We recently came across a picture of a beautiful baby girl rocking jumbo pink braids and there was a debate online on whether the braids are too much.
A part from the fact that the child looks visibly upset, the overall consensus was that it was too much even though it’s cute.
From a general perspective children have very fragile scalps so how we handle their hair in the early stages of life makes all the difference as the child develops.
Are braids safe?
Parents raising children with kinky natural hair will tell you, it’s just easier to just throw some braids in and leave the hair alone for the week.
Most of the time, the ‘braids’ they are referring are simple cornrows, or hair braided close to the scalp so as to keep the hair organized and unmanipulated.
Cornrows using the child’s own hair does not put added tension on the scalp and parents will notice a ton of hair growth over time because of the lack of manipulation.
In addition to cornrows, other safe styles include individual, twists, braids, or a combination of cornrows and individuals braids/twists.
Styles to avoid
Any style that causes early onset traction alopecia should be avoided. Traction Alopecia, or gradual hair loss, is caused primarily because of of consistent pulling of the hair at the root.
This type of hair loss is common when children wear tight ponytails, pigtails, and tight braids with heavy extensions.
If you child’s scalp is sore, red, inflamed, or super tender, those are normal indicators of stress. If you notice that the hair is breaking at the root, then it’s time to remove the style and probably avoid it.
When are braid extensions acceptable
To be clear, a child doesn’t *need* additional hair extensions, parents and stylists make this decision purely for aesthetic purposes. With that said if extensions cause harm, hair loss or pain to your child you should avoid doing it.
The decision is in the hands of the adults around the child, but we are a huge proponent of listening to children if they are consistent about the pain they are feeling.
If you are skilled enough to weave cute colors into the length of your Childs hair when she wants a little something extra without harming the roots of the hair, we say go for it.
Comment below, in your opinion, are the braids in the picture too much or just cute?
