traditional
- the technique
- Extension tied on with a small wrapped anchor knot at the root of each section.
- the feel
- Heavy pull for the first few days, then it eases. Highest durability against frizzing or slipping.
install
5–8 h
SF baseline
$150–300
third culture haus / braids / box braids
no.01 · individual braids
box braids
The classic. Individual braids parted into squares. The one everyone knows, the one everyone started with.
- Family
- individual braids
- Chair time
- 5-8 hours
- Range
- $150–300
- Lasts
- 6-8 weeks
01
the BASICS
Box braids are individual braids on square sections. The squares are what give them their name, drawn on the scalp before a single braid is laid, and a clean parting is the first thing to look for when you judge the work.
They're the originals. Everything else here is a variation on them, every size, every length.
Some salons call them singles, some list singles and box braids as two different things, and when they do, singles is the wider word and box braids is the one with the square parts. Ask which they mean.
The knot is the older way of holding them in. Heavier, a little more tension at the start, but they hold their shape longer and the parts stay sharp for weeks.
Check whether the hair is included. Some menus quote you with it, some expect you to bring your own, and that alone moves the price by fifty dollars or more.
Beads and cuffs optional, always a good idea.
The first braids I ever got.
02
the VARIATIONS
the name
"Box" refers to the square scalp partings — small clean boxes of hair, each braided separately. It doesn't refer to the small knot at the root, though people often conflate the two. If you want the install without the knot, see knotless braids — same braid, no bump.
jumbo
- the technique
- Big square parts. Fewer than twenty braids in the whole install, each one thick.
- the feel
- Fast to sit for, loud to wear. Weight sits on fewer roots — tension concentrates.
install
2–3 h
SF baseline
$120–200
micro / mini
- the technique
- Tiny geometric partings, hundreds of pencil-thin knotted braids.
- the feel
- Fluid — moves like loose hair. Almost no styling limits. Take-down takes real patience.
install
8–14+ h
SF baseline
$350–600+
creative parting
- the technique
- Standard knotted braid, but the square grid becomes triangles, diamonds, or zig-zags.
- the feel
- A graphic upgrade. The parting is the whole style — best in a bun or a pony.
install
5–8 h
SF baseline
$175–350
bob length
- the technique
- Braids cut and sealed at the jaw or shoulder line to frame the face.
- the feel
- Light. Nothing on the neck. Low-maintenance shape.
install
4–6 h
SF baseline
$150–250
04
the UPKEEP
washGive them a day or two to set before the first wash. After that, diluted shampoo on the scalp every two to three weeks, air dry fully.
sleepSatin scarf or bonnet every night. Oil the scalp once or twice a week.
lastsSix to eight weeks. Past week eight the new growth tangles into the braid and the takedown gets long.
edgesLight oil into the parts two or three times a week, not on the length. Day one tight is normal, week one tight is not.
05
who DOES it · sf
african hairstyle by aicha — bayview–hunters pointbox braids · cornrows · kids' stylessourcedkaari braids studio — downtown oaklandboho braids · box braids · knotless braidssourcedafrican braids by lima — inglesideboho braids · box braids · cornrowssourcedl'elegance — fillmorebox braids · knotless braids · boho braidssourcedmenage lux beauty — nob hillknotless braids · box braids · boho braidsverifiedakwaba braids — temescalbox braidssourced