MadameNoire
Source: Courtesy of Dark & Lovely / Dark & Lovely
As we all know, protective styles are a great way to be versatile with your look while also avoiding lots of manipulation or damage being done to your own hair. Whether your preference is braids, twists, weaves, wigs, or even a simple bun, protective styles can only be “protective” if your real hair underneath stays moisturized and healthy. That being said, Dark & Lovely’s Protective Styles Collection aims to help you do just that.
The line includes a Tension Tamer leave-in to add some relief to your scalp when your installs feel a bit tight, a Cleansing Water and Hair Refresher spray for when you need to freshen up your style, and a Detangling Cream to help melt away any build-up your style might have accumulated. Basically, no matter what phase of a protective style you’re in — after installation, during the maintenance of the style, or the takedown — the collection has a product to help you along the way. It features ingredients such as peppermint oils for stimulation, a strengthening Rice Water Complex, aloe vera for soothing, and avocado oil for moisture, all while containing no parabens, mineral oils, or dyes.
The Hair Hydrator ($6.99) — the lines newest addition — is said to be a hair moisturizing leave-in “cream mist” that provides “24-hour hydration and hair that is 2x stronger, with 58% less breakage.” As per their press release, Dark & Lovely claims it’s “perfect from the roots to the tips of your protective styles to care for and strengthen your hair.”
Overall, what shines most in the line is the Detangling Cream, the Tension Tamer, and the Cleansing Water. As someone who is constantly between having my hair in flat twists (so that it can lay flat underneath wigs), or buns (so that my natural hair is constantly “out” and more susceptible to becoming damaged), those three products worked well for catering towards my lifestyle. Since I try to work out every day, parting my hair and massaging in the cleansing water definitely helped give my scalp a refreshed and clean feeling. Since I love products that stimulate my scalp, the peppermint in the Tension Tamer was a good follow-up, and it felt soothing on my edges — especially after rocking a tight bun or ponytail for a few days. As far as the Detangling Cream, it mostly served as just a moisturizer when my hair was feeling super dry, but I don’t think it was particularly strong in making my hair easier to comb through.
In a surprising twist for me, the Hair Refresher was a fantastic way to spruce up two different wavy textured units I’ve been between lately. I’ve never been huge on dry shampoos, but I can honestly say this product from Dark & Lovely is different. It didn’t leave a residue, and it didn’t leave the textures of either of my units looking or feeling weighed down. When applied on my scalp, I found it to be a nice alternative to the Cleansing Water in terms of giving me a clean feeling when I was too lazy to break out the latter.
Unfortunately, the Hair Hydrator seemed to be the line’s biggest letdown. After using it on my scalp and roots every morning for some daily hydration, I actually found my scalp to be abnormally flaky after a few uses. Not wanting to rule it out completely, I opted to use it on the ends of my flat twists as a quick way to spray on moisture, which hasn’t a bad idea. Still, though, I wouldn’t recommend it and would suggest purchasing the Detangling Cream instead if you’re looking to lock in moisture.
Overall, protective styling is great because it gives your hair the time to focus on what you want it to do most, which is retain length and be healthy. To check out any of the products mentioned, check you local drugstores, or shop the products online on Amazon.
