I Wore My Hair in Braids Every Day for 3 Months. Here's What REALLY Happened.
- Katherine Haircare
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
For anyone on a natural hair journey, finding a routine that feels sustainable, beautiful, and protective can be surprisingly hard. Especially when you're juggling motherhood, postpartum changes, and the realities of long, tangle-prone hair.
In this post, I'm sharing a real-life experiment: what happened when I wore my hair in braids (specifically French braids) every day for three months straight. I didn’t plan for it to become a game changer, but it has completely transformed how I care for my hair.
My Hair Background: From Chin-Length to Tailbone
Eight years ago, I cut my hair to chin length and rebuilt my entire routine around minimalist, historically inspired, natural care. Over time, that routine helped me grow my hair all the way down to my tailbone.
But lately, things have felt harder. My hair is naturally tangle-prone, and the longer it gets, the more intense the tangles have become. Detangling became a days-long chore and, as a busy mom of five, I started doing it less often. That only made things worse.
Even though I typically wore my hair in buns or nighttime braids, the tangling continued. I knew something had to change, especially with a new baby on the way.
Why French Braids Felt Impossible
I've known how to French braid since I was a child. It's always been one of my favorite protective styles. But as my hair got longer and I committed fully to finger detangling, French braiding became impractical.
Why? Because managing three long strands and adding more hair with each pass was nearly impossible without creating tension or tangling.
But I kept thinking: Women throughout history braided their hair for a reason. It protected their strands and minimized daily maintenance. Why couldn't I make it work too?
So I asked myself these 5 questions, and undertook a 3-month experiment:
Will I be able to french braid my tailbone length hair in the first place without causing more damage?
What will happen if I keep my hair in french braids virtually all the time?
Will this help my length retention?
Will it help me minimize tangles while saving time on my hair?
Will keeping it in braids like this cause problems?
The Experiment: 3 Months in Braids
What I Did
I kept my tailbone-length hair in French braids every single day.
Usually it was two french braids, and for a while it was six small French braids (essentially cornrows).
I kept my braids pinned up in a crown or milkmaid style to balance weight and keep the ends protected.
What I Noticed
Tangles virtually disappeared. I only had to do one detangling session per wash cycle, and it was manageable.
My hair stayed moisturized. With the length pinned close to my head, the braids helped retain hydration.
I saved significant time. No daily detangling meant I could focus on caring for my newborn without hair stress.
It held beautifully. Milkmaid braids stayed intact even while sleeping.
Downsides & Tradeoffs
Of course, no hair care method is absolutely perfect. Here are the challenges I had to navigate:
Hefty time commitment: French braiding long hair takes time, and it’s not something you can rush.
Scalp breathability: With my hair constantly braided, I noticed my scalp didn’t "breathe" as well. This required me to prioritize daily scalp massages and use tools like a wooden comb or ACV spritz to prevent buildup.
Skill required: Not everyone knows how to French braid, and it takes practice to get the technique and tension just right.
Since scalp breathability was a roadblock for me in this experiment, if your goal is to maximize scalp health above length retention or tangle prevention (maybe you have scalp problems or hair loss) then this may not be for you.
Why French Braids Just Simply Work
French braids have lasted through the centuries for a reason. They:
Keep hair detangled and moisturized
Protect strands from friction and breakage
Minimize daily manipulation
For anyone wanting to make a protective style truly work for them, the key is in the details.
What you use to prep your hair, how you nourish your scalp, and the way you support your ends all matter.
And if you've ever felt like no product truly “gets” your hair… Like everything you try leaves you either greasy at the roots or dry at the ends, you’re not alone.
I spent years cycling through oils that promised growth but barely scratched the surface, most of them built around just two or three generic ingredients.
That’s why I started slow-infusing my own formula by hand.
Rooted in history and packed with 14 handpicked Ayurvedic ingredients, it became the one thing I could trust to actually nourish my scalp, soften my strands, and support growth without buildup.
I've tweaked and perfected this formula for the last 8 years, intending on keeping it a family secret, but finally decided to make it available to the public last year.
Today, thousands of women swear by it. Why?
It’s the only slow-infused hair oil on the market that targets all 3 phases of the hair growth cycle:
It heals and primes the scalp for growth
Then encourages dormant follicles to regrow
And finishes by strengthening to retain length
If it feels aligned with your journey, and you’ve been craving a deeper kind of care, you can learn more about it below ❤