Braids have become particularly popular in the natural hair community due to claims that they can grow your hair. In reality, braids don’t make your hair grow, they assist with length retention. Each time you style, detangle or manipulate your hair in any way, there’s a risk of breakage. Keeping your hair in a confined style protects your locs from the daily breakage it would normally encounter. This increases the amount of length you will retain, but there are a couple of reasons why you should not get braids. Don’t wear braids if you…
Have Severely Dry Hair
If your hair is really dry, keeping your hair trapped in braids for an extended period of time may not be such a good idea. With limited access to moisture, your hair could break significantly while you have the braids installed. Make sure your hair is healthy before moving forward with any kind of style that restricts the amount of moisture that can reach the strands.
Have Thinning Edges or a Scalp Condition
If you suffer from dandruff, psoriasis, alopecia or thinning/balding of any sort, braids will only add stress to the follicle and could create even more hair loss. You should avoid any styles that will add any additional tightness and tension to your strands. Marley braids, kinky twists, and box braids are all dope styles but not at the expense of your natural hair. My advice: never compromise the health of your strands for a temporary look.