Time needed: 40 minutes.
If you are looking for an easy way to create natural box braids here is a great video tutorial that shows you how. In just a few steps you can have healthy looking, long lasting box braids and spend more time enjoying your day. The style looks great with any outfit for any occasion.
To create box braids you will need: comb, 2 packs of three weft closure or eight packs of three weft closure. You will also require leave in conditioner and clips.
Box braids are a protective style that can be done in an hour or less. In this video, I show you step-by-step how to do box braids.
Box braids are a great protective style. They’re soft and fun, yet low-maintenance. I thought I’d share my tricks to make your braiding process as easy as can be.
I’m sure you’ve heard of box braids. Well, what are they? Well, depending on how you do them they can be a solid color or two or three colors blended together. Box braids, also called ‘sardines braids’ is a hairstyle that has made a comeback thanks to an influx of Afro pop musicians, and old school New York Hip-Hop Cliques like the Lost Boyz and The Fugees.
Learning how to box braid hair is a fun way to spice up your hairstyle. Box braids are unique in that they look great on medium length hair or longer. You can make box braids in all kinds of styles including rope twists and French braids. Box braids are a fun protective style that makes you look more glamourous and stylish than ever!
Box braids are a great hairstyle for black women. They’re easy to do, and give the hair a cute, curly texture without the hassle of blow-drying or hot tools. I like box braids because you don’t have to get them re-done every few weeks; instead, they can last for months, as long as your hair grows!
Do you want to learn how to do box braids? Well now you can, with this video tutorial. This post is about how to do box braids for beginners so if you have already known these techniques, it may be a little bit boring for you but I hope the video and images below help ! Also the pictures are in steps so that you can follow them easily . Let’s get started!
Doing box braids on yourself isn’t as hard as you may think. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll make a success out of it.
- Separate the hair into thirds
The first step to doing your hair in box braids is to separate the hair into equal sections. Most African American women with long and thick hair will typically divide their hair into three sections while the Asian community divides their hair into only two sections.
To do box braids, you will first have to separate the hair into sections. Most people don’t realize that your hair has three parts: the top, the middle, and the bottom.
The purpose of a box braid is to create curves, so the first step is to separate your hair into three sections. You can also choose four sections if you’d like a smaller box braid.
I start with the back section, and separate off about a 1/4″-1/2″ section at the top. Then, divide the rest of the hair into two equal sections and use these as your two new middle sections.
You can divide the hair into two, three, four or six parts and make the braids bigger or smaller depending on your preference. The way I chose to braid my hair is by separating it into thirds.
I am parting my hair down the middle, I will end up with 2 sections on either side of my part. You do not need to be as precise as I was for this style. Just stop about a half inch or so before you get back to your part.
It is important to separate the hair into thirds, so put the hair in a ponytail and use a sharpie or chalk to mark it. This special tool makes it easier to see your scalp.
- Crisscross
The second step to your box braid for natural hair is to crisscross the smaller piece of hair (the smaller strand should be below the larger strand) on top of the larger strand. Move the section upwards, however instead of moving it into an overhand knot, pass it over the first strand that lays underneath.
To cross the pieces, you bring one piece over another on top of your head. The technique generally works in three steps: upper, middle and lower.
Once you have the smaller piece on top, start crisscrossing it under the larger piece. It should be like an X underneath your head. Bend both pieces in the middle and begin to crisscross each side of the piece above one another.
It’s important to start with your hairline completely covered by your longer piece in the back. Your smaller piece will sit on top of it, crisscrossed underneath.
This part can get tricky depending on your natural hair type. If you have thick curly hair like I do, you may need to use a lite oil or gel to loosen the curl pattern. You want these pieces to lay flat against each other as they will create the look of a waterfall braid.
Now that you have the smaller piece folded toward the back, it’s time to braid. You want to create a flat braid, so begin by crossing the smaller piece over the larger piece. This just means you want your hair strands to crisscross each other instead of intertwine (it will feel like OUCH, even through your hair!).
This gives it a crisscrossed look. The placement of the crossing will vary depending on how low you want your hair to go. Once you have finished with that, continue braiding the rest of your hair in a normal 3-strand plait.
- Loop
When you get to the top, loop the smaller one around. Once it loops up, grab the piece closest to the scalp and pull away after securing it in place. This actually creates a braid, but it’s one that is done underneath. It should pull away from your head slightly and be taut.
Loop the smaller one around and pull it through one of the larger loops. Repeat until all pairs are braided. Secure all loose ends by tying knots on top. You have to loop the smaller one around the big one in a vertical manner. And then tie it up with an elastic band.
Now loop the smaller one around the bigger one. The precision you need to use depends on how long you want the finished design to be. The more loops, the thicker and longer your braids will be. I found that four loops was just right for my hairstyle.
In step 1, we formed the first 3 strands for the small box braid. Now it’s time to stick a smaller strand inside the loop and loop it around to create a small box braid. As you can see in picture number 2, I am holding on to the original strand (orange) while pushing the new one (purple). We want to form a loop around both orange and purple strands.
The hair is going to be braided in a downward motion, so basically loop the smaller piece of hair around. It doesn’t matter if it’s backward or forward, just as long as you secure it to the cornrows. You do this by using your needle and thread once again to kind of sew it into place.
Before you tie the smaller lock of hair, take the end of the strand and loop it around one of the neighboring wefts. This will hold the weft in place while you finish looping and tying.
- Separate the hair into 3 pieces
Take the ponytail straight out from the hairline and separate it into 3 equal sections, then take one of these sections and split that section in half. This should now give you 3 fairly equal sized sections.
Then pull the right piece over the middle piece. And do the same with the left over middle piece. In order to create a box braid, you will need to separate the hair into three strands. You can use as many hairs as you want but the more hair you add, the thicker your plait will be. We prefer three.
In this final step of the braiding, we will divide up the front, middle and back sections of the hair. The easiest way to do this is to create 3 equal sections. Since the length of your hair will factor into what length you want to make each section, it can be helpful to tie a piece of yarn around your hair in these 3 spots before you start separating your hair into it’s three sections.
I found that 1 inch wide pieces worked best for me. I separated my hair into 3 pieces at 1 inch intervals starting from my forehead and ending right above where my braids would end.
The first one will start at the side of your hairline and go to right in front of your ear. The second one will also start at the side of your hairline but sit just at the bottom of the ear. And the third piece will be from your temple to the crown of your head.
- Align the hair and use the smaller loop as the third leg of the braid
Align the hair and use the smaller loop as the third leg of the braid. Align the three strands into one. At this point, it’s not a concern if the three strands are momentarily separate from one another. Sooner than later, though, they will become a single unit.
Now add the new small loop to the bottom of the box braid, aligning it in the current hairstyle. As always make sure both loops underneath are several inches below the top hair braid. Secure with two rubber bands. If your hair is quite long and you need to secure the bottom loop with more than two rubber bands, then put the first rubber band further up from where you normally would.
Since you are going to use the smaller loop in the third leg of your box braid, it is important that you align each strand with your fingers. Then, when you create the first box braid, try to incorporate this smaller strand into the pattern. Simply tuck the smaller loop under one of the other strands before you begin braiding.
You don’t need any fancy or complicated technique to do this—just pull each strand tight enough that it doesn’t slip out. Make sure you have a loop at the top of the braid so you can secure the hair to your head. This is why I like all of my loops to be the same size: it makes pulling even tension in the braid much easier!
- Start braiding
Let’s start braiding! Start off by take two strands of hair, then cross them over. Then you’re going to take your left strand and bring it across the front of the right strand, under the bottom. Then you’ll take your right strand and bring it across behind the left strand, then under the bottom .
To start braiding, take the section of hair you want to braid and add it between your index and middle finger. The rest of the hair that needs to be braided should hang in front of your palm. If you have never done this before, practice on an extra section of your hair. You may find that using an elastic to pull the hair tight while braiding makes things easier for you. However, it is not a requirement.
Okay, so now you’ve got all your sections ready, good girl! Now we’re going to start braiding. You might want to position yourself at a place where you can sit comfortably in a chair. If you plan on doing this overnight, then I recommend picking out something to watch on your iPad or laptop. This will help the time go by faster than sitting staring at the mirror wondering if you have enough hair left for another braid.
Braiding the hair takes time and patience to do, but once you have the hang of it, it gets easier and faster. If you have thin hair then take a smaller section and if you have thick hair like me, take a larger section.
Once your strands are pulled, you can start braiding. You can do box braids using any pattern you choose, but for a traditional look, I suggest three rows of cornrows on each side with extra-long braids in the back.
