SIDE BRAIDS HAIR 2010

I’ve seen this style a lot; it was made popular by Alicia Keys, who actually braids her own hair. Side-braids hair has tiny braids on the side – usually French braids - while the rest of that hair is left straight, hanging and undecorated. While this style is popular among African-American women, it’s not necessarily confined to them. In fact, I saw the style again just this morning on Boa Kwan, a Korean artist who specializes in hip-hop, techno and dance music.

It was absolutely gorgeous on her, and I paused the video to study the pattern. This hairstyle is unique, because the pattern is what draws the eye, not necessarily the style. Usually it is braided in a zigzag pattern, though it can also be braided in a circle, crossovers and even train tracks – braids that are parallel and co straight down in one direction. The ends are normally decorated with beads, or even curled sometimes. Ultimately though, the rest of the hair remains straight and untouched.

It takes less than ten minutes to get this done, and if you know a friend who can braid your hair (or you can do it yourself) you can get it done for cheap – or free. Most of the time this hairstyle is used when going out to a club or party of some sort. I’ve rarely ever seen it outside of the realm of casual fun, conserved for hanging out with friends, dinner at the local cafe or even going to the movies