Dos & Don'ts Of Elastic/Rubber Bands For Styling Your Natural Hair

I’m sure at some point, you have had to section your hair or tie it up, perhaps even had to style it in numerous ways. Elastic bands though mostly underrated  are common essentials for every naturalista, they are versatile and can be used to achieve a variety of styles perfectly. These elastic bands come to the rescue  ; especially in times where you can’t find a proper scarf or headband.

However, if you’ve ever used the wrong elastic band on your hair, you know the pains of having to remove it. Not only will it cause breakage, it can also cause injuries to your hair if pulled too hard as well as causing split ends. 

Here are some dos and don’ts for when you want to twist a rubber band around your coily strands. 

DO:

• Moisturize your hair thoroughly and seal with oil before using any elastic or rubber bands in your hair. Why? Dry hair will cause friction between your hair and the elastic or rubber band no matter how snag free it is.

This friction will in turn cause hair breakage and split ends which in turn leads to hair loss. So moisture up my naturalistas! 

• Use snag free elastic bands - I thought this was already settled? Rubber bands (yes, I’m looking at the ones on my dresser right now!) are a no-no for your hair. Of course there are times when you might have no choice but to use them, it should not be a regular occurrence.

Snag free elastic bands don’t pull on your hair or grip it too tight like regular rubber bands do. Rubber bands may have the tightest grip ever and keep your bun or top knot in place, they also wreck the worst kind of damage on your hair because securing your bun too tight stresses your hair and the removal process of the rubber bands cause hair breakage and hair loss.

• Use satin or silk scarves to secure your hair at the front, never use rubber bands - When you have to secure your hair from the front, use an alice band or silk/satin scarf but never a rubber band even if it’s your only option. 

Rubber bands are manageable to secure your hair into sections or into a bun but never to pull your hair from the front tightly. 

Do not:

• Sleep with an elastic band on - Don’t do it! Even if you’re hungover from a night out or dead tired after work, do not sleep with a rubber or elastic band on your hair. It’s bad enough that you’ve worn it throughout the day, nighttime is time for some rest for both you and your hair. So take that band off.

• Continue using a regular elastic band when it breaks - The thing about elastic bands is that they stretch overtime and then start to slack after a while and sometimes    break (when the band within starts to show). This indicates  it is time to discard them else they’ll cause your hair to break as well as hair loss.

• Make it too tight - I get that yes, you want your hair to be secure and have no hair spilling out but still, do not make it that tight.

A better way is to use a gel to hold your hair back so that the style you’re trying to achieve is secure and you don’t have to make the rubber band that tight so your hair doesn’t suffer.

N.B - If you’re washing or styling your hair and you have to section it, you don’t even have to use an elastic or rubber band. Just twist or braid it a little loose so you can easily untie it when you need to.

What kinds of elastic bands do you use? Which of these are you guilty of? Let’s talk in the comments!