Hair loss from braids, weaves and tight styles

It usually starts at the edges. The hairline creeps back, the temples thin, small bumps or soreness appear where the hair is pulled tightest. It’s one of the most common types of hair loss in Black women and anyone who wears tight styles regularly, and it’s one of the few that’s almost entirely preventable.

Why it happens

Constant pulling on the root damages the follicle. Tight braids, cornrows, sew-in weaves, glued wigs, extensions, tight buns and high ponytails all do it, especially when the style is kept in for weeks or redone as soon as it’s out. Relaxers and heat make the hair more fragile so it breaks faster under the same tension. Early on the follicle is bruised but alive. Left for years, it scars and the hair doesn’t come back.

What it looks like

Thinning or a receding line at the temples and edges, sometimes at the nape. Short broken hairs along the hairline. Tenderness, bumps or pimples where the style is tightest. A headache from a fresh install is a warning sign, not something to push through.

What actually helps

Loosen everything. Bigger braids, looser tension, no styles that hurt, breaks between installs, and no edge gels and brushes scraping the same spot daily. Give the edges months off. If the hairline hasn’t started growing back after six months of rest, see a dermatologist who works with textured hair, because prescription minoxidil or steroid injections can help while the follicles are still alive. Once it’s scarred, the only option is a transplant, so early matters.

Why tracking matters

The whole question with traction alopecia is “is it coming back or is it gone”. You can’t tell by looking in the mirror because the change is millimetres over months. One photo of your hairline a month, same light, same angle, shows whether the rest is working. It also stops you being fobbed off with “that’s just your hairline” by someone who doesn’t know textured hair.