Braids for short hair create a cute, flirty style for casual or formal events. This hair idea proves that the pixie and bob-length cuts won’t limit your styling options.
Stylist Emily Williams of Bristol, UK, commends braids for short-haired bridal party members. “Adding plaits and textured waves can create something pretty and special. It’s super quick to achieve and stays put all day,” she notes.
Short braided hairstyles are versatile and can work with any haircut and face shape.
“Add height at the crown for the rounder faces to appear elongated. Form two braids that are pulled back so that wider faces seem slimmer. If you leave more hair out around the face, it can soften facial features,” says Williams.
The right products, tools, and skills would discern the style that fits your face shape and length.
Make the twists thicker and bigger by pulling the pieces out as fully as possible. Williams believes that “the chunkier the braids are, the better.” Beachy waves or natural curls work great with this style, too.
For fine hair, this look is possible but might take some work to achieve. Extensions and root powder are helpful. Williams suggests applying a Color Wow Root Cover Up onto the scalp to give the illusion of thicker hair.
Check out this collection of images on how to pull off braids for short hair. The trendiest braided styles are listed here!
#1: Messy Blonde Boho Braid
A messy blonde boho braid is a great look for a bride or bridesmaid. Braids are a nice way to pull your hair half back. Leave a few pieces down in the front if you want face-framing pieces to soften the look around your face.
#2: Dark Strawberry Blonde Braids
Here’s dark strawberry blonde short hair with braids. Try braids for an easy style that will last all day. Ask for a double French braid pigtail. It’s important to prep your hair using products like Aveda’s Air Control Light Hold Hair Spray and Control Paste. This will keep these braids in place and looking frizz-free.
#3: Lovely Crown Braids for Short Hair
Weave your hair up into this style that’s fit for royalty! The crown plait is so simple yet elegant. This short hair braid style is ideal for casual or special occasions. Ask your hairdresser for a tutorial on how to braid short hair; it’s a simple process.
#4: Double Dutch Braids
If you want your hair to look the prettiest in just under a few minutes, this cute braided hairstyle with double Dutch braids is the answer! Perfect for gym or jogging, this classic cute style will keep your hair out of your face and show off your hair color. Recreating these short hair braids might take effort, but it is worth it.
#5: Lovely Waterfall Braid
A totally easy and recreateable look – this interweaving pattern is possible on any hairstyle as long as there is some length to it. These braids on short hair are perfect for a wedding event or a date night!
#6: Box Braids for African Americans
Put an edge to the typical lengthy style and feel the advantages of having low upkeep hair with these sexy locks! You’ll surely be unique without putting much effort! These braid hairstyle for short hair look so chic on gorgeous black women.
#7: Short Braided Ponytail
This is a simple braided updo that’s perfect for everyday hairstyles. “What I love most about it is that it looks great on adults and children,” says look creator Lina Snyder from Detroit, MI. “It’s versatile, so you can wear it hanging down casually or dress it up by wrapping it in a bun and pinning a cute flower or some type of hair jewelry.”
This braided ponytail is perfect for busy women who only have time to style their hair sometimes. It’s very low-maintenance. Just get up and go.
If you have recently done a big chop on your hair, it’s a great protective style to kickstart the growing process.
If you’re the outgoing type, Snyder suggests adding pops of hair colors to your braids to stand out from the crowd. For styling, she states that “very minimal products are needed – maybe just a little oil sheen to give it that freshly done shine.”
Whether you work a 9-5 or are a stay-at-home mother, this ponytail will fit your lifestyle perfectly. Cute braided hairstyles for short hair can be low-maintenance!
#8: Twist Braids for Natural Hair
This braided short hair is a flat two-strand twist look with individual two-strand twists at the back by style creator April Lynn of Atlanta, GA.
“The greatest thing about this look is it last for at least two weeks, and you can separate the twist in the back to create another style,” she adds.
These short hair styles are easy to maintain; you only need a hair bonnet to secure while sleeping. The only product needed is some oil sheer or spray to give it a shine and some moisture.
#9: Sporty Pixie Braid
This is a pastel unicorn 3D braided pixie created by an independent stylist and colorist from Quebec, Amelie Berthelette. The coolest thing about it is its uniqueness and the combination of soft colors (Guy Tang #Mydentity Vibrant Pastels) with an edgy cut and style.
“This fun look is ideal for pixie cuts with very short undercuts. It’s perfect for Christmas Party Season and will make heads turn for sure,” Berthelette points out.
To recreate these braid styles for short hair, use a texture spray on dry hair. Part in three vertical parallel sections (central bigger, sides smaller), isolating the central one with clips. Apply light hold paste on the two remaining sections and create a small dutch braid; loosen the braids delicately after securing them with elastics. Add texture spray if needed.
Create barrel curls with a curling iron for the middle section using a heat protectant spray. Once the middle section is curled, use a light hold styling spray. Let it cool. Separate in two, each curl and crisscross them to imitate a braid. Choose how high you want your braid considering it will elongate your morphology, and, at the same time, create this fake braid using a light hold styling spray.
Berthelette suggests hiding the elastics of the two smaller braids under the central braid using small pins. Then, finish the style with a maximal hold styling spray.
#10: Side French Braids for Short Hair
This look features a side French braid for short hair, which is cute yet casual. The little braid can dress up a woman’s whole look, and you can recreate it at home.
According to hairstylist Erin Phillips of Kansas City, MO, this look is low-maintenance. “The model wanted a cut to give her style when she didn’t feel like fixing her hair. We went with an inverted bob. I then showed her how to do a simple three strand braid (not French) and pull it apart to look messy. Also, giving the illusion that it took more effort,” Phillips explains.
Cute short braids for short hair like these are eye-catching!
#11: Easy Halo Braid
The halo braid is so versatile! Bridal hairstylist Vanessa Ospina of Miami, FL, agrees that “the style can be worn with something modern or even something classy. You can wear it to a wedding or a simple day at the park!”
The great thing about braiding short hair is that you can do your favorite type of plain with a crown-like finish! Instead of a three-strand braid, they may like a fishtail going all around.
Ospina advises ladies “to tell the stylist what kind of braid they like best.”
#12: Feed-In Braids for Black Hair
This style is called box braids in a bob style. This is one of the popular protective styles for natural-haired people, and it’s Marianne’s work of art, a hairstylist in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
“What I like most about this style is that it is timeless and never goes out of fashion. It caters to all looks, professional, casual, and smart. This style is also suitable for all age groups and frames the face beautifully. The braids also come in different colors giving everyone a wider selection,” Marianne points out.
This protective style is a great solution if your natural hair doesn’t have time to deal with you. It doesn’t require much maintenance except regular normal conditioning of the hair by spraying a mixture of water and some leave-in conditioner. If you keep the braids for longer than two weeks, Marianne recommends “washing the scalp by cleaning it with a cotton pad and a mixture of apple cider vinegar diluted in water.”
Before braiding, it’s important to consider your hair’s condition first. If you have thinner hair, you shouldn’t wear too tight or heavy braids. Alternatively, leave your baby hair on your hairline to protect the edges and brush it with hair gel for a clean look.
If someone is looking for a simple yet chic hairstyle, this is your go-to hairstyle to style every day once you wear it, as you don’t ha it!
#13: Ghana Braids for Black Women
Ghana braids are native to Africa. Its beauty depends greatly on the creativity and initiative of the braider or the stylist.
The best thing about such cute hairstyles for short hair, according to stylist Oshundiya Folashade from Nigeria, is that they require minimal maintenance. “It’s my easy go-to look because of my busy daily routine. Combing stress is out of my list. It helps me save more cost and manage my time yet gives me a neat, beautiful look,” Folashade adds.
It’s a fantastic idea as you can own this look wearing a wig. It saves you the number of hours spent creating the look, saves you cost, improves the life of the hair (zero disturbance and or stress on the scalp), and leaves you with a beautiful, younger face.
#14: Bohemian Braid
This is a sassy and refreshing take on the classic braided half-up, half-down hairstyle. It’s made by a stylist and boutique manager in California, Dannielle Robeson.
“This style is super versatile, as it can work for almost any hair length,” says Robeson. “Although, this style is not suitable for very thin hair. Try adding some texturizing in your braid to get more fluff.”
#15: Half Up Fishtail Braid
This is a curly faux hawk with a fishtail braid, created by Austria-based stylist Susanne Frioli, who loves braided styles. She explains, “They are so diverse, and for every lady, there is one style, even if she is sporty, like this model, or elegant and romantic for a bridal style.”
This hairstyle is for a woman who’s sporty in normal life and wears her hair straightened because it’s the most uncomplicated style for her to do.
“The model wanted a special style for an occasion that fits her personality but shows one of her other sides. It was an inspired look by Chloe Brown, who we both adore for her hairstyles. She always gives great inspos for what you can do with shorter hair,” Frioli mentions.
Frioli tried to figure out how to braid her hair to fit her profile, where she needed the volume of the curls, and how to make the wedding where she went but still look naughty and still look style elegant sporty to fit her personality. “She was my favorite braided style this year because the result fitted her so much and showed even herself how many faces she has and how different the looks she could wear,” she states.
The most important thing for braids with short hair is to note the volume and form the complete style needs to fit you perfectly. Frioli adds, “You need a product to manage the hair, to eliminate frizziness but leave the hair manageable. It should not be too hard on its hold and gives lots of shine.”
Her most liked product is Artego fingerprints. It’s a smooth, shiny hair wax, and even if you have braided the style, you can change the volume of the braid. Also, the smell of the product is really lovely.
To create the style, Frioli did the braid and the curls around. With the curls, you can play so much with volume and shape. Frioli used Artego Hot Shot spray to fix the style, as it gives perfect hold and does not dry out the hair so much. Even if you brush it out a little in the evening or the next morning, it won’t get flaky.
#16: Cute Dutch Braid
It’s a flirty, casual look. It’s a quick, simple style accompanying almost every occasion and every hairstyle. From long locks to pixie cuts, you can always add a fun braid to bring personality to your hair. A great product for this style is a good texture spray. This helps give some grip when doing the braid and finish with a good hairspray to keep everything in place.
#17: Simple Side Braids
The side braids give the classic pixie cut an edgier style. It was done to a bridesmaid by stylist Melisa Kudic of New Hartford, NY. “I love that it’s not a traditional bridesmaid look. It’s different and unique,” Kudic emphasizes.
This look could be achieved on any hair length. However, short hair gives it that flare. Kudic states, “The braids are easy to do and could be done alternatively as cornrows or twists.”
A thin straightener can give these loose waves in the hair and add volume. This look has little maintenance since it’ll stay all night after hairspray is applied!