#1: Messy Blonde Boho Braid
#2: Lovely Crown Braids for Short Hair
Weave your hair up into this style that’s fit for royalty! The crown plait is so simple yet elegant and is ideal for casual or special occasions.
#3: Double Dutch Braids
If you want your hair to look the prettiest in just under a few minutes, this cute braided hairstyle with double Dutch braids is the answer! Perfect for gym or jogging, this classic cute style will keep your hair out of your face and will show off your hair color. Braid hairstyles might take some effort but are definitely worth it.
#4: Lovely Waterfall Braid
A totally easy and recreate-able look – this interweaving pattern is possible on any hairstyle as long as there is some length to it. Perfect for a wedding event or a date night!
#5: Box Braids for African Americans
Put an edge to the typical lengthy style and feel the advantages of having low upkeep hair with these sexy locks! You’ll surely be unique without putting much effort!
#6: Short Braided Ponytail
This is a simple braided updo that’s perfect for everyday hairstyles. “What I love most about it is that it looks great on adults and children,” says look creator Lina Snyder from Detroit, MI. “It’s versatile, so you can wear it hanging down casually or dress it up by wrapping it in a bun and pinning a cute flower or some type of hair jewelry in it.”
This braided ponytail is perfect for busy women who don’t have time to style their hair every day. It’s very low-maintenance. Just get up and go.
If you have recently done a big chop on your hair, it’s a great protective style to kickstart the growing process.
If you’re the outgoing type, Snyder suggests adding pops of hair colors to your braids to stand out from the crowd. For styling, she states that “very minimal products are needed – maybe just a little oil sheen to give it that freshly done shine.”
Whether you work a 9-5 or you’re a stay-at-home mother, this ponytail will fit your lifestyle perfectly. Cute braided hairstyles for short hair can be low-maintenance!
#7: Twist Braids for Natural Hair
This braided short hair is a flat two-strand twist look with individual two-strand twists at the back by style creator April Lynn of Atlanta, GA.
“The greatest thing about this look is it last for at least 2 weeks, and you can separate the twist in the back to create another style,” she adds.
This is an easy-to-maintain style, only needing a hair bonnet to secure while sleeping. The only product needed is some oil sheer or spray to give it a shine and some moisture.
#8: Sporty Pixie Braid
This is a pastel unicorn 3D braided pixie, created by an independent stylist and colorist from Quebec, Amelie Berthelette. The coolest thing about it is how unique it looks and the combination of soft colors (Guy Tang #Mydentity Vibrant Pastels) with an edgy cut and style.
“This fun look is ideal for pixie cuts with very short undercuts. It’s perfect for Christmas Party Season and will make heads turn for sure,” Berthelette points out.
To recreate the look, use a texture spray on dry hair. Part in three vertical parallel sections (central bigger, sides smaller), isolating the central one with clips. Apply on the two remaining sections a light hold paste and create a small dutch braid, after securing with elastics, loosen the braids delicately. Add texture spray if needed.
For the middle section, create barrel curls with a curling iron using a heat protectant spray. Once the middle section is curled, use a light hold styling spray. Let it cool. Separate in two each curl and crisscross them to imitate a braid. Choose how high you want your braid considering it will elongate your morphology. While creating this fake braid use a light hold styling spray.
Berthelette suggests hiding the elastics of the two smaller braids under the central braid using small pins. Then, finish the style with a maximal hold styling spray.
#9: Side French Braids for Short Hair
This look features a side French braid for short hair, which is cute yet casual. The little braid can dress up a woman’s whole look and it’s something you can recreate at home.
According to hairstylist Erin Phillips of Kansas City, MO, this look is low-maintenance. “The model wanted a cut to give her style when she didn’t feel like fixing her hair. We went with an inverted bob. I then showed her how to do a simple 3 strand braid (not French) and pull it apart to look a little messy. Also giving the illusion that it took more effort,” Phillips explains.
Cute short braids for short hair like these are eye-catching!
#10: Easy Halo Braid
The halo braid is so versatile! Bridal hairstylist Vanessa Ospina of Miami, FL agrees that “the style can be worn with something modern or even something classy. You can wear it to a wedding or a simple day at the park!”
The great thing about a halo braid is that you can do your favorite braid and still have the halo effect! Instead of a three-strand braid, they may like a fishtail going all around instead.
Ospina advises ladies “to make sure to tell the stylist what kind of braid they like best.”
#11: Feed-In Braids for Black Hair
This style is called box braids in a bob style. This is one of the popular protective styles for natural-haired people, and it’s Marianne’s work of art, a hairstylist in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
“What I like most about this style is that, it is a timeless style, never goes out of fashion. It caters to all looks, professional, casual look as well as smart. This style is also suitable for all age groups, and it frames the face beautifully. The braids come also in different colors giving everyone a wider selection,” Marianne points out.
If you don’t have time to deal with your natural hair, this protective style is a great solution. It doesn’t require much maintenance except regular normal conditioning of the hair by spraying a mixture of water and some leave-in conditioner. If you are going to keep the braids for longer than 2 weeks, Marianne recommends “washing the scalp by cleaning it with a cotton pad and a mixture of apple cider vinegar diluted in water.”
Before braiding, it’s important to take into account the condition of your hair first. If you have thinner hair, you shouldn’t wear braids that are too tight or too heavy. Alternatively, you could leave your baby hair on your hairline to protect edges, and brush it with hair gel for a clean look.
If someone is looking for a simple and yet chic hairstyle, this is your go-to hairstyle as you don’t have to style it every day once you are wearing it!
#12: Ghana Braids for Black Women
Ghana braids are native to Africa. Its beauty depends greatly on the creativity and initiative of the braider or the stylist.
The best thing about this look, according to stylist Oshundiya Folashade from Nigeria, is the fact that it requires minimal maintenance. “It’s my easy go-to look because of my busy daily routine. Combing stress is out of my list. It helps me save more cost and manage my time yet gives me a neat, beautiful look,” Folashade adds.
It’s a very fantastic idea as you can own this look wearing a wig. It saves you the number of hours spent creating the look, saves you cost, improves the life of the hair (zero disturbance and or stress on the scalp), and leaves you with a beautiful, younger face.
#13: Bohemian Braid
This is a sassy and refreshing take on the classic braided half-up, half-down hairstyle. It’s made by a stylist and boutique manager in California, Dannielle Robeson.
“This style is super versatile, as it can work for almost any hair length,” says Robeson. “Although, this style is not suitable for very thin hair. Try adding some texturizing in your braid to get more fluff.”
#14: Half Up Fishtail Braid
This is a curly faux hawk with a fishtail braid, created by Austria-based stylist Susanne Frioli, who loves braided styles so much. She explains, “They are so diverse and for every lady, there is one style, even if she is sporty, like this model, or elegant and romantic for a bridal style.”
This hairstyle is for a woman who’s really sporty in normal life and wears her hair straightened because it’s the most uncomplicated style for her to do.
“The model wanted a special style for an occasion, that fits her personality but shows one of her other sides. It was an inspired look by Chloe Brown, who we both adore a lot for her hairstyles. She always gives great inspos for what you can do with shorter hair,” Frioli mentions.
Frioli tried to figure out how to braid her hair in a way that fits her profile, where she needs the volume of the curls, and how to make the style elegant for the wedding where she went but still look naughty and sporty to fit her personality. “She was my favorite braided style this year because the result fitted her so much and showed even herself how many faces she has and how different the looks are she could wear,” she states.
The most important thing for braided styles is to note the volume and the form that the complete style needs to fit you perfectly. Frioli adds, “You need a product to manage the hair, to eliminate frizziness but leave the hair manageable. It should be not too hard on its hold and gives lots of shine.”
Her most liked product is Artego fingerprints. It’s a smooth shiny hair wax, and even if you have braided the complete style you can change the volume of the braid. Also, the smell of the product is really lovely.
To create the style, Frioli did the braid and the curls around. With the curls, you can play so much with volume and shape. To fix the style, Frioli used Artego Hot Shot spray, as it gives perfect hold and does not dry out the hair so much. Even if you brush it out in the evening or the next morning a little, it won’t get flaky.
#15: Cute Dutch Braid
It’s a flirty casual look by Arizona-based stylist Abby Runyan. It’s a quick simple style that goes with almost every occasion and every hairstyle. From long locks to pixie cuts, you can always add a fun braid to bring some personality to your hair.
“A great product for this style is a good texture spray. This helps give some grip when doing the braid and finish off with a good hairspray to keep everything in place,” Runyan suggests.
#16: Simple Side Braids
The side braids give the classic pixie cut an edgier style. It was done to a bridesmaid by stylist Melisa Kudic of New Hartford, NY. “I love that it’s not a traditional bridesmaid look. It’s different and unique,” Kudic emphasizes.
This look could be achieved on any hair length, however short hair gives it that flare. Kudic states, “The braids are easy to do and could be done alternatively as cornrows or even twists.”
A thin straightener can give these loose waves in the hair and add volume. There isn’t much maintenance with this look since after hairspray was applied, it’ll stay all night!
Leave a Reply