Do you pancake your braid?

[softheartedandl]

Just in case you're unfamiliar with the term, "pancaking" your braid is when you pull it apart slightly after you've tied it. It tends to make braids look fuller and thicker! I almost always pancake my braid/s if I'm going out. I was just wondering how the beautiful people on LHC felt about it!

[ravenskey]

Nope, my plaits are thick enough on their own, not to mention I get way too much braid shred anyway and pancaking makes it worse.

[littlestarface]

No I never do that, I don't want to cause any kind of damage to my hair and pulling it out like that sounds not good to me . Plus braids always shred, doing this sounds like its just begging for tons of shred.

[Groovy Granny]

'Sometimes' ....it depends on the style I am doing.
I pancake braids for buns mostly because my hair is so fine and it compacts.
Pancaking has been attempted for accent braids, but does not work for me...at.all :(
When hanging on it's own, I usually leave the braid be to avoid shredding/slipping with my U shaped hemline.

[Alex Lou]

I want to, but I'm too lazy. It already seems like enough effort just to braid it.

[Ligeia Noire]

I like them tight. I don't care if it does not look big or full. Shred drives me insane and they already shred enough with my uneven hemline and layers but it is a great way of giving you volume for certain hairstyles.

[Lokasigdr]

I don't, even though it's recommended for thin and fine hair, and I've got both. Like others said, it just increases the likelihood of braid shred, and braid shred drives me nuts. I also end up with random strands pulling, or the whole braid just looking odd.

If I want a thicker looking braid I tend to leave room before tying it off, and slowly work that extra slack up to just below the first few repeats in my braid. That way I keep the feeling of my braid being secure, but most of it moves a little more freely.

[windflowers_mel]

I do! My Dutch braids are super tiny if I don’t.

[tentaclecat]

Hilariously, I tried this, several times, and for some reason, my hair is super slippery and instead of staying nice and pulled out, wide and flat...it just slurps itself back in.

[Corvana]

In general I don't. I put "sometimes", though, because I do pancake little accent braids.

[TatsuOni]

No, it's not for me.

[TreesOfEternity]

I do it in the accent section that is touching my head when doing a braided bun, so sometimes.

[Joules]

I used to pancake my braids all the time. Back in 2015 it suddenly occured to me that it was probably damaging, so I stopped. My hair hasn't changed at all (taper-wise) over those three years, so I don't think pancaking is bad anymore, but I still don't do it.

[spidermom]

I don't anymore because my braids are thick enough and fall apart fast enough without it. When my hair was much longer, I used to pancake the bottom third of a braid that I was leaving down because of the taper. I thought it looked better if it appeared to be thick from top to bottom.

[RadioactiveLily]

The only time I pancake my braids is when I accidentally drag them through my breakfast :)

I’ve never actually tried this styling trick, but I suspect my hair is too slippery for it to work well anyways.

[lapushka]

I just already braid loosely. I don't pull it as I braid, I mean. I just loosely "weave" it. I don't like pancaking one bit, I don't like manipulating my hair in any way after it has been braided. My preferred braid is a side braid.

[sophia_]

On special occasions, I braid loosely, twist the sections and flare them a bit as I'm braiding them, I never pull because I'm afraid of damage. If I'm wearing a braid on a regular day I braid moderately tightly and just leave it.

[Alila]

The sides of my 5 strand braids allways curl inwards making it look like a round braid. So I tug on the sides when the braid is finished to make it lay flat.

Sometimes I pancake one side of an english braid and then pin it up in a cinnamon bun. It ends up looking like a flower.

But other than that I dont pancake my braids.

[GoatLady]

No, because I don't like to pull on my hair unnecessarily.

[Joyful Mystery]

No. My hair escapes from braids pretty fast thanks to braid shred. Pancaking would only make it worse.