Cornrows are very common throughout many African nations, but despite their beauty and versatility, they haven't been considered a true styling option in the United States until recently. Today, a lot of black men and women in the States have begun to rock cornrows. Basketball players such as Allen Iverson and Latrell Spreewell are just two celebrities who've made the style popular.


A couple of major disadvantages are that they normally have to be redone approximately every two weeks and although they promote growth, they usually result in thinner, finer hair due to the hairs' lack of exposure to elements such as oxygen so this a style that you want to do back-to back over a series of months.  Give your hair a rest from cornrows or braids every 3 months or so for at least 2-3 weeks.

01-17-05  "After reading your piece on transitioning via cornrows, I became concerned. Cornrows seem to be the easiest style for me to maintain, not to mention less time in the salon. If my hair starts to thin as a result, what should I do? I want to do the "Big Chop" within two months, but thinning hair along with the initial shock will be devastating. Is there another easy and less evasive transition style I can do, in regards to braids?"
-Phelicia

Greetings Phelicia,
That's not exactly correct.  Maybe the text was a little unclear.

If you get cornrows repeatedly for an excessive amount of time, due to the lack of exposure to oxygen, your hair will feel thinner/finer than it would had you not had them.  You can avoid this by giving your hair a rest from braids/cornrows every three months.  The "resting" stage should be at least 2 weeks.  During this time, get your ends trimmed (eliminate split ends and to slowly remove any relaxed hair).

A lot of people who get braids, relax their hair once their taken out and get braids again.  Or if they're going Natural, they immediately put a new set of braids in so that they won't have to deal with their natural kinks.

If you wish to go natural within 2 months, you're straight.  If you however wish to grow your braids out over a year or longer, again, allow at least a 2 week breaks in-between braided/cornrowed styles.  In addition to trimming your ends, it  also allows you the time and opportunity to get used to your hair and you may find that the more you play with it, the more comfortable you'll get with styling your natural hair sans braids or cornrows.