Ponytails and braids -- "Ponytails and braids can cause hair to break, especially if your style is pulled tightly," Mirmirani says. "If you wear it that way every day, permanent hair damage can occur." Braiding or putting your hair in a ponytail when it's wet can cause damage sooner because wet hair is more fragile.
“Braiding the hair is a good, protective practice that can save your hair from any breakage as it strengthens the hair structurally. In fact, a loosely-tied braid can work alongside your body's natural process to boost hair growth,” Shah explains.
Braids that are too tight can also cause tensile stress, which occurs when there is constant tugging on hair follicles. "These types of braids can be damaging depending on how tight or heavy the braids are. The stress on the follicle can weaken it and sometimes cause hair loss," says O'Brien.
Mythbusting: Braids & Hair Growth
We're all looking for a quick fix for longer, healthier hair. But unfortunately, braiding hair does not speed up growth rate. Your hair grows at a rate determined by genetics, while lifestyle factors like your diet and stress levels can cause thinning and breakage.
Curly hair can be a little dry and brittle, so braiding your hair too tight can lead to hair breakage at the crown and around your edges. Braiding your hair also tames the hair so if you need to calm those curls, braiding will get the job done! If done correctly, braiding isn't bad for curly hair.
Although braids can last anywhere between two to eight weeks depending on which kind you go for and how you wear them, you should be prepared to cleanse roughly every two to three weeks.
Use fabric hair ties.
This is one of the most important tips for a healthy ponytail: throw away your old hair ties! Any bands with metal on them are likely to catch on your hair, while tight elastics leave your hair dented and can snag. Instead, choose hair ties made from fabric. Our favourites are from Popband.
While it is a protective style, it's not a good idea to wear it for too long, especially if you don't want to go bald. For the sake of your scalp's health and hygiene matters, don't have your braids on for more than eight weeks — six weeks is considered the ideal period.
Brushing your hair or putting it up in a ponytail (or other updo) while its wet can snag the hair and cause breakage in the center, resulting in things like hair loss and permanent damage. If you do put your hair in a ponytail, wait until it's dried before styling it.
It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp. Hereditary hair loss with age is the most common cause of baldness.
Traction alopecia is hair loss that's caused by repeatedly pulling on your hair. You can develop this condition if you often wear your hair in a tight ponytail, bun, or braids, especially if you use chemicals or heat on your hair. Traction alopecia can be reversed if you stop pulling your hair back.
Tight ponytails, braids, hair extensions, and chemical relaxers cause tension on the scalp that leads to hair loss. There are many types of hair loss, medically known as alopecia. Traction alopecia is caused by repeated trauma to hair follicles or from pulling your hair back into tight hairstyles.
Braiding can help keep your strands moisturized. Braiding your hair at night actually helps lock in moisture which would otherwise be released into the air or the fabric of your pillow when hair is loose. Oiling your hair before braiding not only locks in moisture but deeply hydrates the roots too!
The most common type of damage associated with box braids is major hair loss. When the braids are done too tightly, they literally pull your hair out at the roots. The damage is not usually immediate, but it happens over time.
The answer is yes, when your braided hair gets loose it's normally a sign of growth and length-retention, there's a caveat though. Only when braids are installed and treated right, loosening braids after three weeks or more often means hair growth.
Keeping them any longer may cause damage to your scalp and hair. Instead of tight braids, try loose ones like French braids, linear plaits, or fishtail braids.
Typically, if you leave it in for longer than that, not only is there going to be a considerable amount of build-up (even if you do wash it every few weeks or so), but the new growth can cause your braids/twists to put too much pressure on your hair; that can result in breakage.
It depends. “If a follicle has closed, disappeared, scarred, or not generated a new hair in years, then a new hair wouldn't be able to grow,” Fusco says. But if the follicle is still intact, yes, it is possible to regrow the hair—or to improve the health of the existing thinner hairs.
Sandalwood, lavender, rosemary, and thyme oils have been used to treat hair loss for over 100 years. A compound in them is thought to boost hair growth. You can try rubbing one or more of these oils into your scalp for at least 2 minutes every night. Then, wrap your head in a warm towel to help it absorb.