Cornrow Braid Styles

We all remember Bo Derek from the movie "10" and the crazy and totally cool cornrows she sported. Well, if Bo started the trend, then the other celebrities are not far behind. From the cool cornrows of Snoop Dog to the extremely weird ones sported by David Beckham, everyone seems to have adopted braid hairstyles for that exclusive look. The hairstyle which has created such a buzz in the fashion circuit is quite ancient in origin. Once a common way of styling hair in Sub Saharan Africa for centuries, cornrows stood for religion, kinship, status, age and ethnicity of a person. As a matter of fact, you can see black braided hairstyles like cornrows, on ancient hieroglyphic statues and roman coins. With slavery, the cornrow braid styles came to America where it was used as a means of protestation against slavery. With the emergence of the hip hop culture in the 1980s, this hairstyle grew in prominence and broke the cultural boundaries, with more and more people adopting it. As time evolved, the basic parallel cornrows have made way for funkier geometric patterns and swirls. Take a look at some of the cornrow braid styles.

Cornrow Braid Hairstyles
The cornrow braids of all styles are made by braiding the hair flat against the scalp. They usually begin right behind the area where your bangs would begin and generally end shortly before the crown of the head. Although the traditional cornrow styles are usually made in simple, straight lines, complicated geometrical and curvilinear designs have also been adopted lately. Additionally, shells and other hair accessories are used to decorate the braids.

How to Create Cornrow Braid Styles
The method for creating a traditional cornrow is by using an underhand "pick up" technique. The process involves sculpting the parted sections into braids. This is to be done keeping the final result in mind which will help you create smooth and curved contour partings. Here are the steps for those wanting to know as to how to braid cornrows.

Divide the hair into sections, depending on how small you want the braids to be. Now divide this section into three equal strands. Make a normal braid of about 2 "stitches" to get started with. Holding the two outer strands aside, reach down under this initial braid, to add a little hair to the middle strand. Next on you need to fully merge this new hair to the middle strand so that it becomes a part of it, and you again have 3 strands. You now need to make a braid stitch out of these three strands. Continue braiding, while each time adding a little more hair to the middle strand and repeating this process until you've run out of hair to add. Secure your cornrows with a snap bead, hair clip, end bar, barrette or a bolo tie tip.

Choosing a Cornrow Braid Style
Although this basic cornrow design still retains its popularity, the styles can always be modified based on the hair stylist's creativity and imagination. The cornrow styles for men should suit their face and personality. Remember Sean Paul and his amazing cornrow hairstyle? Well, he certainly got that hairstyle right. Also for men, the hair length should be at least 10 cm to allow the hairstylist some creativity. Similarly, there are loads of cornrow styles for women available on the internet and with the stylists. You can look up the cornrow braid style pictures and select the one that you like.

However while selecting the hair braiding design, remember that cornrows can stay with you for several weeks and therefore, it is important to be comfortable with the style you chose. A cornrow braid style that you choose, needs to be practical and should suit your lifestyle. A flamboyant and wacky design might be great for a special occasion, but it is up to you to decide whether it would be easy to look after and be appropriate for everyday wear. However, your hairstyle needs to be far from boring. Just choose a customized and unique cornrow to suit your hair, personality and lifestyle.