The essential guide on how long does your hair have to be to braid 

Originated in Africa with a lot of different names such as Rows, Braids or Caners – Cornrows invaded Europe and the whole world with its uniqueness. This is a very sophisticated hairstyle, sticking to the scalp with very unique curves.

Cornrows, or braids, are a great hairstyle, which is suitable for everyone including men, women and children. This hairstyle can be made easily with your own natural hair or by with the help of hair extensions with the purpose of adding length.

In order to create this unique hairstyle, you need to have a  minimum length of hair, so that you will have a head with full of cool and nice cornrows. So how long does your hair have to be to braid? Let’s find the answer with us by reading this article.

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What is Cornrows hair, or braid?

Braid, or Cornrows is considered a new hair trend that promises to “get on the throne” instead of  man bun hairstyle. If you are a trendy fashionista, you will know that the hottest “Instagram” guys are fascinated with this hairstyle.

With many similarities with man bun, man braid is especially suitable for those who are having undercut and long enough hair to be braided.
The braided type of man braid is very diverse from the fishbone, French braids, etc… Contrary to the prejudice that the braided hair can cause men to become “girly”, man braid makes the boys gain plus point with manly and attractive looks. So what’s about the length of hair? How long does your hair have to be to braid?

Unlike the tufts hairstyle with tiny tufts attached to the scalp which is popular in the culture of the Africa community, the braid extends into a variety of different braid styles in which the most popular one is the French braid, which used to be for women only.

Man braid is especially suitable for guys who have undercut hairstyles because the hair on the top of the head is long enough to be styled and made with many sophisticated forms of braiding. Similar to the man bun, though inspired by the woman’s braid, the braid man was not too girly, but manly and extremely eye-catching.

How long does your hair need to be for braids

So, how long does your hair have to be to braid?

Without Extensions

If your hair is thick and dense, it will be much easier to accomplish this hairstyle. The naturally thick and frizzy hair will be able to make it hold this hairstyle together easily. If your hair is straight it will tend to slip out of the hairstyle more often than textured one, because of its naturally slippery feature.

The essential length of hair needed for braids with the people who only have natural hair is about 1.75 inches, which means shoulder long hair. Natural hair which is long till shoulders, is enough for the braid hairstyle .

When making the cornrows, which contain braids attached to your scalp in some rows, remember that you need enough hair to embrace as you are braiding. The hair which is added to the cornrows, or braid should have the qualified length so as to get into the braid and not fall out of it.

The part of hair located in straight rows begins at the hairline and then finished when getting back to the nape of neck. You can start with braiding a small part of hair in the front area of the head and pull them from the section that you’re braiding to attach it to the scalp, in order to form a cornrow.

Then you can continue to braid with any way you want until reaching the ends of the hair. During the process, you might want some barrettes or rubber bands to keep the hair ends from falling out.

With extensions

How to answer the question of “How long does your hair have to be to braid” with hair extension? If you get hair extensions, the hair length should be at least two inches to braid them into cornrows.

Besides the needed length with the purpose of holding the cornrow style at the right place, your hair also need to be long enough, so that it can hold the weight of your additional hair. People whose hair is only from two to three inches long, you should avoid too long extensions. The too heavy weight of long hair extensions will pull your short hair down.

Unless your hair is from four to five inches in length, you can get longer extensions and have no worry that they’ll slip out. You should begin to braid your hair the same way as you do as without extensions, but combine extension hair with your real hair when you braid the hair at the hair area you’re braiding. You ought to keep the hair extensions at least one inch from the end of the natural hair.

The above is the introduction of man braid and some guidance as the answer to the question “how long does your hair have to be to braid”, which will help you to gain more knowledge about this interesting hairstyle, and know how to make a perfect braid with a suitable length. Wishing you all the best.

Stephanie Peter

Stephanie is a hair specialist at Belady Hair Factory, a high-end hair distributor located in downtown Toronto. She is a trained cosmetologist and has been with the company for over five years. Stephanie has vast knowledge in hair care and styling and can provide clients with everything from classic to trendy looks. She is also knowledgeable about the different products in the market and can help clients choose the right one for their hair type. Full her bio.