Ever since I read in St. James that women should not braid their hair, I’ve haven’t done it. Is it OK or not? And why?
There is actually nothing in the epistle of James about hair at all, but when in the New Testament there are instructions to women about hair, the function of those instructions is to make certain that only God’s glory is reflected in worship (see 1 Corinthians 11). Since in Paul’s culture a highly adorned hairdo was considered a woman’s glory, Paul said it ought to be covered in worship. Perhaps you have 1 Timothy 2:9 in mind, but the point of that text is not so much to forbid braiding of the hair but to encourage wearing your hair in a way that does not distract from worship by drawing attention to yourself.
—Ben Witherington III