Painful Afro Puffs? 6 Tips to Lessen the Pain on Your Head

by Toia B of LuvToBNatural.com

Ok… let’s talk headbands, puffs and such.

Have you seen this meme floating around on the socials?

Ladies, while that meme is hilarious (and truthful!), we’ve got to stop this! Yes, we women love to joke about the cost of beauty and the things we put ourselves through to look good, but headbands don’t come with a bottle of aspirin, nor should they. Believe it or not, you CAN achieve a cute puff without having to rock back and forth repeating “beauty is pain… beauty is pain…!” for some solace. This is a dangerous but definitely avoidable situation.

Read On!>>>
What’s The Danger?

As if the mother of all headaches isn’t enough, ignoring a tight headband all day for the sake of a cute puff can put you at risk for traction alopecia. Let’s just say I know a thing or two about this topic! As the headband squeezes your noggin, it’s actually s-l-o-w-l-y sliding its way upward, pulling your hair along with it. You can lose hair from those pressure points, namely the very front of your head, the temple region and the points a few inches behind your ears.

Try this:

1. Soak your headband in an oil. The oil will help loosen the elastic bonds a bit. Afterwards, pre-stretch the band before you begin wearing it. Wrap it around a chair back or something wide enough to give a good stretch so that by the time you wear it, it won’t be as snug as when it’s fresh “out the box”.
2. Use a thin silk or satin scarf instead. You’re better able to control how tight your hair will be as you tie the scarf to form your puff. And, as you may already know, the benefits of using these materials as opposed to cotton accessories is that they won’t suck the moisture from your hair.
3. Use a shoelace. You heard me! Look, your hair is gonna cover the thing anyways so don’t worry about all that. Most shoelaces are long enough to allow room to “give” and then whatever excess you have left hanging, just tuck those bad boys underneath and no one will be the wiser!
4. Try pantyhose. It works! Pantyhose are nice and stretchy. Cut the foot and top of one side of an old pair lengthwise, so you have a piece long enough to wrap around the circumference of your head at least once. Like the shoelace, just tuck the excess in or use a couple bobby pins to secure the ends in place.
5. Make sure your hair is well-moisturized. Even though you take all the precautions necessary, you can still be at risk for breakage if you wear an accessory like a headband or scarf on hair that is in need of moisture. These thirsty strands are more prone to breakage so be careful.
6. Take a break. A puff can be a great go-to style for its simplicity but constantly wearing the same accessory repeatedly in the same spot can also cause unwanted wear and tear to those precious tresses.

Hopefully these tips can help you on your way to puff perfection without sacrificing comfort!

What do YOU do to achieve your best high puff sans the headaches? Tell us below!

from Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Care http://ift.tt/1jXB4oZ