This ‘New’ Braided Hair Extension Trend Isn’t New At All — Here’s Why It Matters

If you’re a resident of the hair corner of TikTok, chances are you’ve stumbled across a video of a woman showing us her last two strands of hair after removing her first set of “Korean Braiding Extensions”. Okay, fine, I am being facetious, but 1.3 million views and counting later, it’s clear that this young woman has fallen victim to the Asianification of Black beauty trends (more on that later). In the video, her natural hair appears to be visibly damaged and lacklustre with sparse and broken ends. “70 percent of my hair came out with them,” she says in the video.

At the beginning of the clip, the creator @nutritionbynikki shares her excitement of trying the braided extensions for the first time and the “confidence” the style gave her during seven weeks of wear — and at this stage, her review is glowing. The second part of the video showed her hair after she removed the extensions to give her scalp “a break”. Comments flooded in, almost foreshadowing the inevitable. The damage to her hair was far too predictable.

These Korean braiding extensions — sometimes labeled “hidden braids” — are being applied to misinformed folks with 1A–2C hair. The aesthetic? Long, flowing, seemingly seamless hair with no visible tracks. The reviews? Subpar, to say the least. In fact, “I had to cut them out,” “My scalp is on fire,” and “This is giving… bald patch” are the kinds of reactions that have been racking up in the comments.

But the gag is: this “new” trend? Yeah... it might not be so new after all.“This is just a rebrand — microbraids, pick-and-drop, whatever you want to call it — we’ve been doing this for years. It’s nothing new,” says Rashidat Giwa, hair educator and head stylist at SouthwestSix London hair salon. And, if you grew up in a Black household or sat through a Saturday at an auntie’s kitchen-salon setup, you may already be familiar with this method, although not necessarily for the right reasons.

What they’re calling “Korean braiding extensions” are basically microbraids or pick-and-drop braids — a long-standing style in afro hair communities, but perhaps with slightly different outcomes. “They’re very small, neat individual braids, typically done with extensions, that give a seamless, natural finish similar to K-tips,” explains Rashidat. “The technique has been around for decades.” Small sections of natural hair are parted throughout the head. Synthetic or human hair extensions are added to each section, and the hair is braided individually, often as either three-strand or two-strand twists. The braiding usually only goes a few inches down, and then the rest of the extension is left loose, creating that illusion of free-flowing strands — this is the “drop” part in “pick and drop.”

When installed well, the result is a natural-looking blend of braided roots with flowing hair that mimics the appearance of K-tips or keratin bond extensions without the glue or the excessive heat. It’s meticulous and time-consuming, but when done right, it can look flawless. But as the style has been co-opted and applied to straighter hair textures without understanding the cultural and technical foundation behind it, we’re now watching ‘Black TikTok’ shudder.

What the viral videos aren’t showing is that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all style — and it certainly wasn’t designed with fine, straight hair in mind. Giwa breaks it down: “Straighter hair tends to be more fragile when it comes to tension-based styles. The strands can slip out or snap under pressure because they don’t have the natural grip or density that afro-textured hair has to hold these styles.” 

Basically, if you don’t have the structure to support that level of tension, you’re setting yourself up for failure. “If done too tightly or if there is too much hair extension on one strand, especially on fine or straight textures, they can cause breakage or even traction alopecia,” says Giwa. That’s not to say microbraids are inherently damaging. “Microbraids can be gentle if installed correctly — but they’re time-consuming and require precision,” Giwa adds. On top of that, many of these viral videos show synthetic hair being used — another red flag. “Synthetic hair can be rough, especially if not pre-treated. For finer or straighter textures, it can rub and cause breakage or scalp irritation. It also doesn’t blend as well, which can look unnatural,” Giwa tells Unbothered.

Then there is a deeper, more nuanced issue at play. Black women are often labeled gatekeepers when it comes to trendy hairstyles. We are loud when it comes to protecting the culture that we’ve built and enrich every day, and we want to protect it so it maintains its authenticity. When it comes to hair specifically, our concern with women of other races doing, for example, Fulani braids (which once had a fleeting rebrand to ‘Bo Derek’ braids), or any other afro-rooted hairstyles, goes beyond our fight against cultural appropriation. For the non-afro heads out there, best believe we want to protect our culture just as much as we want to protect your scalp. Not all things that seem cool are for everyone. 

However, the way this style is being marketed as something fresh, trendy, and Asian-influenced when, in reality, it is deeply rooted in Black hair culture is ruffling some feathers. “Commercial, absolutely,” Giwa says when asked why the style is being positioned as new. “Something gets a new label and suddenly it’s ‘trendy’ or ‘innovative.’ It’s frustrating because it erases the origin — it becomes about profit, not credit.”

And sure, we’ve been here before. “It’s the same as when cornrows got renamed ‘boxer braids,’” she adds. “When trends ignore the culture they come from, it feels disrespectful.” 

If you’re someone with straight or wavy hair and looking for an alternative to hair extension styles. “Clip-ins, tape-ins, braid-less wefts or weft extensions are better suited,” Giwa advises. “If someone wants the microbraid look, they should go to a stylist who understands how to adapt the technique to their texture — it’s not one-size-fits-all.”

Because while the final look might be cute, the aftercare and maintenance are not for the faint of heart. “Microbraids need regular moisturising of the scalp and hair, gentle cleansing, and zero pulling,” Giwa explains. “For someone unfamiliar with protective styles, it can be a lot to maintain. You can’t just install and neglect your hair — it will cause damage and breakage.”

What was frustrating about seeing multiple people deal with the aftermath of hair damage was that it was avoidable. If they'd just asked literally any Black woman, she probably would’ve told you this style wasn’t built for 1A–2C hair, and that rebranding a Black protective style under an “Asian aesthetic” or “innovation” was probably not going to go down smoothly.

Perhaps the lesson here is that respecting roots, consulting a stylist, and avoiding renaming things that already exist will save a lot of heartache, headache, and the healthy hair strands you have left.

This article was originally published on Refinery29 Unbothered UK