However, the key operating word in this myth is TIGHT.. I think oftentimes this particular hair truth is repeated without the telling the WHOLE story..
Wearing tight braids, ponytails or buns causes baldness
TRUE: Traction alopecia is a very real hair loss condition that is quite common amongst older African American women. It results from wearing tight ponytails, cornrows or buns over an extended period of time. Over time, hair breakage or loss as the result of tight, stressed styles, can become permanent. Avoid this potential problem by opting for looser styles that minimize scalp tension. | This is most definitely a true statement.. HOWEVER, folks often take it to mean that you cannot wear buns, ponytails or braids ever.. The reason that traction alopecia is common in older African American women is that until recently black stylists were all taught/believed that braids had to be SUPER tight in order to make the style last.
So for MANY years, MANY black stylists/braiders subscribed to that school of thought, and many black women believed this too.. So yes I have seen women my age and older who are suffering from the effects of this "tighter is better" school of thought.. The effects of traction alopecia are immediate and obvious.. It does not take long for the result of overly tight braiding to show.. Unfortunately to add insult to injury, many women who began experiencing hair loss continued to wear these styles and allowed stylists who did not know better to continue to damage their hair.. Unfortunately there are still A TON of stylists and clients who continue to subscribe to the "tighter is better" mentality..
However, buns, ponytails, & braids are not the culprit alone.. IMPROPER styling techinques when wearing these styles is the REAL issue.. There are many women who are successfully cultivating healthy hair who know that pulling your hair so tight that you are TEARING it from the scalp is not the right way to wear ANY of these styles..
I have been wearing braids and weaves off and on for years, and I DO
NOT deal with stylists who feel they have to braid your hair so tight
that you have "China Doll" eyes when they are done.. My
braiders/weavers/stylists have always ALL been professionals who are interested in
the health and growth of their client's hair.. They know how to braid
their client's without PULLING and TEARING the hair.. When I wear buns and ponytails, I also know not to pull my hair so tight that I am PULLING and TEARING my hair or hairline..
In my latest weave wearing period, I have been wearing a weave (and lately wigs with cornrows) for the last three consecutive years.. My hair has grown from a SHORT Halle/Fantasia cut to falling just at my shoulder blades.. There are no thinning or bald patches, and none will be forthcoming . My hair is VERY strong and healthy.. I attribute this to allowing my hair to REST while I wait out my hair growth journey, and to having stylists who know better than to style my hair in a way that will damage it.. (Their clientelle all have EQUALLY healthy hair! -- You can't really argue with success.. )
This is good information, but I think it's lacks the proper foundation and it does not tell the full story IMO..
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