Very springy African hair should be approximately 5 cm. and straight hair approximately 7 or 8 cm. Either can get away with somewhat shorter hair if extensions will be used and the braids are very thin. The danger is that some stylists may pull tighter on shorter hair. This is a mistake. One should be very gentle with short hair. Sometimes there just isn’t enough to safely work with, and people should be honest about this.
What length does my hair need to be in order to wear cornrows?
