How Young is Too Young to Put Extensions in a Child’s Hair?

December 23rd, 2011 - By Victoria Uwumarogie

"Angelina Jolie and kids"

Thanks to faithful reader Tashia Jones (Hey, girl!), we were sent a story about all the fuss over Angelina Jolie putting extensions in the head of her daughter Zahara at just six years old. To be specific, she doesn’t have a long, flowing sew-in or something like that, but braids (the old-school Brandy kind). Radar Online talked to celebrity “groomer,” DaRico Jackson, who commented on the fact that the braids put in little Zahara’s hair were not only promoting her to second guess her own beauty, but they will damage her own hair in the future:

“If Angelina wants Zahara to be in touch with her roots and have her hair braided then she can do that with the child’s own hair and she doesn’t need to add extensions, Jackson stated. “She is far too young for that and Angelina is creating insecurity in the little girl that what she has is not good enough. Growing up with siblings who have long flowing hair, Zahara may grow to feel that her own natural hair is not pretty enough, and that without the fake hair she is not beautiful. She should be made to embrace who she is.”

Waltzing around with her mommy recently, little Zahara (from Ethiopia) held Angelina’s hand as she showed off her new braided extensions that reached down to the middle of her back in a ponytail. While many people (mainstream websites of course) thought the braided look was cute, many hair experts seemed to jump out the woodworks and blast Jolie for resorting to extensions for a young child.

"Zahara's usual hairstyle"

As much as we used to see Jolie parading Zahara around with uncombed hair that was probably tangled as all hell, I’m not really surprised that she would resort to throwing braided extensions in her hair. As many kids as she has in her pack, and running around starring in movies and directing joints, she might not have the time. Because of that, the one whose hair might need the most tender love and care just doesn’t seem to get it. I’m just wondering why they won’t hire someone to take this child to the salon every few weeks!? Seriously, some braids using her own hair wouldn’t have taken as much time as having someone put extensions in Zahara’s head, which I’m sure had that little girl tired and antsy (I know that’s how I end up feeling!). I don’t think I started wearing braided hairstyles with extensions until I was like 12, and even then, after one month they were driving me crazy. When I took them bad boys out they had already started tugging some of my hair out, especially around my edges, so I’m hoping she won’t lose much of her own hair when they finally un-braid those things.

I totally agree with Jackson that this look is not necessary at such an early stage in her life. When you’re young, that’s when parents should be working with your hair, and as unruly as we would see Zahara’s mane looking since she was a baby, it’s a shame to see she the few options she’s being offered. However, if we’re going to put Angelina on a skewer for resorting to braided extensions, we also have to put some criticism on ourselves for putting perms in our children’s hair at a similar age, if not younger. As my sister would say, you can take out braids, but you can’t take out a perm (Well, you can, but that might take even more work).

In the end, braids are all good, but why not try it out with her own hair first? Angie should use some of that baller money she has and invest in Zahara’s hair future by getting someone to actually offer it some real TLC. I’m not hating on Angie hard for this decision, because having a child of a different background then your own probably will cause you to have some missteps when it comes to dealing with hair, keeping them in touch with their own culture, and more. However, this look is just a little much at six. But what do you think?

*Feature photo courtesy of mybrownbaby.com

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eldon-Pittman/100000503887632 Eldon Pittman

    Zahara is being LOVED by a REAL mother.  Why worry about any psychological fallout from looking absolutely darling? Forget that Afro American crap..it is getting old and lame!

  • Tilly_hughes2007

    Worry about your own kids .  Angie is probably doing the best she can. You don’t want braids in your child’s hair, don’t put them in there.

  • moi

    I don’t think she’s too young to have braids. Maybe Angelina got tired of combing her little girls hair JUST LIKE A LOT OF BLACK MOTHERS DO. So we throw braids on em. Come on people.

  • guest2day

    In the case of wearing braids, I have no problem with it. I doubt Angelina knows how to braid her daughter’s hair on a daily basis, nor has the time. Aren’t braids a part of African culture??!! It is not a misstep to vary the hair style options of her daughter by choosing to have braids added. I prefer this option than the horrible choice that many mother’s make by putting relaxers in their daughter’s hair at a ridiculously early age. I also think putting a weave in their daughter’s hair is ridiculous as well. I am sure Angelina tries her best to keep her daughter well educated; gives positive reinforcement; and exposes her in many ways to her African roots (ie: trips to her native country in Africa and more). All these examples are more important than braids being put in her hair (an idea that she could easily have gotten as demonstrated by many African American woman on their own daughters).

    • guest2day

      In addition, many African American women are still learning how to care for their own naturally textured hair after many years of trial and error. Don’t expect Angelina to be an expert in black haircare overnight.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1617079496 Rosalind Wynn

    I think folks are way to hard on Angelina. Walk into a mall anywhere and you will see children younger than Zahara with braids in their hair. Little girls like ponytails they can shake. I am sure her hair is maintained by a professional versus some of us that take our daughters to our “friend” to get it braided so give Angelina a break.

  • Lonzization

    It is really not that big of a deal and I am unsure of the little girls actual hair length but when mine was shorter and I would wear braids I had no choice but to add extensions for my hair to be gripped better. Extensions also make the braids last much longer because it doesnt come a loose as fast as natural hair does and get all frizzy. I dont agree with the length of the extensions that were used but it is not that huge of a deal for the extensions itself. Yall acting like the girl got a full had sew in or something. Braids dont usually tend to damage black hair if anything it strengthens it and helps it to grow if it is done well and not too tight. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/barbara.codner Barbara Codner

    I’m not a fan of extensions or perms for children.  It does cause damage to their hair in the future. 

    Honestly, I think I’m more bothered about how sloppy the braids look. 

    Zahara may be African but the texture of her hair is softer than the average African/African American so it’s way easier to manage.  There’s really no reason to have her hair looking like a mess.

  • Guest

    With three girls of my own I know how hard it is to keep all of their hair done. Looking at Zahara’s hair it loks like it is curly so if you braid her hair with out the extentions it would be frizzy in two days so maybe thats the reason Angilina put the extentions in it anyway. I’m just saying think before you judge.

  • D. Williamson

    I agree, she is too young for extentions. Just get someone who knows black hair to do Zahara’s hair!! It’s that simple!!     

  • D. Williamson

    I agree, ahe is too young for extentions. Just get someone who knows black hair to do Zahara’s hair!! It’s that simple!!

  • Live_in_LDN

    It is her kid and if she wishes to put extensions in her hair then so be it. Who gives a flying ‘f’……

  • http://howtoloveyourreflection.com TheImageCoach

    Zahara is too young for extension braids – I agree that she should just braid the hair Zahara has and teach her instead to love what she has naturally. If Angie is concerned about the health of her daughter’s hair, or her inability to style Zahara’s hair, better to teach her that taking care of her hair with a professional (and helping Zahara take SOME responsibility for her hair, even at this age) would be better. Angie is known for not submitting to society’s rules about how SHE should look (as evidenced by her many tattoos, her wardrobe, etc) so why not give her daughter that same level of self-assuredness and freedom. There are tons of simple styles that she can learn to do, and even let Zahara help with, that will give more opportunity for Angie to instill a healthy level of self-esteem in her daughter.

  • HARDMIKE

    Why are we putting perms and extensions in children’s hair in the first place? May as well slap a wig on top.

  • http://www.facebook.com/shontai.h Shontai H

    Angie doesn’t know WHAT to do with that child’S hair. At least its not a perm. 

  • Guest

    Keeping her in touch with her own culture?  Didn’t MN just run an article discussing how the women in Africa are suffering from the same hair identity drama that African-American women have been degraded for in the past?  Find something REALLY worth discussing like where’d the millions of dollars donated to Haiti go and why those people are still living in tents?

  • Mrsindependent

    To all those people who are complaining about angelina and the braids on her daughter, r u claiming u have never seen young children zahara’s age with braids. The original person complaining has nothing better to do. If u want something to complain why not complain about relaxers at a young age, or better yet black folks not adopting children… so to all those complaining …mind your own damn business!

  • Sofie212

    GIVE IT A REST. No good deed goes unbashed.  From the original writer to the instigators, which one of you would go down to an Ethiopian orphanage and adopt a baby girl??? 

    The number of black families who adopt are so few & far in between. Until those stats go up, I would highly recommend that you put a sock in it. 

  • Hampton

    Angelina rescued that little girl from poverty if she wants to put braids in her hair and little Z like them that is her business…Ya’ll really need to get a life. Just because she puts braids in her hair doesn’t mean that Z is going to feel less beautiful, where do you think those braided styles came from. I think she is doing a good thing by not having her walking around looking all crazy with her hair all over head.

    • NVAdamzz

      That’s what I was thinking. The least of this little girl’s problems is her hair being that she was saved from having to spend her life in poverty and struggling. However, I do think Angelina Jolie should have done a little bit of research before she just goes around adopting every culture and trying to raise them like they’re white. If she doesn’t want to learn how to deal with the baby’s hair, she needs to find someone who knows. She doesn’t know about putting a child in a figure four leg lock so you can run a comb through their hair. She doesn’t know how cute it looks when she has two huge afro puffs on either side of her head, or when she has intricately designed braids in her hair that hang heavy with beads and barretts to match whatever shirt, outfit, or pair of shoes she has on that day. As far as I know, she hasn’t had any extended relationships with any Black person besides Zahara so she just doesn’t know. 

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000659702398 Jordan Milner

        Ok…I was with you for your first 2 sentences….then you lost me. How is she raising her children ‘white’?  That is the stupidest statement I have ever heard.  Then “… intricately designed braids in her hair that hang heavy with beads and
        barretts to match whatever shirt, outfit, or pair of shoes she has on
        that day.”  Seriously.  Beads and barrettes to match outfit or shoes??? Altogether, can we say ghetto.

  • Caribbean in the house

    well how young is too young for an afro-american little girls in the hood for their ghetto moms to help them dress in a prerogative way at an early age so when the grow up they already have 10 babies by different men. she gets it from mamma.

    • http://www.facebook.com/barbara.codner Barbara Codner

      *Provocative*

      • Caribbean in the house

        you see, you ho’s do know that word lol lol lol

        • Sugar_Spice

          Actually Barbara was correcting you

  • Guess

    As a teacher, I see girls as young as 4,5,6,7+ with extensions and perms all day everyday. Is the hair expert, DaRico Jackson, is exerting her insecurities on Zahara? And it may be the case that Zahara asked for them. Yes, she is too young to have so much strain on her hair. But this goes for many women young and old (perms, hair dye, braids, etc.). Why is she sweating Angelina Jolie?

    • Nina

      Should we NOT be concerned because its Angelina Jolie? You do know that baby can lose her hair with this type of hairstyle right? Last I checked, caring for any baby means TOTAL care NOT just “Be grateful she’s not homeless, so lets do the bear minimum care.” Some of ya’ll are just…….SMH.

      • Guess

        Yes, we SHOULDN’T be concerned with Angelina Jolie.  She is not mistreating Zahara.  Many mothers are lacking in many areas waayyy beyond hair maintenance. When I was younger my mother used pink lotion on my hair almost daily.  Did I die? Most likely you will be with your family in two days for Christmas, what are you going to say to your family members concerning their parenting shortcomings (Im sure there are some in your family who are not adequate parents) ? Are you going to call them out?

        • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3CGAKFTHFXT4QUK4RJ3RNNKGL4 Mjb

          Great response!

      • Masood

        We should be concerned if the little one loses her hair and nothing is done to improve it. Hair maintenance is trial and error.  Let’s not burn Angelina at the stake for giving her daughter a hairstyle many others have.

      • Ebonydiva82

        I don’t think we should be concerned simply because it’s Angeina Jolie. No one at this time knows the true reason behind Angelina allowing Zahara to wear extensions. Maybe Zahara also saw a friend with extensions and wanted the same thing. 

    • Ebonydiva82

      I second that: I see small children all the time with braids and extensions almost everwhere I go. I even see little girls witg perms too and the damage done to their hair is clearly visible.

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