For summer hair, one of the most popular options is to braid all or part of your hair. It’s a perfect summer trend that is both stylish and healthy for your hair.
Box braids look like a work of modern art and can give you a modern, edgy look, but did you know that they are ancient? It’s true! Egyptians were rocking this braid trend back in 3100 B.C!
Beyond being drop-dead gorgeous, wearing braids has a ton of benefits for the health of your hair. Keep reading to learn our top 7 benefits you could see from wearing braids, especially of the box variety.
Box Braid Benefits
1. Low Maintenance
One of the most raved about benefits of wearing your hair in braids is that it is a very low maintenance hairstyle. If you are not blessed with tons of time to do your hair in the morning, you may want to consider installing braids.
Other hair trends need constant retouching, which means heading to your stylist every couple of weeks. If you take care of your braids, this style can last up to 3 months!
Another low maintenance feature of braids is that you do not need to prepare your hair the night before to achieve your desired style the next morning. Many braided hairstyles take 10 minutes or less to complete!
2. Easy to Style
While we are on the topic of braided styles, our next reason braids are the bomb is that getting a killer style is simple! No need for hot tools or fancy products, braided hair can go from zero to full-on updo in a few minutes!
Many people who have their hair braided style it into a super thick ponytail, or pigtails a-la Janet Jackson circa 1990. A good, strong hair elastic will be your best friend with braids.
Even the more elaborate braided hairstyles are easy to achieve, regardless of your hair styling ability. A few hair baubles and hairpins can get you a stunning look that is sure to draw admiration.
3. Variety of Style Options
You might think that the variety of style options available for people with braided hair is somewhat limited… but you would be wrong! Most styles that you can do on unbraided hair, you can also do on braided hair. You can even curl the braids for a spiral curly look!
In fact, braided hair can make an otherwise simple look appear much more time-consuming! Updos, for example, look even more intricate when done on braided hair.
4. Bejeweled Braids
Back in the ancient Egyptian days, people adorned their braids with beads and baubles to add a bit of personal pizazz to a look. Though the hair jewels have changed a bit, we still love a bejeweled and braided hairstyle!
To be honest, the variety of hair accessories is only limited by your imagination. Some of the most common items used to dress-up braids are puka shells, metal cuffs, dangling charms, bone beads, yarn, rings, chains, and wood beads.
Be sure you know basic braid maintenance and how to guide the braids through the beads or you could end up with some funky braids (and not in a good way)!
5. Help for Hair Growth
If you are trying to grow your hair out, braids can be a great way to help get you to your goal. It’s both beautiful and beneficial for your hair!
One of the major reasons why braids help your hair grow is because you are no longer damaging your hair with heat styling or harmful chemical relaxers. Giving your hair a break from harmful styling treatments will prevent your hair from getting so fried that it needs the dreaded chop.
If your hair is already super damaged to the point of no return and a haircut is imminent, don’t fret. You can add extensions to your remaining hair to get the length back without further damaging your hair.
The transition from relaxed to natural African hair is easier with the use of braids because the braid masks the awkward hair texture phase you get between styles.
6. Quick-Change Artist
Do you change your mind about hairstyles and colors as often as you change your underwear? No worries, braids are a great option for you too!
Using colored extensions in the braids will give you a punch of color without coloring your natural hair. The best part is that you can change that color to something else whenever you want since it’s not damaging your hair!
Want to go from black to blonde? How about from a short bob to a waist-length mane? Using braids can get you any look you want in two shakes of a lamb’s tail!
7. Weather Protection
Braids have some awesome protective qualities as well. If you know your hair is getting assaulted by the natural elements, braids have got your back!
No matter if you choose to swim at the beach or the pool, you are damaging your do! The salt in ocean water is as damaging to your hair as chlorine and other pool chemicals are. Braids act like a shield, protecting the inner portions from exposure to these damaging effects.
That’s why braids are most often worn during the summer when your hair sees the most damaging effects of fun in the sun.
Keeping Your Braids Beautiful
Once you have your beautiful box braids in, you will want to care for them so they can last as long as possible without looking ratty or smelling foul. Here is our quick guide for maintaining your mane:
- Wash once a week with a good shampoo from your scalp to the ends of the braids. Do not massage the braids, they will frizz up!
- moisturize your hair and scalp often
- Dry your braids all the way before styling them. Not doing this can cause unpleasant effects like scalp fungus.
- Wrap your hair when you sleep
- Take out the braids after 8 to 10 weeks and wait at least another week before putting more braids in
Armed with the hair benefits and care guide for wearing braids, all you need is to find someone skilled at installing those beautiful braids. Now get out there and be bold, be beautiful, be braided!