in. You can also put the oils in a spray bottle to spritz your roots and the length of the loc.

However, to really make your hairstyle last more than a month and keep it healthy, you'll need to wash it.

The key to cleansing your butterfly locs is being gentle. Focus your shampoo on the scalp. You can transfer the cleanser into a container with a narrow-tip applicator to help streamline the process. Let the water run the shampoo down the hair shaft without any rubbing. Tossing your hair around can cause frizz and strands to unravel. Follow the same process with a wash-out conditioner.

After your hair is buildup- and sweat-free, make sure it is completely dry before wrapping it with a silk scarf and going to sleep. If it is not properly dried, it can smell unpleasant.

To refresh each loc and give it a shine, apply a mousse. This step will add some hydration and slick down any unruly strands. You can redo any individual loc if it appears to unravel or looks completely frazzled. Slick any breakaways with edge control, and now you're set to rock your butterfly locs for a couple more weeks.