The Braid Hairstyle Bible: 50 Different Types Of Braids

Braiding your hair is a fun way to change up your look without a ton of work. Here are fifty different types of braids that you can try on your hair. Guys will love the new looks, and you'll have fun trying new hairstyles!

If you're looking to add some easy braids to your repertoire, start with these easy traditional braids. These braids are easy to do on your own and they'll look great!

This is the braid that your mom probably threw in your hair at the last minute when you were running late. For some reason, guys can't figure out how to weave the three strands together into this braid, but they love to look at it. A traditional three strand braid is great to add to your usual hairstyles if you don't usual braid your hair. Try adding extensions to make the braid longer and fuller!

Pulling your hair to the side when you braid it adds a bit of a formal look to a traditional three strand braid. Plus, it's fun to pull this braid to the front and flip it back when you want to show your attitude through your hair.

French braids are a different twist on traditional three strand braid hairstyles. French braids require you to keep picking up hair as you go, adding to your three strands, and creating a braid close to your head. A French braid will stay in your hair longer than a regular three strand braid if you have an active day!

While a traditional three strand braid uses a tight, strong weave, a loose braid is more of a casual look. Leaving some shorter strands out and letting your braid fall naturally will keep your braid loose and fun.

You can really change things up by braiding three sections of your hair and braid them together. This gives you a thick braid that guys will love. Hairstyles using braids and then braiding them are a really fun way to think outside of the box of your usual styles and try something different with your hair.

You don't have to be a little kid to throw your hair into pigtail braids. These are a great beach look if you want to keep your hair from blowing into your face, and they're a fun throwback to your childhood.

Divide your French braiding skills in two and create this stylish pigtail look. It's different and fun. Pigtail braids are great for working out or going out, and they'll stay tight against your head for as long as you want them there!

A different take on the many types of pigtail braids is trying out a boxer braid. This is a look that guys will totally love because it looks like it takes some effort, but it's really super easy!

You don't need hair extensions to wear awesome braids. You can try this different take on traditional styles by French braiding your hair until the top of your neck and finishing it off with a short ponytail. Girls with longer hair, you can use this look too. Leave long ponytails at the top of your neck for a half braid/half pony look!

Think outside the box by combining two different types of braid with this switch up. Start with a French braid on top and transition into a fishtail braid once you get to the top of your neck. You can play around with different styles of braid, too, to create your own switch braid. You can even start with a braid on top and switch to regular pigtails at the bottom.

There are tons of types of braided styles for your hair that will make guys fall all over you. Go outside the box with these formal braids for your next big event.

French braid the top of your hair and leave the rest down in a curly waterfall for this fun braid. Add extensions to make your hair extra long, and make sure to put a jeweled embellishment at the change from braid to ponytail to make this a beautiful formal look.

Braid your high ponytail and twist it, leaving a bit falling down your back to make this beautiful formal braid that guys will love. You can add your extensions to make sure your hair is long enough for this kind of hairstyle!

Four strand braids take boring hairstyles and turn them formal. Elevating a normal three strand braid and making it into a four strand braid turns your hair into a beautiful, formal style. Extensions will help make this braid longer, too.

A good formal look is to take a seemingly casual side braid and elevate it with loose bangs. This look is beautiful and is the perfect hairstyle for an elegant evening.

A waterfall braid is an out of the box formal look. Anyone who sees you will think you put in a ton of time creating this beautiful, elegant braid but it's really a quick and easy look to style!

Braided up dos are great hairstyles for any time of year, but especially summer when you want to keep your hair off your neck so you can keep cool. Try these different types of braid up dos that guys will love.

Braid your hair normally or with extensions and then twist it up into a nice bun. Use bobby pins to keep it in place, and you'll have one of the easiest types of braided up do! Change how tight your braid is to change the look. A loose braid will give you a beach look while a tight braid will be a more sophisticated style.

French braid two sides of your hair and then have them meet in the back in a messy bun. You can also do a fishtail braid if you want to change up this hairstyle.

This is another up do that can go fancy or casual. Make a bun and wrap the base with braids to create a beautiful look. Make the braids loose and the bun messy for a casual hairstyle or use different types of braids for a more formal look.

Create a fun up do by braiding your hair in two different ways and wrapping them together on the top of your head. Experimenting with different types of braids will allow you to use this same hairstyle multiple times a week.

Do your favorite side braid, but instead of leaving it to flow down over your shoulder, pin it up against your scalp to create an elegant up do that everyone will love.

Fishtail braids have become a staple in fashion. These types of braids are easy to dress up or dress down. Try these fishtail braid hairstyles to elevate your usual look.

If you're new to fishtail braids, start off simple with a traditional braid. Use the fishtail technique on your hair and let your braid fall easily down your back. You'll love the way it looks!

Shifting your fishtail braid to the side gives you the sassy hairstyle you want, but it also looks sleek and professional at the same time. Side fishtail braids are perfect for in the office and out on the town.

When people think braids they usually think of a tight weave or a loose, casual look. They don't usually think big. Try this large, chunky fishtail to change how people think of braids. You can do this in a single braid down your back or as pigtail braids.

Create three fishtail braids on your head and then tie them together in a messy bun. The multi braid look is a lot of fun and really easy!

Using multiple fishtail braids in your look is fun and stylish. Cross a few braids on the back of your head and then braid the rest of your hair down your back. This look can be paired with a sun dress or a formal dress!

Once you've mastered some easier braid styles, you can try these more difficult braids. They may be advanced, but they're still doable!

Unlike the traditional French braid, this one starts at the top of your neck and moves up. Braid your hair as you go up and finish with a nice bun at the top of your head. Don't try this one until you've mastered the regular French braid, but it's a fun trick to impress anyone who sees you!

The loop braid requires braiding together multiple sizes of strand of hair. You use thick and thin strands to create this beautiful look. Make sure you've mastered a regular braid before you go for this one because it's harder to work with different thicknesses of strand than to just braid three strands together!

This braid definitely can't be done if you're in a rush. It requires weaving your hair together with intricate detail. It's not impossible, but it's on the more difficult side in terms of braids. The end result is worth the work, though!

The braiding itself in this one isn't the hard part. You use simple braiding techniques to form the different parts. However, getting it to look like this beautiful design is what makes it a more advanced braid!

For this intricate braid, you put your hair up in a normal ponytail. You then use regular French braiding technique to create a wrap around the ponytail. This is one of the more difficult braids to do, but it looks awesome.

Crown braids are beautiful and fun for fancy or casual events. If you want to feel like a queen, try these awesome crown braids to complete your regal look.

The traditional crown braid goes around your head like a perfect halo. If you want an easy, simple look, go for the the traditional type of crown braid. Add flowers or other enhancements to make the look fit even better with whatever you're wearing.

The fishtail crown can look like the simple crown braid with a different texture because of the different braiding technique. You can also do the braid on the top of your head while leaving some of your hair free, so it's a crown with some excess at the bottom. Curl your excess hair or leave it straight to change up the look.

With a traditional crown braid, your hair is pinned up to keep the crown on the top of your head. Instead, try a crown braid but leave the excess hair down and continue the braid. This creates a crown braid with a side braid that looks beautiful.

Braid your hair into a headband at the front of your head. The rest of your hair remains unbraided and can be left down with beach waves or put up into a tight bun, depending on the look you're going for!

Bring out your inner Greek goddess with a goddess style crown braid. This is a crown braid that is layered when you pin the braids up, creating a goddess look. You can leave it as is, or add some olive branches to really complete the Greek look.

Sometimes you don't want to put your hair all the way up and you don't want to leave it all the way down, either. Try these half up braided hairstyles when you want to switch things up a bit.

If you don't want to put your hair totally up but you want to keep your bangs out of the way, try braiding your bangs and pinning them back behind your ears. It's a simple half up look that will keep your hair out of your eyes and elevate your look.

Rather than just pinning your bangs behind your ears when you've braided them, braid a little bit more than just the bangs. Take the two braids and bring them to the back of your head and pin them there, flipping the excess over itself and securing them tightly. Leave the rest of your hair down straight or in chic curls for this half up, half down look.

Traditionally with a French braid, three strand braid, or fishtail braid, you're using all of your hair in the braid. Instead, only use the top layer of your hair in your favorite style of braid and let it fall over the rest of your hair. It makes for a fun up do that is really easy to finish!

Start your French braid at the very front center of your head and work your way back, leaving the bottom layer of your hair down. This creates a faux hawk look with the braid, and gives you some room to play around with the rest of your hair.

Only braid one side of your head with a French or fishtail braid. Make the braid as big or as small as you want. You'll have a cool half up braided hairstyle that is fun on one side and more sophisticated on the other.

Dutch braids are similar to French braids except you're going under instead of over, giving you a different look. Try these Dutch braid hairstyles to change up your traditional look.

The Dutch braid works just like a French braid and can be worn down your back like all other types of braids. Use the Dutch braid technique through all of your hair from top to bottom to create a simple Dutch braid that can be worn for any occasion.

Creating two dutch braids to create a nice double braided look is a great way to change how you normally wear your hair. This braid looks awesome and it's not as hard as it seems!

Dutch braided pigtails are a fun different style to use in your hair. Leave the weave a bit more loose to make the braids puffier for a fun, new look.

The Dutch braid makes for a beautiful formal up do. Create a traditional Dutch braid and twist it into a bun for a great wedding or other formal event look.

Braid your hair in the Dutch style until the top of your neck and leave the rest of your hair in a ponytail for this look. You can also use the same technique for pigtail braids into ponytails.

Use these other styles of braids to change up your daily hairstyles. These go above and beyond the regular three strand, Dutch, fishtail, and French braids. You'll impress your friends with these exciting different braiding styles!

This braid uses a traditional three strand style, but it does so in a different way. Braid your hair on one side and pin it behind the opposite ear for this special braid style.

Box braids can be worn in any style and can constantly be changed up depending on your mood or the events you're attending.

After you've figured out the three and four strand braids, you can step up your game with a five strand braid. You can use this braid to do pretty much any hairstyle, up or down, once you've mastered it!

A lace braid is like a French braid but you only add hair to one side as you work your way down. This creates a beautiful lace look that can be dressed up or dressed down.

A ladder braid combines the waterfall braid and the lace braid to create a ladder style with your hair. You can adorn the ladder with flowers or other embellishments to really make this hairstyle the best it can be.

Use this list of new and exciting braid ideas whenever you're looking for a new hairstyle to try out! You won't regret learning how to braid your own - and other people's - hair in these fun styles.