How to Do Box Braids

Braids and twist hairstyles are amongst the much common and popular type of hairstyles. These are not only a big hit amongst the African Americans but also amongst many other ladies. There are various options in braiding your hair, right from the micro braids till the thick and stylish French braids which can give your locks a fresh and trendy touch. Box braids are one such type of hair braids, which look quite fashionable and are a fave of many ladies. Box Braiding is basically a hairstyle which involves use of hair extensions. It is amongst the long-lasting types of hairstyles, which need hours to style well.

With the growing popularity of these braids you can find many variations in the same. These are much similar to the micro braids where-in you get a number of braids on your mane. Use of hair extensions is the major difference in these braids and micro braids. Well, that offers you a lot of scope to experiment with the hair color. You can find hair extensions in varied colors, textures and lengths. Go for single-colored hair extensions or have the multi-tone effect by using extensions of two shades of same colors. Let us move on to understand how to do box braids on natural hair using hair extensions.

A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Start the procedure by thoroughly washing and conditioning your locks. Dry them well and get the tools like flat comb, rubber bands, clips, and water spray.
2. If your hair is much unmanageable, the same can be first flat ironed and then box braided. Flat ironing hair will make working on them easier. Now, divide your entire hair in four big and equal sections. Loose wind up each section of hair using a large hair clutcher, leaving the lower left side section free.
3. Now, you have to take a very thin strand of hair and divide it into two equal sections. Take one hair extension. Attach the hair extension to your hair depending upon its type and use it as the third section. You can part hair in three sections and club this extension with one of the three sections as well. Now, you have three strands to work upon.
4. These braids consist of three-strand braids, one of which is a synthetic strand and rest of two are strands of natural hair. Now start braiding these three strands to have a long and tight braid. As you have to style hair into multiple micro braids further adding extensions to each braid, the procedure needs professional help.
5. As you finish one braid, secure it using a rubber band. Now, take another thin section of hair, part it into two strands, add an extension and braid the three strands from root to ends. Go on following the procedure and braiding thin strands of this section of hair. Once the lower left section of your mane is completely styled into multiple braids, work on the lower right side section, followed by rest of the sections. Make sure that you secure each braid with a tiny rubber band.

Make sure that you use good quality extensions while working on this popular African hair braiding style. Box braid being a hairstyle that stays in place for a few months, you need to follow the right hair care and washing procedure. As you will be styling your box braided hair further, it is best to avoid heat styling. With colorful beads and hair accessories, playing up the braids is not a tough job. Make sure you rightly wash the braided locks so that no residue of shampoo or condition is left in-between them.