Protective Styling: Fake It Till You Make It

I know, I know. It’s really important to wear protective styles if you want to retain your length. Protective styles keep your hair tucked away from the damaging effects of your clothing, the elements and the manipulation of daily styling. I’m not open to weaves or wigs. So at my current hair length, my options seem pretty limited: Twists, braids or coils. I think they’re beautiful on other people. But on me … not so much. I don’t feel attractive in them at all! They're pretty much the equivalent of hair rollers to me and will only be worn in the confines of my home. I can’t wait till its long enough to wear a bun. But I can’t get to that length if I don’t protect my ends! So what’s a girl to do? Here’s the plan so far:

• Styling: I LOVE the bantu knot out! This style allows me to really moisturize my ends when I first set it. And drying my ends ‘stretched out’ is also a plus. I’m trying to twist/bantu knot my hair once every 7 days (my shampoo/condition day). In the mornings, I’ll revive my hair with unrefined coconut oil. If the definition is reduced to frizz before my wash day, I’ll use KBB Hair Milk to moisturize and wear a plastic cap for 20-30 minutes for a coily/curly ‘fro like this.
  

• Elements: When it’s really cold outside, I wear satin lined hats. But of course they’re not big enough to cover all of my hair.
  

• Down Time: Once I’m in the house for the night, I cover my hair with a satin bonnet.
  

• Sleep Time: You know the drill … silk or satin pillowcase and/or bonnets only.

That’s all I got. If you’re NOT wearing your hair in protective styles this winter – how are you protecting your ends? How do you keep them moisturized? Maybe we can come up with some kind of pseudo-protective style challenge. Please post your tips in the comments. Be sure to check out the poll on the right and chime in on protective styling.