# Hairstyles for Black Women: 20 Styles, From Braids to Locs

> Twist and shout.

- Canonical: https://luxe.digital/style/black-women-hairstyles/
- Author: Editorial Team (https://luxe.digital/author/editorial-team/)
- Published: 2026-10-05
- Publisher: Luxe Digital (https://luxe.digital/)
- Cite as: Luxe Digital, "Hairstyles for Black Women: 20 Styles, From Braids to Locs", https://luxe.digital/style/black-women-hairstyles/
- AI-use policy: https://luxe.digital/ai-policy.txt

Braids for the holidays, or the big chop you keep putting off? Most of us go back and forth for weeks, scrolling saved photos at midnight. Then the braider's calendar fills up and the decision makes itself.

The 20 looks below will help you settle it sooner. They come in five groups: braids, short cuts, locs, color, and the easy-going natural styles we file under hairstyles for Black girls. Each one is shown on real clients, with the words to use when you book.

Every group comes from a full guide with dozens more like it, so follow the link in the section that catches your eye.

## Braids

## Short hairstyles

## Locs

## Highlights and color

## Hairstyles for Black girls

## How do you choose between braids, a short cut, locs and color?

Start with how long you want the style to last. Braids and faux locs are a four to eight week commitment, a short cut lasts as long as you keep trimming it, and locs are for the long haul: they take 15 to 18 months to mature. Color lasts until you cut it out, so it pairs with any of the others.

Texture comes next. Natural coily hair holds its shape well when it's short, so a TWA, a taper or a buzz stays neat. Relaxed or pressed hair suits a sleek pixie, a low ponytail or finger waves. Fine or thinning edges need care with braids: go for knotless, and keep the front ones loose.

Then the budget. A braid install is the big spend up front, and the hair comes on top. Short cuts cost less per visit but bring you back more often. Locs need a retwist on a schedule, and blonde often needs more than one session.

| Style | How long it lasts | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Box braids | Four to eight weeks | $75 to $450, plus the hair |
| Knotless braids | Four to eight weeks | About $250 on average, $150 to $600 |
| Fulani braids | One to two months | $120 to $350 |
| Short cut or TWA | As long as you trim it | A trim every few weeks |
| Faux locs | Four to six weeks | A new install each time |
| Locs | Permanent | A retwist every four to six weeks |

## Who suits each style?

Braids suit you if you want weeks off from styling and can give up a day to the install. A short cut puts your features up front, so it suits you if you like your cheekbones and your neck, and you don't mind a trim every few weeks. Locs suit anyone ready to wait more than a year for them to mature. Color comes down to skin tone and nerve: caramel flatters warm and olive skin, and honey blonde flatters medium and deep skin.

## What to ask your braider, loctician or stylist

Take pictures of the front and of the back. Nearly every look here has two for that reason. The ask line under each one is written in salon terms, so read it out as it is.

For braids, say the type, size and length, the part, and the color of the hair. For locs, ask how they'll be started, what size, and how often the retwist will be. For a cut, say where the length should stop and how close you want the taper. For color, say how light you want to go and how often you're willing to come back.

## How much upkeep does each style take?

Braids need a satin bonnet or scarf at night and a scalp wash every week or two. The eight-week mark is the cut-off dermatologists give for taking them out. Hair gains roughly six inches a year, so a short cut needs a trim or line-up every few weeks. Locs need a retwist every four to six weeks, stretching to eight to twelve once they're mature. Color painted on below the root grows out softly enough to leave for three or four months. With foils that start at the scalp, new growth shows between six and eight weeks in.

## Are braids bad for your edges?

Tight braids at the hairline are the problem, not braids themselves. Repeated tension at the front can lead to traction alopecia, where the edges thin out. Ask for the front braids looser and smaller, and say so if anything hurts during the install. Knotless braids pull less than box braids, because the extension is fed in rather than knotted at the root.

## Box braids or knotless braids?

A box braid is anchored with a small knot where it meets the scalp. A knotless braid has none, because your braider works the extension in gradually after the first few crosses. Knotless braids are lighter and flatter at the scalp, and they cost about $50 to $150 more.

| | Box braids | Knotless braids |
|---|---|---|
| At the root | A small knot | Flat, your own hair first |
| Tension | More | Less |
| Price | $75 to $450 | $150 to $600, about $250 on average |

## How long do braids take to install?

Size decides the time. Jumbo box braids take 45 minutes to three hours, Fulani braids four to eight hours, and micro braids nine to twelve. Book a morning slot for anything small, and bring a charger.

Looking for a cut rather than a protective style? Our guide to [haircuts for women](/style/women-hairstyles/) covers lengths from pixie to long layers, on every texture.

Before you book, choose a single look from each group, save its two photos, and copy its ask line somewhere you'll find it. That's the indecision gone, and you'll know which chair to book first.

## Related on Luxe Digital

- [Braids for Black Women: 20 Styles, From Box Braids to Fulani](https://luxe.digital/style/black-women-braids/)
- [Short Hairstyles for Black Women: 61 Looks, From Pixies to TWAs](https://luxe.digital/style/black-women-short-hairstyles/)
- [Loc Styles for Women: 51 Looks, From Short Locs to Soft Locs](https://luxe.digital/style/women-dreadlock-hairstyles/)