Would braiding hair daily cause splits?

[blackgothicdoll]

I've been reading around in the natural hair community, and some say doing braid-outs causes split ends if you re-do the braids daily to maintain the style, perhaps from touching the ends of hair too much. This caused me some concern, as I've taken to keeping my hair in some form of braid one way or another, but regardless of the type I do need to rebraid them in the morning. Mostly I wear two dutch braids, and I rebraid them once or twice a day depending on how much my hair wants to expand.

But I've seen in this forum that a lot of people wear braids as protective styles too, and rebraid hair everyday.

So what do you all think? True or false? I've really taking a liking to braided styles, I'd hate to stop.

[Ylva]

For me personally, braids do cause split ends due to friction from my clothes as the hair is still down. It prevents tangling to a large degree, but definitely causes me more split ends than just having my hair loose would, as the braid is heavier than individual strands and thus causes heavier friction. I think as long as the hair is down and in contact with something, it won't be beneficial in terms of split ends, but of course some people's hair could just be so strong that it remains largely unaffected by it.

[MusicalSpoons]

I think you'll just have to monitor your hair really closely to find out whether it's true or false for you, to be honest. The theory of touching/manipulating it so much does make sense, but if your hair is sufficiently moisturised to withstand it then you're probably okay :shrug:

(I personally find wearing a braid is damaging for my hair, but I'm not sure the actual braiding causes any damage - but our hairtypes are so different that my experience is basically irrelevant to you :lol: )

Edit: Ylva makes a good point (didn't see her post before I started typing mine) and that's largely the problem I have with braids too.

Edit 2: keeping the braids secured up and out of the way would help to prevent a lot of friction damage for wearing them. My hair doesn't like the ends of hairs throughout the length being exposed to the elements, but again you may not have that problem due to differences in hairtype.

[spitfire511]

Kudos to you for even being able to sleep in a braid - it causes me too much neck pain!

I'd say yes - it definitely can cause damage for some people based on my experience and what I've read here - it can also cause damage at the ends depending on how you're fastening the ends. I don't do braiding much personally for this very reason!

[lapushka]

I've been reading around in the natural hair community, and some say doing braid-outs causes split ends if you re-do the braids daily to maintain the style, perhaps from touching the ends of hair too much. This caused me some concern, as I've taken to keeping my hair in some form of braid one way or another, but regardless of the type I do need to rebraid them in the morning. Mostly I wear two dutch braids, and I rebraid them once or twice a day depending on how much my hair wants to expand.

But I've seen in this forum that a lot of people wear braids as protective styles too, and rebraid hair everyday.

So what do you all think? True or false? I've really taking a liking to braided styles, I'd hate to stop.

Do you have split ends, a lot?

Braids as protective styles, are "big" braids, so with all of the hair, not cornrows or braid-outs (lots of tiny braids). I don't think they "cause" split ends, though! I think that's OK. :)

[cjk]

Oh jeez, I hope not!

I vary my braids, but redo them often. Mechanically styling my hair is the only thing that can contain it.

[Ligeia Noire]

Most of the splits I get are from detangling. I wear braids every single day. I think if you wear the braid down then it defeats the protective purpose. The rubbing on the clothes and whatnot would damage the strands anyway but if you bun your braid, it is much better than wearing your hair down. I mean, there is no perfect way. You will always have some degree of friction and therefore damage but my experience tells me braiding it and putting it up or just putting it up in a bun is way more effective than wearing it down. I am at calf now anyway but even when I was at waist that was the deal.
Of course I speak for my type of hair. I don't know how other types behave. My hair is very very prone to tangles therefore splits. So I just cannot wear it down without getting it tangled in five minutes...and I do sleep with my hair braided too and it is what I find most comfortable and protective. I do buns too and sometimes down because it is drying but it is surely not comfortable. Too big.

[lithostoic]

Just be careful. Use an oil or something when you take them down and keep them moisturized. When I skip these steps I see/hear breakage, even on my straight hair.

[blackgothicdoll]

Thank you all for the replies. I usually try to keep my braids either tucked under with a satin scrunchie, or each tucked around the other with bobby pins. I don't like the let them loose. I have been concerned about the hair ties I've been using and I ordered these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MTZUPW2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Would those be safer than your standard black rubber band?



Do you have split ends, a lot?

Braids as protective styles, are "big" braids, so with all of the hair, not cornrows or braid-outs (lots of tiny braids). I don't think they "cause" split ends, though! I think that's OK. :)

I have splits, but not a lot. I do maybe 8-10 braids after washing my hair to get it all stretched out so that it can dry without tangling, then the rest of the week it's the two dutch braids or sometimes just one that goes all the way around my head. Or buns, of course. I have more ssks than splits, by far, but ssks cause splits for me...


Just be careful. Use an oil or something when you take them down and keep them moisturized. When I skip these steps I see/hear breakage, even on my straight hair.

Yep! I've been keeping up with making sure they are oiled when I take them down and then adding a bit of oil to the ends when I put them back up. I pretty much baby them.

[lithostoic]

That's good! Sounds like you have it under control.

[Dark40]

In my opinion, I don't think 2 dutch braids causes split ends. I wear 2 dutch braids sometimes myself instead of a bun or a ponytail. The hair braided or not is going to rub on the clothes but if you keep the braid in a bun like what Ligeia said then you shouldn't have any problems.

[RoseChantel]

For the last three years I have been wearing my hair in a single braid all day, and last year I started braiding it every night because my hair is stronger all together than it is down. I think it just depends on the person... my hair has been growing in a lot thicker and I have a lot fewer splits than when I first started braiding it all the time. But for me, part of braiding it all the time was to let it grow out from being really damaged and it's a style that I can do easily.

[Groovy Granny]

I sleep with braided pigtails every night; I apply serum before and after braiding = no dryness or splits on my fine silver.

Then I reapply some serum in the morning after finger combing them out to combat any dryness that may be present.

I used to do a single nape english braid but it flips when I turn over causing weird waves and a bump that causes neck/head pain.

[sophia_]

I don't have too many splits on my ends anymore, most of the remaining ones are from heat damage years ago, and I wear braids almost daily and manipulate my hair a lot. My hair is straight, though, and while fine, it is not extraordinarily fine and can withstand a moderate amount of manipulation. I fasten the end with a scrunchie and either loop the ends through or I do find that the scrunchie itself helps protect my ends from friction against my clothing by being bulky enough to lift the ends off, so it is the scrunchie rubbing against my clothes and not my hair, if that makes any sense lol. They will prevent some damage as they contain the hair and prevent the hair from needing to be detangled as often and thoroughly.

[ArabellaRose]

My hair doesn't like braids at all, I have loads of hair of varying lengths that stick out when I braid it and rubs. In fact, my hair doesn't like being taken out of its normal 1b texture, so it's not a massive fan of bunning either, though I'm starting to find styles that my hair can cope with (I have to persist with buns because I have to wear my hair up and off the collar at work).

Just to echo the sentiments already posted, one rule for one won't work the same for another. If braiding works for your hair then you do you.

[Joules]

Everything causes splits, so I prefer to not think about it much. I try to bun my hair as much as possible, but doing it on a daily basis is impossible with my sensitive scalp, so I braid my hair a lot. I'm still doing more to protect my hair than an average person. If re-doing braids every day is the most comfortable thing for you and your lifestyle, then go for it!

[Alibran]

I wore mine in braids most of the time (including at night) all the way to TBL last time I grew it, and I didn't notice much in the way of split ends. There was certainly no loss of thickness at the ends. My hair does seem to be very tough, though.

[AutobotsAttack]

They shouldn’t. At least for the texture you and I have. I either do braided Bantu knots (usually four), or single twists (up to 20 total). I get some breakage here and there during the installation mostly from being careless, but it’s occasionally. I think constantly redoing braids causes unnecessary breakage and splits. But if you keep them for at least a week or two weeks it’s more or less a protective style. And moisturize and seal in between. Good to go.

I rarely get splits from having the braids in. Since my hair not only braided, but also tucked away, and covered most times.

[Kalamazoo]

I'm unfamiliar with those hair ties, Blackgothicdoll, so I can't comment on them.

The "damage-free" bands I have tried, though, were denting my hair, & I had to quit using them. So I braid my hair either in one braid that I then bun & hairpin in place, or in 2 braids milkmaid-style, & pin them in place. So I'm using hairpins instead of rubber bands. Some styles of hairpins are gentler than others. I've found it useful to go to the dollar store & buy packs of several different hairpin types, so I can figure out what works for me. At a $ a pack, it's an inexpensive experiment.

So far, it seems good for my hair to be combed & styled several times a day. I'm also adding a touch of oil whenever I handle it. Sometimes I spray it with bottled Spring Water before adding the oil. (I'm thinking about moisturizing it before sealing the moisture in with the oil.)

So for me, protective styling means my hair's NOT rubbing on my clothes, the furniture, etc.; & is protected from the wind; but I'm playing with it, handling it, & combing it rather a lot.

I also have started changing my apartment's humidity. It tends to be super-humid here in the summer, so I was running my dehumidifier at full power ALL the time, until I finally figured out that what was comfortable for me was too dry for my hair. So I raised the relative humidity setting to 50% or 60%, & my hair thanked me, so I decided I didn't mind being sweaty all the time.

& then the cold weather rolled in, & we started having to run the furnace. I came down with a cold & nosebleeds before I finally woke up to the need to humidify during the winter. So I'm running a crockpot with bottled spring water in it & a couple drops of clove oil & peppermint oil. (I don't like the way heated tap water smells.) So anyway, the humidity that my sinuses need is also what my tresses need.

And sometimes, when I'm home alone with the cat, I wear a plastic shower cap. It keeps me warm in the winter here, without having to run the furnace so much, & it makes my scalp sweat a little bit, which moisturizes my hair...

[Kalamazoo]

Oh yeah. Scrunchies. They're too big for my hair. They fall right out. But that's because my ponytail's thin.

[LittleTea]

Personally, I have found braids to be damaging for my hair...but I think that mostly has to do with my hair texture and density. When my hair was longer (around waist), I would find that my fine strands would somehow manage to get tangled while in a braid. This was eliminated after I started bunning the braids. I feel like braids are good for protective styles if the ends aren't left out, but YMMV. :)