Last Updated on February 1, 2022 by Doris Jean
Braiding is known to be a great protective hairstyle, but is it good for people with curly hair?
Well, the answer to the question is that it generally depends on who you ask. Braids are often helpful since they can be used as a protective style, for instance when you are sleeping or just want to give your hair a break.
The main reason it can be problematic is when the braid is too tight. Curly hair can be a little dry and brittle, so braiding your hair too tight can lead to hair breakage at the crown and around your edges.
Braiding your hair also tames the hair so if you need to calm those curls, braiding will get the job done! If done correctly, braiding isn’t bad for curly hair. Just try not to leave the braids in too long!
Do braids help curly hair?
Braids can be very helpful for curly hair! Braids are classed as protective styles for your curly hair. This means that they help to keep the moisture in your hair, and this can often mean that styling the hair is much easier. It’s just important to ensure that you are styling the braids correctly to ensure that your hair doesn’t get damaged.
If you are going to braid your hair, make sure that your hair and scalp are clean first. Conditioning the hair with a leave-in conditioner may be helpful. It can often be a lot easier to braid hair when it’s wet and detangled.
Once you have detangled your curls after cleaning the hair, create a part in your hair before you braid. Then, you can braid the hair.
You can do a french braid, a three-strand braid, a fishtail braid, or anything in between. If you are noticing that there are flyaway hairs in the braid, you simply need to put a little bit of shine serum into the hair to solve the issue.
To make things easier for yourself, try to do the braids in front of a mirror. If you do this, it will be a lot easier to ensure that you are getting the style that you are looking for in order to get the best possible results for your curls.

Is it good to braid curly hair at night?
Sleeping can be a little problematic for your curly hair since the friction from your pillowcase can cause major damage! So, how do you protect your style even during the night as you get some sleep?
Put your hair in tiny braids! Braiding the hair at night is fantastic for keeping your curls intact even for the next day. You can even experiment with a wide range of different styles, such as French braids, loose braids, or even a few tiny braids!
If you are looking to keep your normal curl pattern in place, it’s best to use a looser braid during the night. If you want to have that cute 80s crimped look though, you can do tighter braids to achieve that effect. French braids are especially helpful to stretch your hair if you have tight curls.
If you’re looking to give a fresh look to your curls, then, braiding your curly hair may be a good choice.
Of course, you don’t have to braid your curly hair to protect it during the night. You can also do some other things.
For instance, you can use a satin pillowcase to protect your style, since this will have less friction against your hair than using a cotton pillowcase. You can also do ‘the pineapple’ in your hair, alongside other protective hairstyles.
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Is it better to braid curly hair wet or dry?
Ultimately the answer to this depends on your personal preference. If you are using the braid as your hairstyle for the day, then there’s certainly nothing wrong with braiding dry hair.
With that being said though, it’s often better to braid wet hair for a few different reasons.
When your hair is dry, you need to remove all of the tangles in order to braid the hair.
Not only that but it can also be a lot harder to section dry curly hair. In short, it can take a much longer amount of time to achieve your desired style if you are braiding dry hair.
Braiding hair wet or dry also depends on what you are looking to achieve once you take the braids out. If you would prefer to see a certain outcome after you have braided your hair, such as more defined waves or a crimped style, it may be better for you to style your hair wet.
This is because the hair will simply dry that way in the braid. It may be harder to get that same outcome if you’re braiding dry hair.
Braiding hair wet or dry ultimately depends on what you are trying to achieve.
How long should you keep braids in for curls?
If you have put your hair in braids as a protective measure, you should ideally keep the braids in for fewer than 8 weeks. This means that you should be getting braids installed around every 8 weeks or so if your hair can handle it.
You should also ensure that you are preparing your hair properly before you get the braids installed again. Put some deep conditioning treatments in the hair since this will improve the overall moisture and strength of your hair.
Okay, so what if you’re just putting your hair in braids overnight to get that beach wave look? Well, the answer is that it’s entirely up to you!
You can keep your hair in braids until it’s dry to get the waves and curls if you styled it when wet. Or you could keep the braids in throughout the day for a cute protective style, and unleash your head of curls for a flirty, bouncy look during the evening!
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