Braids don’t make hair grow faster. They allow your hair to avoid frequent detangling, friction, and other manipulations, which significantly contribute to damage and breakage.
When you braid your hair, well, these allow the hair to elongate. However, they don’t make it grow faster.
This is an important distinction to make. It’s not uncommon to encounter people who claim they gained inches thanks to their braids.
These individuals haven’t actually gained additional inches compared to when they didn’t have braids.
Instead, they were able to better retain the inches of hair that managed to grow while they had braids because with this hairstyle, hair is less manipulated.
Hair has a normal growth rate, but due to various factors such as hair products, straighteners, blow dryers, brush strokes, combs, and others, that they undergo every day, well, they break.
Protective Braids
Braids are considered protective hairstyles, so they help protect the hair against all the things that can cause it to break.
However, to be able to see the lengths that the braids allowed you to retain, there is a certain way to remove and maintain them.
To start, you’ll need to opt for a competent hairdresser. Your hair is very important, and you need to know who to trust with it.
Also, note that braids should not be too tight.
As usual, do a good shampoo: for example, once a week.
Once done, you can take a conditioner of your choice and apply it.
Keep the scalp clean – condition then rinse. Using a towel, squeeze.
Let it air dry.
Now, it’s time to moisturize, and do it properly. You can do this using a hydrating spray.
To do this, take some vegetable oils that you mix with water and add a moisturizing cream.
Your hair growth goals will remain unattainable without length retention.
Regardless of how fast your hair grows, it will break if it’s not properly maintained, and there won’t be any visible progress.
For your new hair to turn into visible length, your ends must be properly protected, styled, and maintained.
Impact of Braids on Hair Growth
Braids give your hair a break from frequent detangling, friction with pillows, and other sources of manipulation, which significantly contribute to hair damage and breakage.
Unless you’re facing a problem that specifically causes hair loss, the truth is that your hair is constantly growing.
The challenge is in keeping the hair that grows.
Now that you know that braiding isn’t the direct cause of hair growth, you might be wondering if braids are anyway suitable for your hair.
There are many styles and braiding techniques. For example, you can wear braids with extensions or braid your natural hair alone.
Hair extensions are convenient and protective because they keep the hair in place and prevent it from fraying, slipping, or curling.
Some popular styles include:
twists or braids
knotless braids
box braids
african braids
faux locs …
Protective hairstyles give your hair a break from daily manipulation and friction with fabrics or surfaces.
Braided hair is less likely to tangle and suffer damage.
When Braids Are Bad for Hair?
The problem with braids is that they’re not always done correctly or at the right time, which can cause significant damage and decrease length retention.
Here are a few scenarios in which braids are bad for your hair:
After relaxing
Hair becomes fragile after a chemical straightening session, and braiding your hair can further damage it in its weakened state.
When wet
Braiding hair when it’s wet can be damaging, as wet hair is fragile and can break easily. So it’s best to let hair dry before braiding.
Immediately after bleaching
Bleaching alters the structure of the hair, making it more susceptible to damage, and braiding can exacerbate the damage.
When too tight
Tight braids can lead to many scalp and hair problems, from irritation and scalp bumps to traction alopecia.
If your hair is thinning
No matter how gently you braid, braids pull on your scalp and can make fine hair look even finer.
If your hair is thinning, you need to take a break from hairstyles that can be even slightly aggressive to your hair.
If left in for too long
If you leave it too long, you risk losing hair and breaking it as you unravel it.
If any of the above situations apply to you, don’t blame yourself.
We all make mistakes during our journey into the world of natural hair! The main thing is to correct these mistakes!
