Top Five Braided Hairstyles to Transition Into Fall

Braids for Every Season

Fall is upon us! Temperatures are dropping, and the leaves are beginning to change into beautiful warm tones.

But cooler weather does not mean that you have to say goodbye to your favorite protective styles. The season of autumn represents preparation. The cold, harsh winter weather is both drying and damaging to your hair and this season is the perfect time to prep your hair for the challenge. One of the most common protective styles is braids.

Whether you are wearing braids under your favorite wig or rocking them for the world to see, braids are a great hairstyle to transition from summer to fall. Many of us have been wearing braids long before we could walk.

Braids have been a staple hairstyle in many cultures simply because the styling options are versatile and the outcome is dependable. While the summer season had us craving long lemonade braids, fall braids can be a little more reserved yet still showcase our creativity.

No matter what your autumn goals are, these five braided styles will keep your hair protected and on-trend with little effort.

The Fishtail Braid

Fishtail braids have been popular for a few years now.

The look is both chic and straightforward and provides a level of fun to your styling that you can't get from other hairstyles. To the untrained eye, fishtail braids look difficult but after a few rounds of practice, creating a cute fishtail braid can be done by memory.

Here's how to do it:

Step 1:

Pull your hair into a ponytail and secure with an elastic band

Step 2:

Split the ponytail into equal halves

Step 3:

Grab a small piece of hair (about a half-inch) from the outside of the left ponytail

Step 4:

Cross the small piece on the left over the hair on the right side.

Tip: Make sure that you do not twist the hair as you cross it over

Step 5:

Grab a small piece of hair (about a half-inch) from the outside of the right ponytail

Step 6:

Cross the small piece on the left over the hair on the left side.

Step 7:

Repeat steps 3 through 6 until you have run out of hair

Step 8:

Once all of your hair is braided, remove the elastic band at the base of your hair.

Step 9:

Secure your ends with an elastic band.

Now, it's time to have a little fun and play up your style!

Add some fun by pulling down a few pieces to frame your face and around your ear. You can soften your look by using a curling iron to add a few soft waves to the dangling hairs. The best part about fishtail braids is that they are meant to look a little messy.

That means that if you are gentle enough, you can get a few days to wear out of this hairstyle before you need to redo it.

The Puffy Braid

If you have fine or thin hair like I do but you love wearing braids, then this will be your new favorite braided hairstyle.

I love throwing braids into my styling routine every once in a while. They are carefree and can be casual or fancy. But, my hair is not very thick. While my hair is dense, meaning I have a lot of strands, my strands are very fine, or thin. That means that my braids often disguise just how much hair I have on my head.

Then, I discovered the puffy braid. The puffy braid is a celebrity stylist red carpet trick that changed the game for me, and I haven't looked back since. This method is a technique that makes your hair appear thicker without adding extensions (unless you want to!)

The best part is that this technique works on both regular and French braids.

Here's how to achieve this look:

Step 1:

Braid your hair the way you usually would

Step 2:

Starting at the base of the braid, gently pull the strands so that they widen.

Step 3:

Work your way down the braid, pulling each section until it widens to match the part before it.

Step 4:

Spray a light amount of hairspray to hold your style

That's it! Who knew that getting thicker hair while also wearing your favorite protective style could be so easy?

The best part is that this hairstyle can last you up to a week. Make sure that you cover your hair with a silk or satin cap at night to preserve the hairstyle and protect your hair while you sleep.

Creative Cornrow Braids

When you think of cornrow braids, the word, "creativity" might not come to mind. Cornrow braids are typically uniform and straightforward. However, current trends have proved that the long-standing hairstyle can adapt to the modernization of hairstyling.

Cornrow braids can be as basic as having your hair French braided from your hairline straight back toward the nape of your neck or can be as intricate as the recently popular feed-in braids.

Whatever your level of expertise is with braiding hair, there is a cornrow braided hairstyle for you.

Mix and Match Your Style

Instead of wearing your cornrows in a typical manner, consider mixing up your style. Try braiding your cornrows into Dutch braids for an unpredictable fashion statement.

Here's How:

Step 1:

Part your hair down the middle of your head so that you have two equal sections of hair

Step 2:

Part your hair going toward your ear so that you have one section of hair at the front of your head

Step 3:

French braid that section of hair in a straight line

Step 4:

Repeat steps 2-3 until both sides of your hair are braided

Step 5:

Starting at the front of your hair, gather the hanging strands and begin to French braid them in a backward direction toward the nape of your neck

Step 6:

Repeat step 5 on the other side of your hair

Step 7:

Secure your ends with an elastic band.

The fun part of this style is that it takes a drab protective style and showcases your creativity.

Switch it up by braiding your hair into different patterns! If you take care of your hair, you can wear this hairstyle for up to two weeks. Keep your braids fresh by using a leave-in conditioner.

Old-Fashioned French Braid Reimagined

When might be having second-grade flashbacks but don't whip out your hair scrunchies just yet!

Many of us grew up wearing a single French braid in our hair. Whether that was because our moms didn't have time to style our hair or perhaps they thought the hairstyle was fashionable is unclear. The traditional French braid isn't all bad. It is a protective style that can yield some tremendous long-term results if cared for properly.

Since it's only one braid, it's quiet and easy to install and lasts for days at a time. But you don't have to settle for old-school. You can still rock this look without looking like you just stepped out of a history book.

Small touches like changing up the direction of the braid, adding a few embellishments, and some key hair products will have you wearing the seasons' hottest style that originated from yesteryear.

Add Hair Accessories

Hair accessories are a fun temporary way to make your style pop.

Wear a pretty gold headband to add a dainty touch to your look. You can also throw in a pop of color installing clip-in hair extensions before you braid your hair. Private Label Extensions has clip-in hair extensions that are 100% human hair. That means that they can withstand hair coloring without losing their integrity.

Here's a simple way to install clip-in hair extensions:

Step 1:

Part your hair and designate the area that you would like to place the clip-in

Tip: To avoid a peek-a-boo slip up, make sure that your part is larger than the weft of the extension.

Step 2:

Lightly tease your natural hair where you plan to place your clip-in

Step 3:

Install the clip in and secure the clips.

Step 4:

Repeat steps 1 through 3

Once you've got your clip-in extensions installed, braid your hair and watch as your highlights bring the style to life. Finish off your style by adding some soft wisps to your edges with PLE edge control.

Braided Bun

If you told me to name the top two most common protective styles, I would say Braids and Buns.

Choosing to wear a braided bun for your fall protective style only makes sense! We've already covered why braids are such an excellent protective style so now let's look at why buns have the protective style category in a tie.

Simply put, buns are easy! Some days you don't have the time to devote to styling your hair and a bun is right there to support you. Buns keep your ends hidden so that they don't dry out but they also look super cute! Most women would agree that a bun is a fall hairstyling staple.

Wearing this hybrid style will give you the longevity that only braids can provide you and the ease of styling that you get from wearing a bun.

Here's how to get the look:

Step 1:

Section your hair and braid each section upwards toward the crown of your head

Step 2:

Once you've read the crown of your hair, continue the braid only about a half-inch

Step 3:

Repeat steps one and two until all of your hair is braided

Step 4:

Take an elastic band and secure your hair into a ponytail

Step 5:

Separate the hair so that it is laying evenly around your head. You should have some hair toward the front, sides, and back.

Step 6:

Slowly twist your hair outward and under around the base of your ponytail

Step 7:

Once you don't have any more hair to twist, tuck your ends into the bottom of your bun

Step 8:

Use a bobby pin or an elastic band to secure it

You can easily get a few weeks out of this hairstyle by protecting your hair at night and using a shine spray during the day. Every few days, you'll need to take your bun down, detangle, and reinstall it.

Fall into Fall Hairstyles

A new season doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the same styles that you've been wearing all year long.

Keeping your hairstyles fresh is all about finding creative ways to express yourself. Fall is an excellent season to stay loyal to your protective styles but also maintain the sass that the summer sun gives us.

Make sure that you are following us on Instagram @privatelabelextensions.com for hair styling inspiration. Leave a comment below and share what braided style you can't wait to try this season!