Braids have come a long way with time. They don’t just need to be the basic three strand braid anymore. You can try many different variations to suit your mood, outfits and occasion. You don’t have to cut your long hair and adopt a short hairstyle if you are looking to mix things up a bit. You could style your braids specifically for a day in the office, a prom date or a boxing bout. Braids are very versatile and can be worn for every occasion. Not only do braids make it easier to manage hair, they can also add to your glamour. You can use simple types of braids or even complicated ones. However, don’t forget to brush your hair and get rid of the knots and tangles before you start. Most of these braids will suit people with all kinds of hair: straight, curly and wavy.

Here are the different types of braids for you to style your hair with:

Three Strand Braid

The most basic of braids, the straightforward three strand braid is something most people will be familiar with. It is probably the first braid that most people learn to do by themselves. This simple braid can be transformed into a plethora of different hairstyles if you play around with the size and the texture.

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• Hair elastic

Styling Steps

• Use a hair brush to get rid of all the knots and tangles in your hair.
• Divide your hair into 3 equal sections.
• Flip the left section over the middle section.
• Now, flip the right section over the middle section (that was previously the left section).
• Keep repeating steps 3 and 4 by alternately flipping the left and right sections of hair over the center section until you’ve got braided till the top .
• Secure the ends with a hair elastic.

French Braid

Now, here’s another classic braid that’s a classic style round the world. The French braid is one of the simplest and most chic ways to keep your hair out of your face on a hot summer day. It also is the perfect hairstyle for work or school. It may take you a little bit of practice to get the hang of French braiding, but once you do, it will take you less than 3 minutes to do it perfectly.

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• Hair elastic

Styling Steps

• Brush out all the knots from your hair.
• Pick up the front section of your hair (from between your temples) and divide it into 3 sections.
• Simply braid it in a stitch.
• Second stitch onward, add a 2 inch section of hair from outside the braid to every of the side strands before flipping it over the center strand of braid.
• Once your French braid has reached the nape of your neck and you’ve run out of hair, simply braid the remainder of the way down and secure the ends with a hair elastic.
• You can tug apart and loosen the braid to make it appear more voluminous.

Fishtail Braid

Perhaps the foremost intricate of braids, the fishtail braid may be a favorite when it involves hairstyles for fancy occasions. This trendy braid involves delicately weaving thin sections of hair together to make a symmetrical effect that appears just like the perfectly aligned scales on a fish’s tail.

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• 2 hair elastics

Styling Steps

• Detangle your hair with the help of a hairbrush.
• Gather all of your hair and tie it into a ponytail.
• Divide your ponytail into 2 equal sections.
• Pick up a skinny section of hair from the outer side of the left section, flip it over and add it to the inner side of the proper section of your ponytail.
• Now, devour a skinny section of hair from the outer side of the proper section, flip it over and add it to the inner side of the left section of your ponytail.
• Keep repeating steps 4 and 5 alternately until you’ve fishtail braided till the end of your hair.
• Secure the ends with a hair elastic.
• Cut off the hair elastic at the highest of your braid to end off the design.

Rope Twisted Braid

As far as braiding hair is concerned, the Rope Twisted Braid is probably the easiest type of braid. All you need to do is twist two sections of hair together and this beautiful braid is ready in two minutes. The rope braid is ideal to be sported on days when you’re running late and need to be out of the door immediately.

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• 2 hair elastic

Styling Steps

• Brush out all the knots and tangles in your hair and tie it into a high ponytail.
• Divide your ponytail into 2 sections.
• Twist the two sections individually during a clockwise direction till the very ends.
• Intertwine these twisted sections with each other in an anticlockwise direction till the end.
• Secure the ends with a hair elastic.

Four Strand Braid

A four strand braid serves as a great way to spice things up when you’re bored of the old three strand braid. This cool twisted braid can work as a cute hairstyle that you simply can sport to class. The best part about the four strand braid is that at the initial glance, it’s sort of a regular braid, then makes people do a double take!

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• Hair elastic

Styling Steps

• Brush your hair to remove all knots and tangles.
• Part it down the center or brush it all back.
• Divide your hair into 4 equal sections and mentally give them numbers.
• Now, begin the braiding process by taking section 2 and flipping section 1 under it. Then take that over section 3.
• Follow the same pattern till you have braided till you reach the end of your hair.
• Tie up the ends with a hair elastic.

Dutch Braid

A Dutch braid is nothing but a French braid wiped out in reverse. This braid looks unique because of the way it sits on top of your hair. The Dutch braid is frequently incorporated with a half up style to offer a flirtatious vibe or styled with a bun to appear more work appropriate.

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• Hair elastic

Styling Steps

• Brush out all the knots and tangles in your hair.
• From between your temples, devour the front section of your hair and divide it into 3 sections.
• Braid it for one stitch by flipping the side sections under the center section.
• In each stitch of the braid, start adding hair from outside the braid to the side sections before flipping them under the center section.
• Once your Dutch braid has reached the nape of your neck, simply braid the rest of the way down and secure the ends with a hair elastic.

Pull Through Braid

This braid is great for women whose hair is of a finer texture. If you want to make your hair look more voluminous without trying out hair thickening methods, this braid is perfect for you. The pull through braid is very fashionable and trendy today. It needs you to tie your hair in a bunch of ponytails and pull them through each other to get a braid effect.

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• Hair elastics

Styling Steps

• Use your hair brush to remove all the knots and tangles.
• Take a section from the top of your head and tie it into a ponytail.
• Pick up another section of hair from right under the primary ponytail and tie it into another ponytail.
• Split the first ponytail in half.
• Bring the two sections of the first ponytail together under the first ponytail (so that the second ponytail is encased between them) and tie them with a hair elastic.
• Now, gather some hair and tie a 3rd ponytail under the other .
• After splitting the second ponytail in half, put the ends together under the third ponytail and tie them up.
• Repeat this process until you run out of hair to tie in ponytails.
• At this point, there will be 2 ponytails hanging loose at the nape of your neck.
• Do one final stitch of pull through braiding with it to end off the design.

Milkmaid Braid

Milkmaid braids are the best hairstyle to sport if you want to look classy and elegant. At first glance, it looks like it might take hours to create, it actually is pretty quick to do. This type of braid is very popular during weddings and it makes the bride really stand out.

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• Rat tail comb
• Hair elastics
• Bobby pins

Styling Steps

• Brush out all the knots and tangles from your hair.
• With the tail end of your rat tail comb, part your hair down the middle.
• Continue parting your hair till the nape of your neck to divide your hair into 2 equal sections.
• Do a simple 3 strand braid with the section on the right and tie up the ends with a hair elastic.
• Repeat step 4 with the section of hair on the left.
• Tug apart and loosen both braids to make them look wider and give them more dimension.
• Pull out a few strands of hair from the front to frame your face.
• Pick up your right braid, place it across the crown of your head and pin down its end wherever it falls on the opposite side of your head.
• Insert some bobby pins along the length of this braid to secure it firmly to your head.
• Repeat steps 8 and 9 with your left braid, making sure to tuck its ends under the right braid to hide it from view before pinning it to your head.

Reverse Braid

Reverse braid is strictly what its name suggests it to be. This quirky braid starts from the nape of your neck and goes up your head to make a shocking search for your bun. It can also be sported under a ponytail and is perfect for workouts and sports practice.

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• Hair elastic
• Bobby pins

Styling Steps

• Use a hairbrush to get rid of all the knots and tangles in your hair.
• Bend your head forward and flip all of your hair ahead of you.
• Pick up a neighborhood of hair from the nape of your neck and divide it into 3 sections.
• Start Dutch braiding them by flipping the side sections under the center section and adding more hair into the braid with each subsequent stitch.
• Once your Dutch braid has reached the crown of your head, tie all of your hair during a ponytail.
• Roll your ponytail into a bun and secure it to your head with some bobby pins.
• You can tug apart and loosen the braid to offer it a softer look.

Waterfall Braid

When it involves stunningly beautiful hairstyles, nothing can beat the waterfall beauty. This delicate braid looks exactly the way you would imagine it – like a waterfall of hair on the side of your head. Because of its gorgeous and female vibe, waterfall braids are the right style to try for special occasions like proms and weddings.

Requirements

• Hairbrush
• Bobby pins

Styling Steps

• Brush your hair out to remove all knots and tangles.
• Part your hair on one side.
• From the side of your parting with more hair, pick up a 3 inch section of hair from the very front and divide it into 3 sections.
• The section closest to the top of your head is your top section, then there’s the middle section, and the section closest to your ear is the bottom section.
• Do an easy 3 strand braid for one stitch.
• Now, leave the bottom section and pick up a new section of hair from right next to it to flip over the middle section. This will create the waterfall effect.
• Add more hair from the highest of your head to the highest section before flipping it over the center section.
• Keep repeating the previous two steps until your waterfall braid has reached the rear of your head.
• Do an easy braid for 3-4 more stitches before pinning down the braid at the rear of your head. Make sure you pin it underneath your hair to hide the bobby pins from view.

So those were some of the most beautiful, stylish and easy to style braids for you to try. Which of the types of braids mentioned here are you going to try first?