Save for the torturous stint without salons during lockdown, I’ve been a committed braids wearer for 10 years. Over that decade, I’ve witnessed a real evolution – and more so than ever in the last year or two. Thanks to the rise of Black-owned hair brands and a new wave of content creators, stylists and celebrities shaping trends on social media, it feels like braids are in the midst of a renaissance.
So much so that after doggedly sticking to the same outdated formula for a long time, I’ve officially been influenced to try out the new-generation extensions, switch to a super-talented mobile braider and experiment with styles that I’ve stumbled across on TikTok. “The customer for braids has definitely grown and diversified,” says Jesse Giwa, who has helped his family’s Fulham-based salon, bring in more Gen-Z customers, along with his sister Rashidat. In his view, it’s a shift that’s been brewing for some time.
The return to natural hair in the 2010s played a big part. “Before this era, we saw a lot more weaves, relaxers and texturisers, but now that’s definitely cooled down.” He also pinpoints Beyoncé’s “Lemonade braids” as a turning point, as well as the popularisation of knotless braids in the mid-2010s.
“It made the look more flat and seamless, and appealed to a larger market.” However, this latest wave, he says, is really being coming out of Lagos, Nigeria, where you’ll find some of the world’s most innovative and skilled braiders. With Nigerian culture going global, artists such as Tems and Ayra Starr are showcasing modern remixes on traditional styles to a wider audience.
Giwa also notes the rise of “Detty December”, the annual pilgrimage that young people in the diaspora make back to Nigeria, which will typically involve a trip to the braider in between all the partying. Add onto that a new generation of stylish, jet-setting “It girls” – the sort who flit between London, Lagos and the US – who are racking up followers on Instagram and TikTok, and trends are born. Among them is 27-year-old content creator Tobi Ojora, and her younger sister Temi.
Ojora grew up between Lagos and London, with a stint in LA, and slowly gained a following on Instagram and TikTok for her fashion and fitness content. However, over time, she noticed it was her braids that were getting the most attention. “In 2022, I did these Fulani French curl braids in colour 613 and I think that was probably the first time when people on TikTok were like, ‘Oh, okay, this girl might know a thing or two about braids.
’ When it really blew up was 2023. I did black layered French curls and that got almost four million views on TikTok. I feel like by that point, I kind of solidified my reputation as a French curl girlie.
” She and her sister became the poster girls for the style and helped kick off a trend among Gen-Z. “It’s so interesting going on Pinterest and looking for braid inspiration for new hairstyles and seeing myself or my sister all over the page..
. Or sometimes I’ll be getting my hair braided [in a salon] and someone will show me a picture of their hair inspiration and be like, ‘Is that you?’ It’s strange but it’s definitely very flattering!” Ojora agrees it’s Nigerians who are paving the way. “I may be biased, but the Nigerian girls, Lagos girls, they are taking it.
” For her, she looks to peers such as actor and influencer Temi Otedola, gallerist Oyinkansola Dada and artist Danielle Mbonu for style ideas. Nollywood is also a source of inspiration. “Nollywood actresses had incredible hairstyles – Fulani braids, million braids, pick and drop, everything under the sun.
It’s so nice to see those styles coming full circle and inspiring us all over again.” Out in the US, too, talented braiders are earning a cult following and establishing their own looks and techniques. Nigerian-American braider Omobolanle Ajao, who pioneered a style she calls (which are similar to bohemian braids, where wavy strands of hair are attached to the braid), has 491k followers, and her feed features the likes of Tems, Ayra Starr, Lala Anthony and Justine Skye.
Meanwhile, Inglewood-based hairstylist Je’Ne Sais Quoi Hearn specialises in micro braids and has become known for the ‘slip-out method’, which makes the takedown – by far the most tedious part of the process – super swift (think an hour rather than eight). Evalyn Denis, also in LA, is Solange’s go-to braider and was the stylist behind Blue Ivy’s Fulani boho braids for the California stop of the Renaissance tour. She credits the uptick to a few factors.
“Braids can help retain moisture, reduce breakage, and promote hair growth, so they’re a popular choice if you want to maintain healthy Afro hair,” she says. “But also, there’s a growing appreciation for the beauty and versatility of braids. People are embracing them as a way to celebrate their heritage and express their individuality.
” She also believes celebrities such as Solange and Zoë Kravitz have given braids a popularity boost. (You need only search ‘Zoë Kravitz braids’ – essentially pick and drop – on TikTok to see the proof.) According to Denis, boho braids are the dominant trend right now, but she’s also noticing a rise in feed-in braids.
“It basically involves adding extensions to the natural hair gradually, which creates a seamless and natural-looking braid, and allows for more flexibility in doing intricate patterns and styles.” At the end of last year, she decided to cater to growing demand by setting up her own online marketplace selling high-quality human hair extensions for braiding. “[Synthetic] Kanekalon hair is great for braiding, but human hair extensions closely mimic the texture and appearance of natural hair, and they can be styled, dyed, and treated just like natural hair, so you get a more realistic finish.
” As it happens, some of the biggest innovations are in the hair itself. In the UK, Afro hair startup has revolutionised the extensions category and created a sleek, Glossier-like experience. For human hair, the brand has sought to avoid the murky ethics by closely verifying its supply chain, but the real game-changer is its patent-pending Braid-it synths line, which is made from a protein fibre.
“The actual creation of the fibre took about two years,” says CEO and cofounder Tendai Mayo. “And it took a lot of investment. We raised £1m in 21 days through Crowd Cube.
” She says the range was born out of a demand for braiding hair that was higher quality and safer. “The biggest brands that people use are plastic and coated in a harmful chemical that oftentimes people react to. What we wanted to do was to create something that was really close to human hair, that could be heat-styled.
And then the other thing was something that’s biodegradable and wouldn’t sit in landfill for hundreds of years.” (In Berlin, Cosima Richardson’s brand is hoping to create a similar buzz, with its plant-based braiding hair that launches later this summer.) This month, Ruka is capitalising on the boom in braids by teaming up with Southwest Six for a pop-up experience that will showcase the brand’s products and salon’s talents on influencers, with key looks including French curls, braided bobs and micro braids.
It’s also launching an updated Braid-it range with new synths textures and colours, plus human hair options. According to Moyo, it’s all part of a broader move towards catering to Black beauty demands. “When it comes to textured hair, I feel like there are a range of opportunities there to improve things,” she says.
“And as Black women, as a community, we’ve got more vocal about our needs and not having to compromise.” For braid lovers like me, the options have never been better. But the current boom feels like more than a trend – it signals a renewed love and respect for traditional Black hairstyles, and it’s helping shed the stereotype that they’re somehow less glamorous, polished or attractive than, say, silk presses or “buss down” wigs.
“I got a really lovely comment from someone the other day about having their hair braided in ‘professional’ settings and feeling like they don’t look ‘tidy’ – and how seeing me with my hair braided all the time has helped them get past that,” says Ojora. “That’s the stuff that I think is important – making people feel they can do those hairstyles and feel beautiful.”.
