Four weeks ago, I styled my hair in white box braids and since I did it myself, I knew the amount of pressure my scalp could stand.
Usually, I am always also very careful not to braid my hair too tight because tight braids and weaves are the leading causes of traction alopecia among black women.
I have written a number of posts on how to care for you hair when it is in a style and you can read and watch them below.
- How To Care for Natural Hair Under Braids, Kinky Twists & Weaves
- How To Keep Natural Hair Clean under Protective Styles without Washing
- 10 Tips To Help Prepare Natural Hair for Protective Styles
You can also find more hairstyles on Natural Hair Products Website
However, this time, it was different. After I was done braiding, I put my hair up in a bun and two days after, I noticed some bumps at my nape. Apparently, my braids were not tight but they were pulling on my edges because of how tight my bun was.
Thankfully, I did the following and the swellings from the bumps dried out and healed after a couple of days.
1. Release Braid Tension
When you first notice bumps on you scalp from protective styles like braids, you have two options: take them out immediately or try not to style them tightly. Sometimes, it your braids may not be tight but when you style it in a bun for example, you put tension on the hair at your nape, thereby causing the braid bumps and swellings.
Braid bumps and/or swellings are actually inflamed hair follicles called folliculitis. Although, folliculitis is usually caused by a fungal or bacterial infection, stress and tension with braids and protective styles is also a cause.
One time, I saw my sisters braid bumps turn into large swellings (folliculitis) that oozed puss because her scalp was under severe pain and her hair was pulled too tight in a bun.In. other words, don’t sleep with headaches and pains that can be avoided all in the name of ‘fine hairstyle’.
The health of your scalp also depends on it.2. Massage Your Scalp
After I took the extensions off my nape hair, I gently massaged the bumps to relieve the pain I was feeling in the area. You can also use your favorite oil to massage your scalp. I prefer to use coconut oil for scalp massages because it lighter and it absorbs faster into my hair.
3. Take breaks between Braids/Protective Styles
Before you reinstall your extensions, give your scalp some time to fully heal. It may heal fast, it may heal slowly. It all depends on the extent of the damage.
In summary, try not to make your braids or protective styles tight because it may lead to irreversible damage.
While you are here, check out these posts on beautiful black hairstyles and 25 tips for growing and maintaining natural hair and also check back every week for new information on how to care for your natural hair, makeup hacks and motherhood tricks!
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24 comments
yes, and i used onion treatment with coconut oil and it cleared within a week. also rather than loosening the hair, i suggest loosening the bun. after all it was the bun that causes the bump not the braids.
5
No hairstyle should hurt.
Most certainly!
Thank you for this post! In my case I didn’t realize my updo was too tight until it was too late.
You’re welcome Tara!
My style ended up being too tight so I took the style down ( ponytail ) and massaged my scalp but left the cornrows in I still have the tiny pimples by my nape area. It’s only been a week since I got my hair styled . How long would you suggest leaving this style in ? I don’t want hair breakage to occur.
The tiny pimples will take a few days to heal but make sure you don’t have any tension in that area. You can leave your style in between 2-3weeks if you still want to maintain it but reduce breakage.
Hi,
I’m a little late to the party. My son got his hair braided and he has these pustules. Should i be super worried or will they go away on their own?
Hi Erica, they will go away on their own. You don’t need to worry.
Oof I’m a little late as well.. so I’m completely new to box braids. I may be white but I’ve always wanted this style (I hope I don’t offend anyone for it..) but I’m starting to see red bumps on my head and it’s super itchy. I’m wandering if it’s because my scalp is too dry but I’ve been putting spray conditioner in my hair, it has Argan oil and figured it’s help. But I’m also wandering if it’s because I’ve had my hair up in a ponytail the last couple of days? I want to wash my hair in the shower but my I’m afraid my braids will come undone, I have them in rubber bands tho.. could u give me some advice?
Hi Sav! I completely understand. The braids may come loose because your braids may not be able to hold on to your hair due to the weight of water in the shower. Did you use rubber bands on your roots?
Also, yes the red bumps are evidence that your braids are tight and putting them up in a ponytail only stresses the perimeter of your head further. Try wearing them down for a couple of days.
And cooling that area with witch hazel (apply a little to cotton pads and clean the area with bumps) if you have any.
I hope this helps!
Thank u, I used rubber bands on my hair, I haven’t washed my hair in the shower tho, I’m thinking about getting some dry shampoo. But thank you very much. I’ll try to look for the witch hazel, I’ve read that coconut oil works as well.
Thank you 😭 I reacted from braid bumps and it’s caused little dry rash patches in my head. My little brother just oiled my scalp.
You’re welcome! Don’t worry you’ll recover!
hie guys…i recently plaited long crotchet braids (6 days ago) i have twa 4c hair and the hairstyle was only tight for one- two days its not tight anymore but i have a few bumps around my hairline should i be worried and will my hairline get damaged please help
Hi Lora,
If it’s not tight anymore then you don’t need to worry. But if you notice the bumps are red and swelling, I advise you take out the braids in those areas to avoid damage.
Hi, I am also late to the party!
I just had my daughter’s hair plaited for school, in corn rows and I think it was plaited too tightly, she has some tiny and painful looking bumps/boils around those areas, especially the temples. I wanted to loosen the plaits but a friend advised to apply tea tree oil instead to soothe the area because of I loosen it, she still has to have her hair plaited and it might make it worse because we wouldn’t be taking out the entire do. What do you advise?
Hi!
Next time, I would suggest you loosen the area around her nape and re braid it a lot less tighter. If that’s not possible, the braid eventually loosens Up after a couple of days so take good care of her nape hair by moisturizing and massaging afterwards.
Hi! I have have been using this braider for more than 6 years now and used to have healthy hair with a great hairline. Lately noticed that my hairline is damaged and due to covid I have been avoiding hair salons and just doing my own hair. Yesterday I went back to the hairdresser for box braids and they are thick and also really tight. I went under the shower last night and have been oiling and spraying to try and relieve the tension. I called her this morning and told her that I was going back to have her undo them around the hairline, middle parting and the nape and have her redo them loosely this evening after work. Now not sure if my scalp can withstand that and also if I havent damaged my hair follicles as I can feel the tension in the middle of my scalp too. I know it will eventually loosen out as the hair grows but Im more scared of the damage. I now understand that the tight braiding is what has damaged my hairline and Im worried that this time it might be irreversible. What would you advise me to do. Thank you for your article.
Hi Tsitsi!
Thank you for your patience.
At this time that I am typing this, I hope your hairline has recovered and you got your braider to redo the tight braids. Hopefully, your hairline has not been damaged irreversibly. In the meantime, I suggest you take time out daily to massage your scalp to allow blood circulation to get to your scalp to promote hair growth.
I hope this helps.
Hi, recently, I got crochet faux locs. I noticed around the nape of my neck that there are little red bumps. The hairstyle isn’t tight. However, it’s difficult to take out the bottom braid given the way the foundation. Do you have any idea of what I should do? I’ve been applying castor oil and do grow hair oil daily. I got the hairstyle done last Tuesday.
Hi Anna, since you can’t take it out, try not to pull or put tension on the faux locs in any way. If it’s a minor swelling, it should go down after a few days. If it lasts for more than 2-3weeks and its oozing puss, please take it out and see a dermatologist or Trichologist immediately.