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Braids are one of the hottest trends this spring. Everything from cornrows to long individual box braids and more has been seen in magazines, on the red carpet, and even on the streets of your favorite city. Braids are a fun and easy way to switch up your look but its all about finding the right braided style for you. I am here to give you the tea on this trend so you can rock the flyest braids this Spring.

I love the look of individual box braids or twists. It gives you the opportunity to rock many different styles all while protecting your hair from constant styling and/or heat from your styling tools. The downside to this look? The time it takes to get the braids put in and taken out. I don’t know how many hours of my life have been spent in a braiding shop but I’m sure it’s a huge chunk. As a person who loves a quick fix, I am pretty much obsessed with crochet braiding. This allows you to get the look of individual box braids or twist in a quarter of the time.

Not only is this look going to save you time, but also it can save you money, and most importantly save your edges. Far too often women get a protective style but it is pulling on their hair so tight it is doing more harm than good. How do you know it’s too tight? You know those tension bumps or how your face looks like a mini face lift when exiting the braid shop? These are both signs that your braids are too tight!

Crochet braiding is done by putting cornrows in your head and then crocheting in the extensions around the cornrows. So your hair (especially your edges) isn’t being pulled down by the individual braid, which depending on length and thickness can be way too heavy for a few strands of hair. The tension and weight of this look are distributed evenly and you can safely rock this springtime trend.

RELATED: GET THE LOOK: Slay Spring 2016 With These Hair Trends

Cornrows have been a go-to hairstyle in every black girl’s life at some point or another. As for me, I have rocked cornrows at every stage in my life and loved it. While it may be becoming widely popular in some other cultures, they have always been a favorite of mine. So it is no question why it is one of my favorite trends for this spring. I want to show you how you can take cornrows to the next level and spice up your look.

I love when people take a trend and make it their own. I recently saw a picture of Evelyn Lozada with some cornrows going into a ponytail that looked so funky yet sexy. I am going to show you ladies how to get this look and you will see how versatile cornrows can be.

First, section off your hair ear to ear and clip the hair in the front away for later. Now you are going to bring the hair in the back up into a ponytail. Make sure to smooth any flyaways with a brush and some edge control. I’m going to use Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture Edge Control & Shape Paste.

GET THE LOOK: Evoke Springtime Fly With These Braided Styles

Source: Alicia Fajardo / Alicia Fajardo Hair

Now you are going to part the hair in the front into 3 sections ( the middle section should be just a little bit smaller than the 2 sections on the side).

GET THE LOOK: Evoke Springtime Fly With These Braided Styles

Source: Alicia Fajardo / Alicia Fajardo Hair

Clip the middle section off for later. Start your side braids towards the middle of the head and slowly curve it around towards the back. It’s important to make sure the sides are sleek and smooth going into the braid so use some edge control there as well.

GET THE LOOK: Evoke Springtime Fly With These Braided Styles

Source: Alicia Fajardo / Alicia Fajardo Hair

Take the hair in the middle section and braid it going straight back. You don’t want this braid to look bulky so make sure you take your time and grab small sections as you pull it into the braid.

GET THE LOOK: Evoke Springtime Fly With These Braided Styles

Source: Alicia Fajardo / Alicia Fajardo Hair

There are many things you can do with the ponytail. If you are natural you can keep the hair in its natural state. But if you want something a little different you can straighten out the hair in the ponytail and put some light curls in it to give it volume and a bouncy wave.

GET THE LOOK: Evoke Springtime Fly With These Braided Styles

Source: Alicia Fajardo / Alicia Fajardo Hair

This is not your average ponytail and when you come through with this look for the spring everyone is going to love your take on the braided hair trend. As always show us how you rock your springtime braids by tagging @AliciaFajardoHair and @HBSoBeautiful on Instagram.

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GET THE LOOK: Evoke Springtime Fly With These Braided Styles  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com