Braided Extensions on Small Children Revisited

For some reason comments seem to appear on the same post as time passes. This post is old, I wrote it back in 2012 but it seems to be rubbing people the wrong way. The post is about braids (extensions) on small children. I would like to talk about this topic some more as several people have commented and don't agree with my thoughts in the post. If you've commented and I haven't commented back it's because I didn't feel a need to, though I appreciate everyone's opinion on this topic.

My opinion has not changed. If anything it has just become more determined. I don't think extensions belong in small children's hair. Why? Because the weight of the extensions can pull out the child's hair. Also if you've had extensions you know they are heavy, a toddler's head is still proportionately larger and therefore already heavy, why add more weight? Also, over time wearing extensions back to back can lead to traction alopecia. My opinion on this comes from years of reading and writing about hair.

Also, for me the topic of self-image is always very central to my opinions. If you grow up and have always worn fake hair on your head how will you feel about your hair? How will you view your natural hair? And how will you learn to care for your hair?

I'm not saying your toddler should always run around with their hair out. I'm a parent, I'm well aware of how dirty kids can get and how easily loose hair gets tangled. What I'm saying is there are an array of natural hair styles that do not involve extensions, such as cornrows, bantu knots, two strand twists, afro puffs, mini twists, etc. Check under the kids label for more inspiration.

And if you feel you have to put extensions in your young child's hair please do so with care. Don't braid too tightly or use too much hair which will risk to pull out the hairs by the root and potentially damage it. Also, don't do it back to back, let the hair have a break at least equal to the length of time the extensions have been in (preferably longer). And please make sure to care for your child's hair when it's in braids as well, this way it will be healthier and easier to care for once the braids come out.