Braided hairstyles for black women, this is a very broad topic. Braided hairstyles are extremely popular in the African American culture. There are so many braided hairstyles for a person to choose from, which is half the fun of a braided hairstyle.
Braided hairstyles have survived over centuries and have a very long history in the African American culture. When slaves were forced to come into America and work, they often had their head shaved for sanitary reasons. As their hair grew back, a big part of their culture came with it, braids.
Even though braids have been around for hundreds of years, time has not altered this style much at all. The only difference now is that we have more styles available to us. This is because we have technology that was not available to people that long ago. Braids are a way for African American people to state their ancestry, beliefs, political statements, and their proud ethnicity.
When people first began braiding hair, they would braid them in straight rows either horizontally or parallel. They would dress the braids with ribbons and bows. You can plainly see how braids have matured over the years, and have become an art form. You can find braids in many sophisticated and complicated patterns. As long as creative people exist, this style will continue to grow.
You would most often see black woman wearing cornrow braids. This is one of the most popular braid types. In fact, many different cultures incorporate this style into their life. Many tourists have their hair styled in this fashion when visiting a Caribbean location. It can be expensive to have your hair done in this way, and the people who do it are very skilled and extremely fast at braiding.
Cornrows are small French braids that lie flat against the head. Cornrows are commonly started at the forehead and are braided to the nape of the neck. The remaining hair would then be braided in a normal fashion and often times decorated with beads.
Micro braids are another popular style and are more difficult to do then cornrows. Micro braids are named because of the very small braids that are done. These braids are so small that it is almost impossible to notice that the hair is braided unless you are close to the person with the hairstyle.
People who do micro braids are very skilled braiders and this hairstyle should not be attempted by someone who is not practiced at it. This is not because of the complexity of the hairstyle. In fact, it is quite easy to do, but it takes a very long time and can be damaging to hair.
