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10 Winter Protective Hairstyles For 4c Natural Hair in 2024

Winter is here, which means that many naturalistas will be looking for winter protective hairstyles for their natural hair.

In this post, I will be recommending 10 popular winter protective hairstyles that you can wear this winter season so that your hair stays healthy and growing.

RELATED POST: 10 Ways To Grow Your Hair With Protective Style

Ten Easy Winter Protective Styles for 4c Natural Hair

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1. Crochet Braids

When it comes to crochet braids, your hairstyle options are limitless. I love crochet braids because they’re quick and easy to install and takedown. It’s also a beginner-friendly hairstyle because you don’t have to know how to braid hair perfectly.

There are several ways to install crochet braids and you can use a variety of hair extensions to achieve your desired look. For more info on crochet braids, check out this post about a full guide on crochet braids which also includes 40 crochet braids hairstyles inspiration.

To get this particular look, you will need Jamaican bounce curls.

winter protective styles for natural hair

IG: @CurlsandBlushes

2. Vixen Crochet Braids

If you like to wear your hair in multiple hairstyles, while also keeping the natural look, vixen crochet braids is the way to go. For this hairstyle, you might need to go to a salon to get it done because it can be complicated.

You will need a yaki crochet braids hair packs, which you can get here.

winter protective style

3. Crochet with straight hair

Sometimes you want to switch up your look without altering your hair texture. This is where crochet with straight hair is great because you can still maintain the natural texture of your hair while also wearing straight hair for a few weeks.

You will need a yaki crochet braids hair packs, which you can get here.

winter protective styles for 4c natural hair

IG: @getmanetamed

RELATED POST: Seven Things To Do Before A Protective Style

4. Braidless Crochet Braids

This is another quick and easy hairstyle that you can do on loose hair if you absolutely cannot braid. It’s a temporary winter protective style for your natural hair.

For this style, you can use Marley hair such as these ones.


winter protective styles for 4c natural hair

5. Curly Faux Locs

Rather than seating hours through loc extensions, a much faster hairstyling option is to get crochet locs. I like how soft and light curly faux locs are. Also, depending on the hairstylist you go with, they can create unique hairstyles for you. You can also accessorize your faux locs with hair jewelry such as braid cuffs.

You will need faux locs hair packs with curly ends which you can get here. 

RELATED POST: Full Guide on Faux Locs with 40 Hairstyles Ideas

easy winter protective hairstyles for 4c hair

6. Box Braids

This is a very popular winter hairstyle. Instead of just having regular box braids, you can spice things up by adding some cornrows in-between. You can also do them chunky so that they’re faster to take down and they won’t break your hair during takedown.

You will need a few packs of kanekalon hair which you can get here.

winter protective styles for natural hair

7. Senegalese Twists

These are my favorite winter natural hairstyles to do because they’re so elegant and beautiful. They are also much faster to take down than regular braids.

You will need about 10-12 packs of kanekalon hair which you can get here.

Winter protective hairstyles for short hair

RELATED POST: A Complete Guide on Growing 4c Natural Hair.

natural hair growth tips

8. Marley Twists

If you like twists, but not the extra weight of kanekalon hair, you can choose lighter weight hair such as Marley hair extensions. You can also style your hair however short, long, chunky, or small, and you don’t have to worry about extra weight or breakage that regular kanekalon hair often causes when you have long or mini-sized braids installed.


winter protective styles for curly hair

9. Natural Hair Wig

If you prefer to wash and deep condition your hair every week or you’re the type that can’t sit through a long hairstyling session, you can opt for wigs. There are so many types of wigs to choose from, but if you’d like to maintain your nature hair look, then you can get one of these natural hair wigs. 

Caution: Always wear a wig cap and be mindful of your edges so that you don’t loose your hair when you have a wig on.

natural hair winter protective styles

10. Natural Hair Clip-In Extensions

Aside from wigs, another temporary hair styling option that I love are natural hair clip-ins. I simply keep my hair in twists and then clip some hairpieces in my hair. Sometimes I will take down the clip-ins at night and put them back in the morning, or I might just go to bed with them on. The best thing is that they only take a few minutes to put in.

You can order a clip-in hair extension that goes with your hair texture HERE. If you colored your hair, you can also dye the clip-in extensions so that it blends with your hair texture.
winter protective styles for 4c hair

There you have it, ten beautiful protective hairstyle ideas to keep your hair moisturized and growing this winter.

What are your favourite natural hair winter protective styles?

winter protective styles for natural hair