Fulani braids are not just ordinary braids. They come with a story because these knits can symbolize social status, origin, and even wealth. They are very popular in South Africa, where women style them for centuries.
Furlani braids also have a different braiding technique because they use cornrows for half of the head and are braided from front to back.
Fulani Braids
Women love Furlani braids and accessorize the knits with cuffed beads, shells, hair rings, and even coins that, in some cultures, are passed along the generation. Alicia Keys is one of the celebrities that adores these braids and proudly wears them on any occasion.
If you want a hairstyle that lasts for even three months and protects your hair, Furlani braids are ideal for you.
Scoop throw the images below and find the best braids for you. Don’t forget to tell us in the comments which are your picks.
1. Blonde Fulani Braids
Create a half cornrow braid that acts as a part in the center of the head. On each side, start making the knits. At the ends, decorate each braid with wooden beads, shells, and cuffed beads. You can also decorate the middle braid with a shell that falls on the forehead.
2. Short Fulani Braids
Furlani braids don’t necessarily need to have a lot of lengths. You can pull off braids that reach your shoulders line and decorate the tips with wooden beads. You can also place a ring on the central twist that parts the braids on each side.
3. Jumbo Fulani Braids
When you love long hair, but you are not fortunate enough to have it, Jumbo hair is always something you can count on. Use it to style your Furlani braids, and nobody will notice that your natural hair is, in fact, short.
4. Fulani Braids with Curly Ends
For these Furlani braids, mix your black, natural hair with curly blonde hair extensions. Don’t secure them at the ends, you want to show off those curly tips, right?
5. Beaded Long Box Braids
Every time you want stunning long Furlani box braids, get a few packs of Jumbo hair, and start braiding. Make two braids that act as a part on top of the head and use cuffed beads placed here-and-there, along the knits.
6. Braided Bun
This braided bun has Fulani braids at the starting points, but the braids of the bun are laxer and thicker.
7. Decorated Stitch Braids
These simple yet sleek Fulani inspired braids at the front are a perfect way of showing off your natural Afro hair while making you look younger and prettier.
8. Golden Blonde Hair Braids
These Ombre braids are a nice style update for you if you want to go all out and be a fashionista which impresses everyone with her style sense.
9. Braided Ponytail with Highlights
If you want to make the Fulani inspired braids feel easier to carry and stay out of your face in the scorching hot days of summer then this lovely high ponytail is totally your thing.
You can tie all the braids in a ponytail sparing one or two braid(s) at the front to look chic. Add some wooden beads and gold accessories to the mix and see how well this style turns out to be.
10. Chic Twin Braids
Double braiding is one of the more recent and modern takes on Fulanis braids. This is a cool and hip style that you can try this season to have everyone come up to you for hairstyle guide and tips. There are two big braids on either side of the central part which you can rock with confidence.
11. Genie Ponytail with A Dash of Pink
Buns are always easy and fun, but buns made from Fulani braided hair are on a whole new level, aren’t they? You can have your bun dyed in funky tones and add a dab of this color to the braids as well. Sleek braids go a long way with this style too.
12. Fun Faux Locks
This amazing and stylish way of putting up box braids in Fulani braiding and adding some subtle accessories to the hair is popular nowadays. The braids are super sleek and impressive which look even prettier with beads.
13. Fulani Feed-in Braids
Fulani women’s braids look great with beads and all, but there is no denying the fact that simple and bead-less braids have their own charm. These braids make you look younger and more innocent while giving you a chic and youthful look.
14. Fulani Braids for Afro Hair
Afro is a traditional idiosyncratic hairstyle of African Americans, isn’t it? Then why not mix an Afro with Fulanis braids and own yourself with the true hairstyles which go well with your hair. This is a cute and fun hairstyle which you can rock perfectly well even if you have short hair.
15. Purple Ombre Hair with Braids
These Fulani style braids run long and stylish down your shoulders especially when they have a hint of purple among them. Go for these and see how everyone starts loving your hairstyling intuition.
16. Milkmaid Braid
This lovely pattern of Fulanis braids with one pretty braid going along your center is quite impressive. When the central braid gets a braided ring in it, nothing can stop you from being the fashion diva that you are.
17. Beaded Braids Updo
Who said that you cannot have your braids tied in an elegant bun to look the lady that you truly are? This impressive bun with loose Fulani style braids at the front surely shows that you can do it, doesn’t it?
18. Simple Braided Ponytail
If you are a confident and bold woman who loves herself and makes strong fashion statements then this style is perfect for you. Just add some beads to the braids which give an insight into your personality and see how easily you start making more friends.
19. Lovely Blue Box Braids
Want to go all out and try a new Fulani braids style with confidence? Look no further for this lovely hairstyle might just be the thing that you settle for. The blue hair with braids are more fun and cooler than any other kind of braids, aren’t they? So, try out this fun and youthful style this season to have people come up to you and compliment your hair.
20. Hip Green Ombre Braids
Fulani braids do not have to black always, do they? Make them more hip and cool by dyeing your hair dark green and then having the braids done. This hairstyle choice is something that you will never regret.
21. Funky Beaded Braids
There is no limit as to the kinds of styles that you can choose to have Fulanis braids done on your hair.
The glamorous braids here are more charming and attractive due to the colorful and bright beads which run through the braids. The accessories of different colors and shapes are also great.
22. Fulani Braided Space Buns
Who said that Fulani girl’s braids cannot be cute or chic? Whoever said it is immensely wrong as the space buns here look extra chic and cute with long Fulanis braids running down your face. You can look cute with these twin buns even if you do not add any accessories to this hairstyle.
23. Intricate Pattern + Fulani Braids
This intricate pattern of Fulani women’s braids style is equally good for long and medium length hair. The braids run around in a lovely manner which makes you look younger and prettier.
You can make this style even better with some printed long beads which add more character to the braids.
24. Fulani Braids + High Bun
Buns are the ultimate summer hairstyle, aren’t they? They provide you the best way to keep the hair out of your face and neck and look classy while doing so too.
However, buns can sometimes get messy, to avoid this you can have a high bun made from Fulani-inspired braids. Add some cool accessories to it and you will look more charming and glamorous.
25. Long Fulani Braids
These sleek and elegant braids are perfect for working women who want to be fashionable but want to look sophisticated and polished as well.
26. Braided Burgundy Bun
This burgundy plum hairstyle is an amazing way of showing the world that you are strong and free-spirited. You can add any kind of beads that you like to the Fulani braids here to complete the magical look.
27. Center Ringed Fulani Braids
This lovely style is totally your thing if you have very long hair and love playing around with some fashionable Fulani inspired braids and braid rings.
28. Youthful
These Fulani women’s braids are a great hit among young ladies particularly because they are simple to make and easier to impress people with.
29. Fulani Braids with Middle Part
If you want some lovely Fulanis braids with middle part which go well with your natural hair left free at the back then try this lovely style.
30. Spider Braids
Bold and beautiful ladies need something like this to show that they are free-spirited and resilient. This Fulani braid style is perfect especially for women in the corporate world.
31. Alicia Keys Inspired Style
Alicia Keys has owned this Fulani braided style so perfectly that you just cannot resist trying it out, can you?
32. Hot and Attractive Braids
This is a simple yet sexy style which you can try this season to look irresistible. The Fulani braiding is easy to make and even easier to manage, so why not give it a go?
33. Fulani Braids With Design
Touch up your Fulani inspired braids with an impressive design like this and see how great you look with it.
34. Large and Thick Braids
If you do not want to have a lot of thin feed in braids then you can get thick and fuller Fulanis braids like this one here.
35. Kim Kardashian’s Fulani Braids
Why not get some celebrity look-alike Fulani braids when you are at it. This look rocked by Kim Kardashian is one of the best such styles that you can go for.
What Are Fulani Braids?
Fulani braids are essentially braiding with beads in them which make them more stylish. The braids are long thin braids which have a distinct fashion of their own. Fulani style braids have one cornrow braid which runs down the length of your hair from front to bottom at the very center of your hair.
Next, there are one or two more cornrows that are at the sides of your head and they too run from top to bottom with their ends dangling. There is a braid which runs along the boundary of your head, but some people leave it out.
This is just a basic pattern of braiding and styling your hair with Fulani inspired braids, but you can add any details or style updates to it that you prefer.
In addition to this orientation, these braids have many beads, clips and cowry shells put into them at different distances in different ways. These braids are much more than just some intertwined hair as they have sleek and smooth braids running around your head and face.
The braids are primarily well made so that they can have a lasting charm to help you impress people with your personality and fashion sense even before you speak. What can be a better way to enter a gathering than having a stylish braided hairdo which has intricately designed Fulanis braids?
Surely, there are not many ways of doing so. This is what makes this braided hairstyle as impressive and stylish as it is.
History of Fulani Braids
Fulani braids trace their origin to one of the most ancient and culturally rich Africa tribes. The Fula or Fulani tribe is centered in West Africa close to the Sahel Region. The women there have taken pride in the way they have done their hair in an iconic and stylish way.
The hairstyle is amazing in many respects as it keeps the hair off the faces of women in unbearable heat and keeps them looking stylish and appealing while doing so.
Traditionally, hairstyles with Fulani braids come with four or five braids either swept to sides or pulled backward. The Fulani women used to have a coiffure at the top of their head too which marked the completion of the braided hair.
They also used different kinds of beads, shells and jewelry articles to adorn the braids since the tribal women loved to showcase the kind of ornaments that they had.
This coupled with their artistic way of braiding their hair got so popular and became such an essential part of the Fulani culture that the women belonging to Fulani tribe still style their hair in this way.
The Fulani women and girls even use silver and gold coins to show their heritage and to look prettier. The tradition of Fulani people’s braids has been transmitted through many generations and is still a quintessential part of their culture which they take pride in.
How to Style Fulani Braids
Fulani braids surely are exotic and endlessly impressive then why not go ahead and adorn your head with these lovely braids?
If you have decided on giving these braids a shot and want to know how to style Fulani women’s braids then worry no more, here is a comprehensive guide on how to do that. So, let’s get to the procedure without further ado.
- Wash your hair and condition it well then leave it to dry off. The drier the hair the greater the grip pf your braids will be. You will, however, need to dampen your hair later to smooth it out.
- If you have short hair and still want to go for Fulani style braids then you need to put extensions in your hair as they will help your hair get longer and easier to be braided.
- Comb your hair well and then tie up different sections of your hair with clips in small buns. Then begin braiding from the bottom part of your head.
- Take a small section of hair at the base of your head and start braiding it. Remember that your braids need to be very tight and the section of the hair that you pick is very thin too.
- Then continue braiding through the rest of your hair in the same manner.
- Once you are done with braiding all of your hair, you should dip the braids in hot water to seal the braids so that they last longer. This will make putting on the beads easier as well.
- Now is the fun time where you can proceed on to insert beads in the braids.
- Simply loop your hair through the holes in the beads and they will stick in there if the holes are befitting. However, if the beads are larger or you feel that the beads will not stick around then put the beads in your braids while you are making the braids.
Watch The Following Tutorial to Learn How to Style Fulani Box Braids with Beads
How Long Do Fulani Braids Last
Fulani braids are one of those African hairstyles which you can rock for weeks without having to redo them. You can shampoo and condition your hair as much as you like but you will not need to undo your braids every time you hop in for a shower.
This is one of the amazing perks of this hairstyle which saves you a lot of time and hassle of undoing your hair before going in for a shower and then a long time on untangling and redoing your hair.
The braids surely take a long time when you are getting them, so long in fact that it can range between 4 to 8 hours, depending on the expertise of your stylist. But once you have spent that much time in getting your braids done, you do not have to worry about restyling your hair for weeks on end.
The Fulani style braids usually last for 4 to 6 weeks, but it really depends on how well your braids are done. The health, volume, and texture of hair also affect the time duration for which the braids last. You can make your braids look new and fresh for a longer time by using a simple trick whenever a braid starts getting fuzzy or loose, get it redone.
This way the rest of the braids do not need to be redone and you can rock your once done Fulani women inspired braids for a really, long time. And who wouldn’t like that? Nobody, right? So, use this little trick and increase the lifetime of your lovely braids.
Using small and lightweight ornaments or beads for these braids can also be effective in helping you make your braids last longer. So, when you sit down and go through the items that you would want to put into the braids keep this in mind too.
Cost of Fulani Braids
The cost of Fulani braids comes down to your own choices and expertise. There are two clear ways of getting these braids which determine the cost of getting these epic braids – either you do the braids yourself or get an expert stylist to do the braids for you.
If you have an experience of braiding your hair yourself and know that you can pull off doing Fulanis style braids on your hair without anyone’s help then it is going to cost you nothing.
The only amount that you must spend is going to be on the beads that you get or the pins or other ornaments. This is something that depends solely on your preferences so nothing concrete can be said on this.
However, if you are a newbie and are at a loss when it comes to styling braids that Fulani women wear then you should go to a professional hairstylist. The stylists on average charge you from $150 to $200, but it depends on the individual stylists too.
However, you must get your beads and extensions yourself so it can go up to $250 to $300. This is a close estimate of the cost of getting the braids, but your own choices affect this cost in fact.
How to Wash Fulani Braids
Washing Fulani braids takes no rocket science, ladies! You just need to lock the ends of your braids with clips and wash the hair simply by shampooing and conditioning it. It really is as simple as that. Just make sure that you do not rub your hair too vigorously as it will make the braids loose and frizzy.
FAQs on Fulani Braids
Fulani women inspired braids need 2-4 hours to do if you are not getting any professional treatments with them. But if you are getting them done by a stylist they can take up to 6 hours too.
No, Fulani style braids do not hurt. You might feel some stress in the beginning, but once you get used to it, it will be alright.
Sleeping with Fulanis braids is not too different from sleeping without them You just need to secure the ends of the braids and remove the beads so that they do not make you uncomfortable during the night
So, Fulani braids are fun and lovely as well as a means of pride for African Americans. You can look chic with them while supporting your brothers and sisters, so why not just go for them?