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
Box braid lob
A lob gives you the swing of a bob with enough length to tie back at the gym. Honey brown is gentler on the face than jet black, and the darker root keeps the parts from standing out. Box braids, knotless, Fulani and stitch styles are all in our guide to braids for Black women.
What to ask for Collarbone-length box braids, medium size, cut straight across, a honey-brown shade that goes darker at the root, and a deep side part.
Small knotless braids
Nothing is tied at the scalp. Your braider begins each braid in your own hair and blends in extension hair a few crosses down, so the pull on your scalp is lighter. Small ones move almost like loose hair. Budget the time, though: a small set can take up to 12 hours in the chair.
What to ask for Knotless, small size, square sections, my natural black, ending mid-back with no beads or curls.
French curl braids
Each braid opens into loose curls for its last stretch. The curls soften the whole style. A darker root keeps the parts quiet as your own hair grows in. It’s a box braid underneath, so it lasts the usual four to eight weeks.
What to ask for Chest-length French curls in small sections, a mid-brown shade darker at the root, curls starting two-thirds of the way down.
Classic Fulani braids
The style traces back to West Africa’s Fulani people. It pairs cornrows laid flat along the front with loose braids hanging behind. This is the pattern most braiders start from, before beads, cuffs or curls go on. Plan on four to eight hours and somewhere between $120 and $350.
What to ask for Small Fulani braids in black: a center row, side rows angled back to the ears, loose braids down to my waist.
Short hairstyles
Tapered pixie
The back stays neat for weeks, and the length on top gives you something to style. It works on relaxed hair, as in the second photo, and on curls. Our guide to short hairstyles for Black women has pixies, bobs, TWAs and finger waves.
What to ask for A pixie: clippers close behind and over the ears, a few inches kept up top and cut in layers that fall toward my face.
Tapered TWA with a shaved part
A teeny weeny afro is often the first cut after the big chop. Tapering the sides gives it shape. The shaved line takes the place of a part. Your barber can redraw it at every line-up.
What to ask for Leave about an inch of curl up top, clip the back and sides down short, and shave a parting line in on one side.
Buzz cut
A buzz cut asks nothing of you in the morning. It also puts your cheekbones and your earrings on show, and that’s half the appeal. Bright color reads beautifully at this length, as the bleached version shows.
What to ask for Clippers all over to roughly a quarter inch, a crisp line-up along the hairline, plus a bright color if I fancy one.
Finger waves
Finger waves are the 1920s set, pressed in with gel, a comb and your stylist’s fingers. They’re a special-occasion style, ideal for a wedding or a party. Book it as a set rather than a cut, and bring a photo of the wave pattern you want.
What to ask for Book a 1920s set: S-waves pressed along both sides, pin curls set up top, and gel for a high gloss.
Locs
Sisterlocks
Sisterlocks are very small locs made with an interlocking tool, and only a certified consultant can install them. Because there are so many, you can curl them, pin them and style them almost like loose hair. Loc sizes from micro to thick are in our guide to loc styles for women.
What to ask for A Sisterlocks consultation with a certified consultant: grid size, install hours and the retightening schedule.
Long faux locs
With faux locs, extension hair is wound or hooked around your own, and the set comes out at four to six weeks. That makes them the low-risk way to find out whether you like locs before you start real ones. At waist length they’re heavy, so ask for the front ones a little lighter.
What to ask for Faux locs down to my waist in black, a few bronze strands wound in, center part, a couple of silver charms near my face.
Burgundy microlocs
Microlocs are close in size to Sisterlocks, but they don’t need a certified installer. Red is a bold choice on locs, so go to a salon that colors them often. Book a gloss every six to eight weeks, or the red dulls.
What to ask for Microlocs to the collarbone, burgundy all over with brighter red through the ends.
Sculpted loc updo
Locs hold pins well, so they make strong updos. This one suits a wedding or a gala, and a loctician can build it in a couple of hours. The curly bun in the second photo is the faster version for a weekend.
What to ask for An updo with my locs rolled and pinned around the head, a coil low at the back, edges smoothed down.
Highlights and color
Platinum highlights
Going from black to platinum is a big lift, so it’s rarely done in one appointment. Ask for a bond builder each time, and book a toner refresh every six to eight weeks. Softer browns, reds and gray blending are in our guide to black hair with highlights.
What to ask for Heavy platinum pieces through my whole head, lifted over two or more visits, an icy toner and a bond builder every time.
Caramel highlights on natural curls
Caramel stays within a few shades of dark hair, so it adds warmth without a hard line as it grows. On coils it looks like light caught inside the curl. Lightening coils takes care, so deep condition every week after the color.
What to ask for Caramel color hand-painted onto my coils, a few shades lighter than my base, then a rounded cut with about three inches on top.
Cherry red TWA
A short cut is the easy place to try a bold shade, because it grows out and gets trimmed off quickly. Red looks warm and rich against deep skin. It also fades faster than brown, so plan on a gloss every six to eight weeks.
What to ask for A TWA kept to roughly an inch, colored a bright cherry red all over.
Blonde pixie
Blonde on a pixie is the bold choice that’s easiest to undo, since a few trims take the color out. Blonde on dark hair needs lightener and a toner, often over more than one session. Keep the tone fresh with a gloss every six to eight weeks.
What to ask for A pixie with a longer swept top, lightened all over to a gold-to-platinum blonde.
Hairstyles for Black girls
Feed-in French braids
Two feed-in braids take far less time than a full set, and they hold up to the gym and the pool. Extension hair is added a little at a time, so they look natural at the root and full at the ends. Afros, puffs, twists and cornrows fill our guide to hairstyles for Black girls.
What to ask for Two feed-in braids from forehead to nape on a straight middle part, with extension hair added to whatever length I pick.
Honey blonde afro
Warm blonde on a short, round shape flatters medium and deep skin. Bleach is hard on coils, so have your colorist add a bond builder and give your hair a weekly deep conditioning treatment after. The cut is shaped dry so each curl lands where it should.
What to ask for A short rounded afro cut dry, lightened to warm honey blonde with a bond builder, finished with a gloss.
Sleek low ponytail
A low ponytail is the one to know for interviews and dinners alike. Gel and a soft brush get it smooth, and a curly extension gives it length. Tie it with a silk scrunchie, so the band doesn’t snag.
What to ask for A sleek low pony: gel everything back, lay my edges, tie it at the nape and add a curly piece for extra length.
Flat twists with a twist-out
Flat twists are two-strand twists laid along the scalp, so they’re tidy at the hairline like cornrows but faster to do. Here the rows stop at the crown and the ends are opened into a twist-out. The face stays framed by clean rows while the top looks full.
What to ask for Front and sides flat-twisted toward the crown, and the hair left at the top set as a twist-out for volume.
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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 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.
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