My grand daughter is mixed, African American and Caucasian, Her other grandmother braids her sister's hair, saying it will make it grow. My baby has short curly hair. The texture is fine, but without combing it forms ringlets. We have been told to put baby oil in her hair, to help with dryness. Should we start to braid as soon as its long enough? Some say yes, and others say no. Does it really help the hair to grow?

Thanks, grets

I never really agreed or found it factual that braiding the hair makes it grows, if you braid too tight it can be pulling the hair and can be uncomfortable for a child.


I have two biracial children, I don't use baby shampoo on my daughters hair because it has a stonger PH than a regular shampoo and for my daughter it tangles and make her hair appear dry. I use an adult shampoo, and they even have children shampoo specifically for her hair type with conditioner . I don't use baby oil as it is greasy, and is techinically not for hair use. I use a lotion that is made for children that contains shea butter, it is very light, and doesn't make the hair appear greasy to keep it shiny.

I personally love my daughters ringlets and people always compliment her hair.. braiding is more of a fashion. Here is a photo of my daughter's hair.. it started fine, and this is what her is is like now http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...swell/hair.jpg

Braiding hair does not make it grow. No matter what we do our hair can only grow up to 1/2 inch per month. The best thing to do is go to an ethnic salon in your area and have them show you the best products to use on her hair. She has beautiful hair! Why braid it and hide it all?

I find that braiding my daughter's hair makes it grow.
Depending on the texture of the hair, braiding can be less time consuming, as, if kept well, the plaits can still look neat for weeks if necessary. I braid my daughters hair (not too tightly) in order to; protect it from the elements i.e. wind & rain; to keep it moisturised; less bother on a daily basis; and, she enjoys having lots of different styles. I agree, try a moisturiser which contains shea butter, its lovely and light, good for both the hair and scalp & doesn't clog the hair up with grease!

Factors that predict our hair growth are organic-like our genetics, our health, our nutrition. For instance if our diet is lacking proper nutrients then it may stunt the growth of our hair compared to someone that has a healthy diet. If we have a disease like diabetes-our hair may not grow as fast. Sometimes in the summer you may notice your hair growing more because the sun brings more blood flow to our scalp-the nutrients in our blood feed our hair follicles. You can easily research this on the internet.

I Have Been A Hairstylist For 14 Years And Have Always Found That Biracial Hair All Needs The Same Thing... moisture. Use A Good Shampoo( Paul Mitchell Has One For Kids Called Baby Don't Cry) And A Moisturizing Conditioner Such As "the Conditioner" Also By Paul Mitchell. As For The Braiding, Nothing We Do Externally To The Hair Makes It Grow, That All Comes From Within Our Scalp, And Braiding Leads To Breakage... it's Cute, But If You Don't Want Her Hair Braided For The Look Don't Bother.

Being a Hairstylist and also being triracial (Hispanic, African american, and caucasion) I'd love to offer my 2 cents. Jenn is 100 % correct in saying you need to focus on moisture. To add to her paul mitchell suggestions I would also recommend Pureology(very expensive but its probably the best I've ever used), chi (the infra shampoo and treatment is awesome), or Kenra (the platinum line is the best). Instead of using baby oil I'd suggest a hair serum like Chi, Redken glass, Biosilk or scrupples. Mazani also has one that is meant for hydrating curls but I can't remember the name.

Moisture is very important for African American hair and does wonders for our hair.

Because of the mineral oil in some baby oil products, I wouldn't suggest putting that in your baby's hair. Mineral oil tends not penetrate your hair and can block moisture from getting in.

As far as braiding... braiding doesn't necessarily make your hair grow. However, it does aid in protecting your hair because you're not manipulating your hair or putting direct heat to it everyday, thus helping to retain growth of your natural growth rate.