Box braids are one of the most popular protective styling options for African American women. While many women traditionally choose to wear their box braids long, short box braids are becoming increasingly popular among women that want a hairstyle that is easy to style, easy to wear, and super-low maintenance.
Short box braids can easily be styled to look just like a classic and classy bob or you can even have your natural hair braided into an easy-to-wear pixie cut.
Short Box Braids as an Easy Styling Solution
Protective hair styling is essential for African American hair during the summer months when sweating, high humidity, and other water-based activities can wreak havoc on the hair and cause it to frizz. Short box braids pose the most popular no-nonsense solution to this problem.
Here are some of the chicest and most stylish short box braid styles. With so many ideas to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect style to suit you!
1. Short, Sweet and Silver
Gray and silver hair is this season’s most popular color trend, and it looks fantastic paired with beautiful short braids and contrasting black roots. Ask your stylist to blend your natural hair with your braids so that the style only looks better as it begins to grow out.
2. Short Box Braids with Cornrows
If you’re keen to pull your hair away from your face and minimize styling even further then ask your stylist to weave your natural hair into cornrows before adding box braid extensions to give your hair fullness and shape. This is an ideal style if you’re always on the go.
3. Cornrow Box Braid Bob
This short box braid bob pairs curved cornrows at the front with medium-sized braids swept neatly to the sides. It works well as a protective style, though the scalp needs regular moisturizing and the braids should be wrapped at night to control frizz. Keep the cornrows slightly loose around the hairline to avoid unnecessary tension on the edges.
4. Side-Swept Box Braids with Silver Accents
The graduated bob is a hairstyle famously revived by Victoria Beckham and now synonymous with chic, fashion-forward style. To create this style, ask your stylist to leave your braids short at the nape of your neck and then graduate them in length until they sit around two inches below your chin at the front.
5. Black Box Braid Bob with Silver Cuffs
This black box-braid bob curves around the face and finishes near the neck. A side part and small silver cuffs add detail.
6. Short Box Braids with Double Bun Detail
Purple braids on one side contrast with black braids on the other. A patterned headscarf wraps around the crown, and the short braids curve inward near the jaw.
7. Blonde Box Braid Bob
If you’re keen to protect your hair for the summer but don’t want the expense of adding box braid extensions then why not consider asking your stylist to create box braids from your natural hair, creating a short and sweet style?
8. Short Box Braids with Feminine Side Parting
Gather the upper burgundy braids into two high buns, leaving the lower braids loose. The central division balances the two buns and keeps the front sections away from the face.
9. Box Braid Half Ponytail
Small curled sections create a close rounded shape around the ears and nape. The short strands hang freely.
10. Side-Parted Box Braid Bob
If you don’t feel brave enough to experiment with a full head of color then remember that, when it comes to color, a little can go a long way. Choose your favorite shade and add just one or two braids of color throughout your hair: these will really stand out and pop and this is an easy way to give your short braids a fashion-forward edge.
11. Half-Up Box Braids with Copper Accents
Sweep a small group of the top braids to one side and secure them with a gold spiral cuff, leaving the rest of the jaw-length bob loose. Reddish-brown accent braids threaded through the black lengths add subtle contrast.
12. Microbraid Pixie with Side-Swept Bangs
Fine brown microbraids sweep diagonally across the forehead into short bangs. The close shape and pointed ends form a compact braided pixie.
13. Chic Box Braids with Central Parting
To ensure your braids look chic and modern, pull them into a slick central parting that even the most committed fashionista would be proud of. Central partings are ideal for showing off high foreheads, slender noses, and full lips: emphasize yours with a slick of lipstick to recreate this look.
14. Caramel Box Braid Bob
These caramel-brown braids hang loose from a side part, with a few front braids sweeping across the forehead, and finish in an even line at the jaw to create a rounded bob.
15. Two Tone Micro Braids
The upper black strands gather into a high knot while the lower lengths frame the jaw in a rounded bob. The chunky texture gives the short style a full outline.
16. Short Chunky Box Braids
Ask your stylist for slim, tightly coiled twists cut into a rounded bob that sits at the jaw, with a center part and softly curled ends. If you want to experiment with color, try this warm mix of brown and golden tones.
17. Powder Pink Box Braid Bob
Pretty blush pink will make the boys wink, and this hairstyle will certainly attract attention for all the right reasons. Much like blonde, pink hair will show the regrowth of your natural hair color relatively quickly. To prevent your style from looking tired, ask your stylist to weave some darker strands of hair into your braids, creating a subtle highlight effect, so that the braids blend more naturally.
18. Looped Half-Up Box Braids
For short box braids on a bob hairstyle, gather up the top half of the braids into a high ponytail.
19. Red and Black Box Braids
While the base of your box braids might be black, you can add a pop of color with a burnt shade of red.
20. Box Braid Bob with Silver Rings
Manage thick hair in a better, more stylish way by going for short box braids. The front braids are given silver hair hoops and beads for pretty contrast.
21. Ponytail with Short Box Braids
When you want a fun style for your short box braids, gather them up into a high ponytail with a bandana.
22. Box Braids with Blue
These medium sized blue box braids are long enough to style yet short enough to manage easily.
23. Layered Short Box Braids
This short box braid hairstyle tipped with beads has several shorter layers up top just to mix up the look.
24. Angled Brown Box Braid Bob
An asymmetrical bob focuses all the attention on the longer side of short box braids.
25. Jumbo Box Braids with Silver Spirals
Thick hair makes it easy to form these jumbo short box braids. Have your stylist put in different lengths to switch up a traditional style, then hook in a few silver hair beads.
26. Black-and-Blonde Box Braid Bob
Winding in blonde with black short box braids is a very edgy and gorgeous choice. Secure each end with black hair ties.
27. A-Line Box Braid Bob
While the longer pieces of a short box braided bob are in the front, the back is off the neck and out of the way.
28. Side Part Short Box Braids
A small side part may not seem noticeable but it really is on a short bob with box braids.
29. Short Box Braids for Oval Face
On an oval face, go for box braids that include a deep side part. It won’t accentuate your face shape but will give your braids extra lift.
30. Blue Box Braids with Loose Ends
The loose straight and crimped ends on this short box braid style are what make the look. Just form four to five large braids on the head and braid them 3/4 of the way down.
31. Half-Up Peach Box Braids
The color on this short hairstyle is a mix between light brown and blonde with a hint of pink.
32. Purple Box Braids
These thin box braids on a short hairstyle are plentiful so they make the hair look thicker.
33. Short Box Braid Messy Half Updo
While there’s a small section of hair up front that is loose to tuck behind ears, most of the top half of the short box braids is pulled back into a cute messy ponytail.
34. Short Twist Braids
These short twist braids are stunning for Black women who prefer a fuller look.
35. Center-Parted Burgundy Box Braid Bob
If your face has a fuller look to it, try these thinner box braids at a short length.
36. Chunky Copper-Brown Braid Bob
Placing your box braids at different levels around your head is an easy way to give character to a short box braid hairdo.
37. Chunky Golden Blonde Box Braids
A light blonde color that is somewhat yellow is super pretty on black box braids. Keep them short and add in a few silver hair cuffs.
38. Blue Short Box Braids
These short box braids mix black with blue for a bold two-tone finish.
39. Balayage Box Braids
Shoulder-length box braids transition from dark roots to caramel-blonde ends.
40. Curvy Short Box Braids
Short black box braids form an asymmetrical bob with a deep side part.
41. Copper Microbraid Pixie with Loose Ends
Short copper-brown box braids form a rounded pixie with loose braided bangs across the forehead.
42. Bead-Tipped Box-Braid Pixie
Short black box braids form a rounded pixie, with colorful beads attached to the front tips.
43. Center-Parted Box Braid Bob
Center-parted black box braids curve into a chin-length bob around the face.
44. Layered Box Braids
Chunky black box braids fall in mixed shoulder-length layers around the face.
45. Caramel Box Braids for Thin Hair
Center-parted shoulder-length box braids mix dark hair with caramel-toned strands.
