AFRICAN BRAIDS

African Braids (also referred to as plaits) are a complex hairstyle formed by interlacing three or more strands of hair. Braiding has been used to style and ornament human and animal hair for thousands of years in various cultures around the world.

The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-stranded structure. More complex patterns can be constructed from an arbitrary number of strands to create a wider range of structures (such as a fishtail braid, a five-stranded braid, rope braid, a French braid and a waterfall braid). The structure is usually long and narrow with each component strand functionally equivalent in zigzagging forward through the overlapping mass of the others. Structurally, hair braiding can be compared with the process of weaving, which usually involves two separate perpendicular groups of strands (warp and weft).

Braids have been part of black culture going back generations. There are pictures going as far back as the year 1884 showing a Senegalese woman with braided hair in a similar fashion to how they're worn today.

Braids are normally done tighter in black culture than in others. While this leads to the style staying in place for longer, it can also lead to initial discomfort. This is commonly accepted and managed through pain easing techniques. Some include pain killers, letting the braids hang low, and using leave-in-conditioner.

Braids aren't usually worn year-round in black culture; they're instead alternated with other popular hairstyles such as hair twists, protective hairstyles and more. Braids are especially popular during the summer months, with June and July being especially popular times to adopt this hairstyle in the US. As long as braids are done with a person's own hair, it can be considered as part of the natural hair movement.

African Braids Hairstyles can be a solution for you in choosing a hairstyle that fits your needs and style, there are hundreds of pictures of african braids that you can use as a reference in choosing the right hairstyle for your head. there are various forms of hair braids from the traditional to the modern you are here. You can also find various styles from simple to complex in this African braids application.