Braids For Hair: Does It Work?
Braids can never go out of trend! Starting from the school days with small cute little brads to adulthood and slaying gorgeous long braids, it is always a staple fashion! However, if we dig deeper into the science and reasons for braiding, it is not just limited to styling your hair
Braiding has several advantages you might not have even thought about before. Braids for hair growth hair growth, split ends, etc.- Braiding significantly helps in different hair concerns and has several advantages for your hair, making it more chic and pretty.
Here is a detailed walkthrough about why and how braids can transform your hair length over time. Let’s get started.
What are braids?
We understand that you already know the meaning, but here is a quick understanding of braids for a safer side. In the simplest terms, if you intertwine three sections or even strands of your hair together, it forms a braid. You intertwine the sections and secure them with a knot, rubber band, or clutch, and you are good to go! You can either braid your original hair or even if you have hair extensions on, you can braid them too!
What are the different types of hair braids?
You can create an endless number of patterns with braids. A few of the most popular braiding styles are:
1. French/Dutch braids
The French/Dutch braids are pretty similar to the regular three-strand braid method, but the regular braiding technique requires you to start from the middle part of the hair, whereas you begin braiding right from the scalp towards the end for the French/Dutch braids.
You need to divide a part of your hair into three sections, and you pick up new hair sections every time while you continue braiding down the head. You can either alternate the braids over one another or under each other. The French braids are highly popular amongst youngsters since this style looks very cute and girly!
2. Fishtail braid
The technique is simple but is highly time-consuming and tedious. You need to divide your hair into two sections with a desirable amount of hair for the fishtail braid. Take two sections from underneath and pull them towards the centre in the opposite directions. Pull it tight and repeat the same with the next strands.
This braid might get messy, and you might not even do it right in the first place, but all this practice and time is worth it since the fishtail braid looks very elegant and perfect for a romantic date night!
3. Micro braids
Micro braids are tiny single braids that take hours and hours to complete! The strands are made of small strands of hair and mostly start from the roots. You can make a few braids and choose to leave the other part of the hair open or braid it completely. Both of the brads look absolutely stunning!
4. Crochet braids
These types of braids are mostly suitable for natural hair. The hair is cornrowed, and the extension is weaved onto the hair using a threading needle. Hence, it is mostly done by professionals and requires several hours to complete.
And many more…..
What are the benefits of braiding your hair?
As we mentioned before, braiding is not just limited to styling your hair; there are many different benefits too. Here are a few benefits of braiding your hair.
1. Prevents hair breakage
Hair breakage is a common issue faced by both men and women. Shedding about 100-200 hair strands per day is still fine, but if you increase that count, which most people do, you should be concerned about your hair fall. Most people shed about 500 strands which are not normal, leading to massive hair loss over time.
Braiding can effectively help in reducing the hair loss fall issue. Braiding protects your hair and keeps it intact. It prevents tugging or pulling your hair. Even a loosely-tied braid works just perfect for protecting your hair from breakage.
2. Braids for hair growth
Many people have claimed that the braids get loosened eventually after some time. This implies that the hair is growing at a better rate. Thus, braiding can actually get you longer manes if you have been dreaming about that for the longest time!
3. Takes care while sleeping
If you leave your hair open while you sleep, 100% chances are you will experience brittle hair and hair fall!
The potential friction between your hair and the pillow cover will cause your hair to attain texture and weaken gradually. Hence, you must braid your hair before sleeping. Also, the best part? You will wake up with natural curls without any heat!
4. Locks in moisture
Oiling is essential to grow your hair and keep it healthy. But if you keep your hair open after oiling it, you will eventually attract dirt and dust particles, making it even worse. Hence, braid your hair after you are done with your oiling sessions, and it will help lock in the moisture in the hair. It will offer ample nourishment to your hair and will protect the hair from attracting dust particles from the environment.
5. Prevents fizziness
Fizzy and unmanageable hair are the only culprits for all those bad hair days! Don’t worry anymore since braiding can help you with your frizz. With braiding, you can actually tame down your frizz and make it more manageable. This is because, with braiding, your hair stays intact, tied at a certain position instead of being open. This prevents the occurrence of frizz and will maintain the original hair texture.
6. Prevents split ends
Chopping hair frequently just because of split ends is quite common. We admit. Haircuts are essential, but you can never get long hair if you keep chopping your hair frequently! Thus, ditch your frequent haircuts and choose to braid every day, and it will save you from those split ends.
Are there any special requirements before braiding your hair?
There are no special treatments prior to braiding, but it is advisable to keep your hair well moisturized before braiding it. Moisture makes the hair more manageable instead of just snapping and breaking your hair strands.
You can choose to spray regular water or apply aloe Vera gel before braiding to enhance the moisture content of your hair. Choose deep conditioning methods if your hair is very dry!
You need to detangle all the knots and start braiding. This will make sure that you don’t have any untangled knots in the morning. Also, this makes the process of braiding much simpler and easier.
How long should I keep my braids on?
The duration depends on your interests. If you have professional braiding done from the salon, you can keep it for 6-8 weeks. After that, the braids might get loosened up.
And if you have regular braids, you can easily keep them as long as you want to until you need to wash your hair!
Can braids damage your hair?
Yes and no. Both.
Braiding, if not done or handled correctly, can end up damaging your hair permanently.
Many people choose to braid their hair tightly, but that can cause bumps and damage the hair follicles. And once your hair follicles are damaged, there is no going back!
It is very crucial that you do not braid your hair very tightly and create tension in the hair strands.
Final Thoughts
Braiding has been a style statement for years and for the very right reasons! If you suffer from hair concerns like hair growth, etc., you should incorporate braiding in your hair care routine, and you will witness visible results in no time!
Also Read:
