Braid your hair before going to sleep. This old trick works every time and is one of the best ways to wear your hair when sleeping. It not only protects your hair – stopping it from tangling and breaking – but also gives you gorgeous beachy waves the next day and cuts down on frizz.
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. But the way you wear your hair is not a factor in your hair growth rate.
Ponytails and braids can cause hair to break, especially if your style is pulled tightly. If you wear it that way every day, permanent hair damage can occur. If you can avoid sleeping in braids every single night, do it.
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.
Yes, tight braiding and weaves—even tight buns and ponytails—when worn over long periods of time can cause irreversible hair loss, called traction alopecia (baldness). This is because chronic pulling of the hair causes too much tension and traction on the follicles, causing them to permanently dislodge from the scalp.
Keeping your hair in braids reduces friction between your hair and pillow, reducing hair breakage. Amp it up, and get silk pillowcases for even less friction! It also keeps your hair tamed and more structured, resulting in less snarls and frustrating tangles when you wake up in the morning.
Do Braids Make Your Hair Grow Faster? Braiding your hair can help to make it grow faster by providing it with a more stable structure. The style can also protect your hair from daily contact with textiles and objects that may cause additional friction, which can lead to breakage.
Protective, looser twists promote healthy hair, allowing for more hair growth. Versatile. Two-strand twists are incredibly versatile! The thickness of the twists can range in size from thin micro-twists to thicker chunky-twists and can be done on any length of hair over 2 inches in length.
The secret is not to pull your hair so tightly against your head that it puts pressure on the scalp while you sleep. Your hair should be secure enough that it can't snarl or tangle, but not styled in a way that encourages friction or breakage.
Pick a Braid, any Braid
Braid your hair before going to sleep. This old trick works every time and is one of the best ways to wear your hair when sleeping. It not only protects your hair – stopping it from tangling and breaking – but also gives you gorgeous beachy waves the next day and cuts down on frizz.
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. If you've been swimming (or happen to sweat a lot), your scalp will require a bit of TLC.
Wrap a scarf around your braids before you go to sleep. Use a large, 40 by 40 in (100 by 100 cm) piece of fabric to completely cover your braids, which can prevent unwanted friction and frizziness in your hair overnight. You can also use a "sock-style" scarf, which goes over your braids like a sock or pillowcase.
"If caught early, the hair can grow back over time. However, if it is pulled repeatedly over time, permanent follicular damage (damage to the hair follicle), can occur causing the hair to not grow back. Tight braids can also lead to thinning of the hair, hairline, or hair breakage."
"Never go to bed without tying your hair up (for long hair), as loose hair can tangle. Removing tangles later can cause breakage," says celebrity hairstylist Fallon Toni Chavez.
Micro Box Braids
Thin braids can last up to three months, which out of all the braid sizes, is the longest time without having to go back to the salon––a gift in and of itself.
She says eight weeks tops, especially if you have bigger braids, which won't last as long as smaller ones. "When your braids start growing out and displaying a lot of new growth, it's usually an indication you need to take them out," she says.
“For example, I normally recommend letting your hair breathe for at least three to seven days post-sew-in or braids before getting extensions reinstalled.” For natural styles, however, she thinks that taking a one- or two-day break is a good idea.
It's best to leave hair down while sleeping if possible because this reduces the number of tangles that occur during rest time. If you want to wear your hair down while you sleep, avoid rubbing it against the pillow while you're asleep.
Hair can stop growing or grow slowly for a variety of reasons including age, genetics, hormones, or stress. You may notice your hair stops growing in one spot or seems to be growing slowly on one side. There are plenty of treatment options for slow-growing hair, including: medication.