Can I Get Box Braids On My Straight Hair?
Yes, you can! As far as your straight hair is long enough to be braided and held on (usually at least three inches), you can get fabulous box braids.
Braiding on straight hair can be a challenge for some hairstylists that are not used to dealing with this kind of hair. It’s like trying to sew silk with a leather sewing machine.
But of course, we are not machines, so people can adapt to different hair types. When the braiders are not experienced enough with this silky and tiny texture, they might feel like straight hair slips out of their hands or like the synthetic extension slips out of the straight hair.
The solution is not to knot and tighten excessively but to grab the extension from the roots, where the hairs come together, as high as possible – without slipping – and without being too tense.
What Happens if The Braids Are Painfully Tight?
(Model Ina Shan, Photographer Lasc Media, ©Ina Shan ©HairstyleCamp)
That is the most damaging matter about box braids. If this happens, the best thing you can do, for the health of your hair is to unbraid it immediately.
If you cannot move a braid from one side to another because of pain, you will do it while sleeping or dressing up, and maybe all those tensed hairs will just break and may break up with you forever because, guess what? You hurt them too much. And that’s going to break your heart too.
For this reason, it is better to forget about the price and the time spent and do what serves you most, so you can have a second try and learn from the previous experience.
I know, some people are learning not to have box braids ever again, but the fact is, you can have healthy, beautiful, and pain-free braids. You should also know how long you can expect your box braids to last.
What if My Hair Is Straight and Thin? Can I Still Have Good-Looking Box Braids?
Box Braids (Model Inashan, Photographer Jeissi Fanchin, ©Ina Shan ©HairstyleCamp)
Yes! And this is more a matter of geometry than the quantity of synthetic hair extensions added.
If you don’t want to see empty spaces between your braids, the hair must be parted in such a way that each braid covers the space between the others below. On the top of your head, you will have the thinnest paths.
Don’t worry, professional braiders can deal with many hair types and solve these little issues.
Why Do Some People Say Box Braids Are Not for Straight Hair?
You’ll hear many people say that box braids are for curly hair only, not for ones with straight hair.
There are two main reasons behind this.
The first and objective one is because of the particularities of this type of hair, and box braiders who don’t want to deal with it or made a bad deal trying in the wrong way to fix the extension without slipping, and so they got complaints. Also, the complainers will not recommend it.
The second reason, the subjective and sensitive one, is about the Black culture.
Yes, it’s not easy to wear that afro hair type long and free. It is almost impossible to brush it well, and if you do, it won’t persist, it needs dedicated products to be used in order to make it softer or less fluffy, and so on.
For this reason, braids are a real release for afro-haired people. Braids can be stylish or as simple as possible (yes, I know, they still look lovely), but it is not about fashion. Braids are more like a necessity for afro hairs.
On the other hand, there’s a lot of debate if white people wearing box braids should count as cultural appropriation, straight hair people doing it only for fashion, disrespecting Afro culture. I couldn’t disagree more, and I mean this in the most respectful and considerate way.
Come what may, there is no other hairstyle that you can keep for so long without redoing it in the morning. There is nothing else that can make you stop brushing or styling your straight hair every day.
You just wake up like this – flawless. And what’s more, for straight and oily hair, it can even help produce less sebum because in these box-braids, hair can be washed less than usual, and when unbraided after two months, the everyday wash demand will disappear!
Also, if you got a horrible haircut, these hairstyles can solve this problem and even make your hair grow back faster. It’s a matter of practicality.
Most importantly, I personally love these afro-technique hairstyles for their unique properties. I completely acknowledge where they come from, the name itself says it, we all admit that these are afro braids, we appreciate the origins of these hairdos, and we’re very grateful for them.
We should live in a free world now, and today’s braided people, regardless of race, should have nothing to do with slavery or popular culture anymore.
They don’t wear specific patterns to indicate their tribe, levels, or any messages. They simply wear it because it is a good, practical, versatile, and attractive option while appreciating its cultural roots.
Box braids are a symbol of freedom, equality, and consideration, as they’ve managed to cross any borders, bringing all people together in their love for each other, for their differences, for their special traits and for their hair.
I hope I managed to offer as much understanding as possible and don’t forget, straight hair also loves afro-braids!