Bad hair parting for braids?
(Prefacing this with the fact that I'm half black and a guy)
So I've got a moderately sized afro and have been looking into getting my hair braided in a sort of dreadlock type style. Nothing fancy, just sort of going downward on both sides. I would go with actual dreads but the commitment kind of freaks me out. Anyways, I've noticed lately that when I pull my hair apart at the center, the place where my hair parts looks like a long, zig-zaggy bald spot. I never really noticed because my hair always covered it naturally, but now it may be an issue.
I have next to no experience with this, so first I guess I'd want to ask, is that normal? Should it look anything like that? And also, would braids be a bad idea for someone with a parting like that?
Balding might be it but the way it happens seems to be more like female pattern baldness. The usual process for men (which I've also seen through my dad, who started balding pretty late) is for the hairline to recede back I think, but mine hasn't really done that.
Wait a minute, this seems like it's happening any place I pull my hair apart. I'm starting to think it's just because my hair is kind of poofy and not particularly thick...I'm not entirely sure what to make of that, but I'm hoping it's not a sign of baldness. There's no real pattern to it at least. I'm hoping it's just that my hair's easy to pull apart because of the way it grows.
And if it is baldness...well at least no one will know til I cut my afro. Which I'll probably have to do if I ever plan to get a job...