What Determines If a Woman's Head Is Covered? Is It the Scalp Visibility or the Uncut Hair? Does It Matter If the Hair Is Matted in Cornrows or Plait?
1) Direct answer
A woman’s head is covered when her hair is uncut and allowed to grow. It is not about hiding the scalp with fabric, and it’s not undone by how the hair is arranged. Cornrows, plaits, or other styles do not remove the covering so long as the hair remains uncut and the styling is modest.
2) Scriptural explanation
- 1 Corinthians 11:15: “Her hair is given her for a covering.” The God‑given covering is hair itself.
- 1 Corinthians 11:5–6: Uncoveredness is linked with being shorn or shaven. That shows cutting the hair brings the shame of uncoveredness.
- 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3 warn against showy “broided/plaited” hair as outward adornment. The issue is vanity and display, not the mere act of arranging hair.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Covered = hair God gave, uncut and growing (that is “long”—not measured by inches but by not cutting what God gives).
- Uncovered = shorn/shaven/cut, even if a hat or scarf hides the scalp.
- Styling (cornrows, plaits, buns, etc.) does not cancel the covering, but Scripture cautions against ornate, attention‑seeking braiding. Keep it modest and feminine.
4) Reinforcing statement
Keep what God gave—don’t cut it—and wear it with modesty. That is the Bible’s covering for a woman. Final biblical conclusion: A woman is covered by her uncut, growing hair (1 Corinthians 11:15). Scalp visibility and hats are irrelevant. Plaiting or cornrows do not remove the covering, but must be modest and not for display (1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3).
Existing Follow-Up Answers
- So What If a Woman by Accident, Age or Health Condition Has Short or No Hair, How Should She Be Covered If Hats and Scarfs Are Not a Covering?
1) Direct answer If a woman loses hair by accident, age, or sickness, she is not made “uncovered” in guilt before God. The Bible’s covering is he
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Questions and Answers, Part 2
64-0823E §15
I believe this morning the question come up about painting the hair, you know, with a color. Now, I can't say nothing about that. I don't know, but I have no scripture to say not to color your hair. Now, that's... You women, you like to look nice, and you should look nice. And Brother Branham's not against you children. You're my children; I love you, and I don't want to be bawling you out. I wouldn't do it for nothing; I'm only trying to help you. But now, look, let me just ask... Let me say this in answer to that...
Perseverant
62-0623 §5
And here come another woman up, the same way. I said, "It must be ... maybe they got some kind of a show on, you know, or something another they're putting on." Clowns, you know, how they paint, you know, and look like that. And ordinarily I wouldn't think a human being would want to disfigure themselves like that, a pretty woman would want to look like that. And then they had that ... great big waterhead haircuts, you know, and kind of a ... it was the awfullest looking... A pretty girl standing there, and mess he...
Hear ye Him
60-0712 §43
...other Branham, they don't make any more clothes. We have to wear them kind of clothes." "Sister, they still make goods, and they make sewing machines. There's no excuse for it at all." What's the matter? It's an unclean spirit got on them. It used to be wrong for our Pentecostal women to cut their hair. Now, you hit something, didn't you? What happened? Some of them used to say they had headaches, a lot of headache. You know, the Bible said if a woman cuts her hair, she dishonors her husband. A dishonorable woman.....
Influence
63-1114 §24
But since then, there has been so many little things creep into the church, because the church has to rub shoulders with the world each day. Now, and I don't mean to come back to this again, to our sisters, see, or our brothers. Many times, it used to be years ago, that it was wrong (for as I said the other night) for our sisters to cut their hair. It used to be a Pentecostal affair, that they shouldn't do that and those things. But what is it? Now we go into the different parts of the country, and we find our Pent...
A True Sign that's overlooked
61-1112 §108
I wish Billy was sitting here. I just got a letter from down there somewhere the other day where a woman said, "I belong to a certain great (the biggest organization of the Pentecostals, big trinitarian organization)..." And said, "All of our women, Brother Branham, all cut their hair. I had long black hair." She said, "I always loved it, because I believe it was of the Lord." Said, "I never did wear make-up. Our church teaches that that's old-fashioned." Said, "They tell me when I had my hair rolled up in a bun on...