Traction Alopecia in Children's Hair

Traction Alopecia is a hair condition that can be avoided in children, if caught early. What is Traction Alopecia? According to Wikipedia, "Traction alopecia is a form of alopecia, or gradual hair loss, caused primarily by pulling force being applied to the hair. This commonly results from the sufferer frequently wearing their hair in a particularly tight ponytail, pigtails, or braids."

This condition is more common in children that wear tight braids and ponytails. A lot of parents love that sleeked look when creating buns and ponytails, and I am not exempt from this. However, I had to be careful with my girls' edges because genetically, we all have weak edges.

Lil Sis 2013

What I am doing to avoid this condition in my girls, is to make sure that when I braid their hair and I see any little bumps, I loosen my hold. Yes, the style might be a bit loose and not super smooth, but I would rather my girls have edges than no edges at all. I don't believe that one has to "catch" every tiny bit of hair to make a style look beautiful. You can use non-alcohol gels or even shea butter to sleek down those baby hairs.

Overtime, we have been able to grow our edges out, gradually. Here are some things I did:
- Not pull on the edges
- Keep edges moisturized
- Use products like castor oil to enhance growth in those area.

For more tips, click here.

So, next time you do your child's hair, take care not to stress out those edges.

What other tips can you give someone whose child is suffering from Traction Alopecia?

12 comments

African Naturalistas27 September 2014 at 08:25
If only mother's would stop doing so much damage to their children's hair, in the name of beauty. Many Nigerian kids suffer from this.
Tomi O27 September 2014 at 13:30
This is sooo common.. Learning!
SuperTee27 September 2014 at 15:29
Yes. It's very common. I had to stop the lady that used to do my daughter's hair from coming just because of this. I now do it myself and her edges are growing out thankfully.
Unknown27 September 2014 at 19:28
I think the main curpit is tight hairstyles, not moisture. Many hair braiders don't know how to braid loose. It's a requirement for them to braid so tight that you can't move your head in the first few days. Unfortunately, kids are being told it's normal. I cringe each time I see preschoolers with traction alopecia. Their hair is already doomed from such a young age!
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Okeoghene27 September 2014 at 22:24
My daughter had this when she was much younger but we have managed to grow out her edges now
Hadassah Agbaps30 September 2014 at 14:43
Another culprit is the weight of accessories on the children's hair. Some mothers can be really heavy handed with beads and bobbles. A cute piece of accessory like a nice bow is enough IMO.