In Montaillou, Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie notes how the removal of lice was like a somewhat intimate routine. People would take the opportunity to gossip and chat and all that lol
It can be both, and is easily compared to some hair stuff today.
I remember women in my family spending hours talking while doing hair. "Doing" meaning things like home perms, haircolor, and highlights. I'm guessing similar things happen with braids.
Realistically, none of these women would trust a stranger to do this process. If it wasn't a close friend or family, you'd go to a trained professional. The process itself is intimate, and the setting - with its boredom and sheer amounts of time it takes - lends it to be social.
Similar to combing lice. You are probably going to need to do it, it is intimate because they are touching your head, and that need alongside setting provides for a social opportunity.