Is rope braid safe?

[Valdeon]

I've recently learned how to do a rope braid (thanks to Torrin for the fantastic tutorial) and I really love it.

But the thing is... with all this twisting and rubbing strands against each other may this hair style provoke breakage on the length? :scared:

[YesitsReal]

I'll be watching this thread, too. I love braids, but I've always been curious about how damaging they are. Plus, with the rope braid, you have to ponytail it first and tie the end, which I think could be damaging if you did it all the time.

[Igor]

I really cant see how this could be more damaging than a regular braid :shrug: But of course all up dos or styles can be damaging in the long run if you do them the exact same way and tie them off the same place day after day year after year

[Valdeon]

I really cant see how this could be more damaging than a regular braid :shrug: But of course all up dos or styles can be damaging in the long run if you do them the exact same way and tie them off the same place day after day year after year

I see. Thank you for the answer!
Let me put it this way: the reason why this braid holds is because we put hair scales against each other. That is why we twist both strands in one direction and then rope them together in the opposite. It reminds backcombing (also known as teasing) in a way.
With a regular braid we hardly do this manipulation.

I hope I explained it well :o

[lajsa]

Weeeeell.... Twisting, I think, might not be the best thing ever for your hair, but if you're gentle with it I don't think it'll kill your hair, really. Backcombing is a lot more 'violent' if we put it that way :)

[jojo]

It is only dangerous if you turn round too quick and take somebodies eye out!

I wear these and as long as your gentle there no more harmful than a regular braid and a lot less harmful than leaving hair down, to be whipped by the wind and caught in bags!

[Anje]

I see. Thank you for the answer!
Let me put it this way: the reason why this braid holds is because we put hair scales against each other. That is why we twist both strands in one direction and then rope them together in the opposite. It reminds backcombing (also known as teasing) in a way.
With a regular braid we hardly do this manipulation.

I hope I explained it well :o
I don't think that's exactly why it holds... It seems like it has more to do with the fact that the hair trying to untwist tightens the rope, making the whole thing stable.

Twisted fiber ropes, yarn, etc. are all made the same way. They seem to hold fine, even using synthetic materials that don't have scales or a directional texture.

That said, I don't feel like my hair is as protected in rope braids. I think part of my reasoning is that they fuzz up more than normal braids and I have trouble getting the twisting pressure to be even. But I think technique and hairtype has a lot to do with what sorts of braids work best for a person.

[Valdeon]

I don't think that's exactly why it holds... It seems like it has more to do with the fact that the hair trying to untwist tightens the rope, making the whole thing stable.


Exactly! The reason why the rope tightens up when two parts are trying to untwist themselves is because the impetus goes against the hair imho :rolleyes:

But personal experience is what counts, right? So I really appreciate any feedback on this :)
It's not like I am going to wear this particular braid every single day. But the sound my hair makes when two strands go against each other makes me cringe a bit. Although I love how it looks!

[little_cherry]

I don't think that's exactly why it holds... It seems like it has more to do with the fact that the hair trying to untwist tightens the rope, making the whole thing stable.

Agreed- nothing to do with your hair cuticles unless they're raised to begin with. Normally on healthy hair, raised cuticles isn't an issue. I don't twist mine tightly-there's no need to--it's overkill to keep the style.

I've been doing rope braids for a little over a year every day and have absolutely no damage..I went to the stylist for an S&D 2 weeks ago and she couldn't find any splits- she searched for at least an hour.

[Capybara]

I wear rope braids all the time. They do fuzz up a lot, but so do my regular braids :p I think if you don't twist too tightly you should be fine.

[maria_asa]

I'll be watching this thread, too. I love braids, but I've always been curious about how damaging they are. Plus, with the rope braid, you have to ponytail it first and tie the end, which I think could be damaging if you did it all the time.

I just wanted to point out that it's entirely possible to make a rope braid without ponytailing it first. I do it all the time and I haven't noticed any damage from it either.

[CrowningGlory]

I'll be watching this thread, too. I love braids, but I've always been curious about how damaging they are. Plus, with the rope braid, you have to ponytail it first and tie the end, which I think could be damaging if you did it all the time.

You can do a French rope braid and skip the pony tail part. When you add in strands do it to both sections at the same time, and then twist etc. It's quite easy with a bit of practice.

There's pics here about part-way down the page: http://http://www.network54.com/Forum/242462/thread/1054025104/The+Rope+Braid+and+French+Rope+Braid-+Mini-ropes
(Hope it's okay to post links.)

[misstwist]

I just wanted to point out that it's entirely possible to make a rope braid without ponytailing it first. I do it all the time and I haven't noticed any damage from it either.

Ditto to this.

When I start without a ponytail I take the two sections, untwisted, and cross them in the direction that I will be crossing. Then start twisting and crossing.

This seems to produce a cleaner start than sectioning and twisting from the very beginning.

[Valdeon]

Thank you for all the replies! It appears nobody noticed any visible damage caused by this particular kind of braid. And that is really great! :cheese:

[Gem]

Plus, with the rope braid, you have to ponytail it first and tie the end, which I think could be damaging if you did it all the time.

You don't have to ponytail it first. I've been doing it without the ponytail base my whole life.
ETA: A couple people beat me to it. Oops :D

[JulietCapulet]

I think as long as it's not too tight it's fine.

[enfys]

The only way I could see it causing problems is through friction on the ends that stick out when the braid gets fuzzy. Like when you use the twisting method to s&d, all those ends pop out. I haven't noticed damage caused by any braids on my own hair though.

[yellowchariot]

I really cant see how this could be more damaging than a regular braid :shrug: But of course all up dos or styles can be damaging in the long run if you do them the exact same way and tie them off the same place day after day year after year


It is only dangerous if you turn round too quick and take somebodies eye out!

I wear these and as long as your gentle there no more harmful than a regular braid and a lot less harmful than leaving hair down, to be whipped by the wind and caught in bags!


Agreed- nothing to do with your hair cuticles unless they're raised to begin with. Normally on healthy hair, raised cuticles isn't an issue. I don't twist mine tightly-there's no need to--it's overkill to keep the style.

I've been doing rope braids for a little over a yea every day and have absolutely no damage..I went to the stylist for an S&D 2 weeks ago and she couldn't find any splits- she searched for at least an hour.


I wear rope braids all the time. They do fuzz up a lot, but so do my regular braids :p I think if you don't twist too tightly you should be fine.

I agree with Igor, Jojo, little cherry, and Capybara on this idea.
As others have stated, just watch how tight your are doing them, just like if you were braiding, or doing any other style such as a french twist. Watch your tension and you should be just fine. :thumbsup:

[eezepeeze]

I don't think that they stay together because of roughing up the hair follicle (scale). I think it has more to do with centrifugal force or torque or something like that. The pressure of the first twist against the second twist stops both from unraveling.

Anyway, I haven't noticed any more damage from them.

The absolute worst thing that damages my hair is when it gets trapped under my purse strap or bra strap. That is far more damaging than any of the braid or bun styles. ETA: I just figured out this is what has been causing so much more damage on my left side. That's the side I always carry my purse on. When I was doing S&D the other day, my left side was filled with split ends! It's got to be the purse strap. That's the only thing I can find that's different between the two sides.