I dont see what the fuss is about, it is only braiding. Of course it is going to hurt as it needs to be done tight, if the child wants it done then it has to be explained to them that it might hurt. My daughter cried but still wanted the girl to finish it. This was in Florida Mall.

I had mine done some years back in Dominican Republic. I don't think I would ever consider having it done in, say, a Spanish resort unless it were by someone of afro caribbean origin and very experienced at doing it. I had no problems with mine, a couple had fallen out after almost a week so i removed them all and it was easy, if a bit time consuming, no matting or tugging and I think I probably combed each strand through as I removed them. I also have lots of hair which probably made it more suitable.

Missdiva seems to have some good advice there, I would especially if you are still considering it, not go to someone who is doing it for a ridiculously low price.

I think everyone will have to agree to disagree on this one. Personally as a parent I believe you are the responsible adult and it is absolutely fine to say no to the cornbraids, despite the fact that the child might be prepared to suffer the pain.

I don't understand why any parent would risk their child coming to harm rather than just say no to them. As I said in a previous posting both our girls ask every time we go away and we do say no, explaining why and offering an alternative.

Pam

How would they come to harm though?

Have to agree with above posts. On Afro hair and a dark scalp they look good, on a pure white scalp they look ridiculous. My daughter who is now 17 and has always had long hair is always approached by the hair braiders. My husband in a joking manner normally says 'touch her hair and i'll cut your hands off' they know that although he says it with a laugh he would actually cut their hands off if they touched her hair. I spent too long when she was younger conditioning it and treating it on a regulary basis with warm olive oil etc to keep it looking good as she does now to let it be ruined.

Sarong- in my mind a child being in pain,possibly losing hair and potentially suffering sunburn to the scalp constitiutes 'harm'

OK not 100% of kids will suffer all or even any of these, but personally as a parent it's not a chance I am prepared to take.

I don't wrap my kids up in cotton wool, they undertake adventurous activities with the proper safety measures in place and risk assessments done, but I don't agree with corn plaiting hair unless it is afro.

As I said previously, not everyone will be in total agreement on this. This is just my opinion, many others will disagree with me but, as a parent you have to do what you feel is right for your child.

Pam

Hi Pam, I see what you're saying, never thought of it like that but will agree to disagree.

Do you think I could sue my mother ( if she was alive, God rest her soul) for the misery and torture she put me through every night of my childhood by making me sit there while she put dozens of tight rags in my head for ringlets.? .......

and if I didn't sit still, she gave me a crack around the earhole.
Do people still rag hair ? that must be a dying art and a blast from the past


Sanjiii

I had my hair ragged when I was a kid and yes it did hurt Tried it on one of my girls but it didn't hurt and it didn't work- it was electric crimpers or plaiting damp hair before bed from theron in.

Pam

Hello again,

Dont want to appear to be rude....but 'sarong' you are wrong! plaits dont have to be tight to stay in when a good plaiter is doing hair, you should walk away from him/her with an amazing hairstyle and not a red raw scalp due to the excessive pulling,this can in extreme cases lead to alopicia

All hair types can be plaited and look great if DONE PROPERLY. I just dont want to see little ones suffering due to lack of knowledge or cowboy practices.

So in conclusion, if in doubt,dont do it.

Happy holidays

Julie

Do people still rag hair ? that must be a dying art and a blast from the past

We use spiral tongs nowadays. Although it is very unusual to see anyone with a whole head of ringlets "Shirley Temple style" It is quite trendy to have a few ringlets in the top layers sitting on poker straight bottom layers in a different colour. How times have changed!

Back to the braiding topic - Was it Bo Derek who started the trend for white girls to have this traditionally afro-caribbean style back in the 70s? I remember people commenting on how dangerous all those beads on the end are if you swing your head around quickly...
It can look very nice, but I agree that it looks better on darker skin.

That has just reminded me that when mine were in Juniors and it was very fashionable for kids to come back off their summer holidays with their hair braided, the Headteacher banned the wearing of glass beads in the ends incase someone swung round and the beads caught another child in the eye. Honest !!

I'm getting on a bit now but I remember having plaits and wraps when I was a kid.

Personally if my caucasion teenager wanted cornrows I think I would explain that it would take a long time, hurt a lot, begin to look tatty very quickly, make it difficult to wash, and mean she would have to wear a hat all day to protect her scalp and explain that it will take equally time and pain to remove them. If she still wanted them I would let her.

However a 4 year old is completely different - they can't understand how much time it will take, how much it will hurt and they can't make their own decision. Plus they are more easily distracted.

If your child is a bit older why not put in some tight plaits (not cornrows) before your go so she can understand how long she will have to sit still etc etc.

As for wraps - these are very simple to do and I used to love them - but if too long, or the bead is too heavy they can get caught or whip you in the eye. If done properly they should only use a few strands of hair and stay in place until those hairs fall out "naturally".

Ill always remember a girl i went to primary school with came into school with her hair braided and fake hair added on to extend the hair length through the braids.....turns out there was too much length and it weighed her hair down so much her real hair started to get pulled out underneath and she ended up with the most horrible infection type sore on her bald scalp. Put me off for life!

Did her hair ever grow back??

Hi Sophie and welcome to HT! You have brought up a really old thread.Might be better to start up your own thread

I like cornrows) They are really comfy. One piece of advice tho. Don't wear them for too long. But overall they are great fun.