10 Best Hair for Box Braids in 2023

Charity-Nasike-author
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Best Hair for Box Braids

A warm welcome to our review of the best hair for box braids in 2023

Box braids have always been a go-to time-saver when handling your real hair exhausts you. In support of that, they are also aesthetically-pleasing protective hairstyles. 

So, on behalf of box braid enthusiasts, I researched tons about the finest hair for box braids in the industry.

And my research led me to conclude Difunee Pre-stretched Yaki Braiding Hair is the best hair for box braids of all.

This post also reviews the best hair for box braids in their categories.

Best Overall
Braiding Hair Pre Stretched Braiding Hair 16 Inch 8 Packs Braiding Hair Pre Stretched Hair For Braiding Hot Water...
Best Budget
Pre-stretched Braiding Hair Professional Easy Crochet Braid Hair 20 Inch 8 Packs Hot Water Setting Soft Synthetic...
Best for Two Tone
Pre Stretched Braiding Hair 30 Inch 8 Packs Prestretched Braiding Hair Long Mixed Colored Two Tone Black/Brown Synthetic...
Braiding Hair Pre Stretched Braiding Hair 16 Inch 8 Packs Braiding Hair Pre Stretched Hair For Braiding Hot Water...
Pre-stretched Braiding Hair Professional Easy Crochet Braid Hair 20 Inch 8 Packs Hot Water Setting Soft Synthetic...
Pre Stretched Braiding Hair 30 Inch 8 Packs Prestretched Braiding Hair Long Mixed Colored Two Tone Black/Brown Synthetic...
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime
Best Overall
Braiding Hair Pre Stretched Braiding Hair 16 Inch 8 Packs Braiding Hair Pre Stretched Hair For Braiding Hot Water...
Braiding Hair Pre Stretched Braiding Hair 16 Inch 8 Packs Braiding Hair Pre Stretched Hair For Braiding Hot Water...
Amazon Prime
Best Budget
Pre-stretched Braiding Hair Professional Easy Crochet Braid Hair 20 Inch 8 Packs Hot Water Setting Soft Synthetic...
Pre-stretched Braiding Hair Professional Easy Crochet Braid Hair 20 Inch 8 Packs Hot Water Setting Soft Synthetic...
Amazon Prime
Best for Two Tone
Pre Stretched Braiding Hair 30 Inch 8 Packs Prestretched Braiding Hair Long Mixed Colored Two Tone Black/Brown Synthetic...
Pre Stretched Braiding Hair 30 Inch 8 Packs Prestretched Braiding Hair Long Mixed Colored Two Tone Black/Brown Synthetic...
Amazon Prime

Our Top Picks at A Glance

The 10 Best Hair for Box Braids Reviewed

Coming to your aid, we share more details and descriptions of every best box braid hair listed above. 

Difunee Pre-stretched Yaki Braiding Hair

Best Hair for Box Braids
  • Key features: Synthetic,pre-stretched yaki hair
  • Hair type: Straight
  • Hair color: Dark brown
  • Hair length: 16″, 20″, 22″, 24″,26″,28″
  • Bundles per pack: 8 bundles
  • Best for: Overall

The yaki hair offers great hair versatility. With it, you can plait it directly on your hair after creating the box divisions. Or you can make looped box braids separately from your hair and later crochet them onto your hair cornrows.

On top of the versatility, the hair comes pre-stretched. This is advantageous because you’re sure the length advertised will retain itself after box-braiding. If you choose to curl it, then it’ll shorten.

This hair allows for hot water setting. After braiding, you can dip the box braids into hot water to seat the blunt loose ends. That way, the box braids barely undo themselves.

The con of this braid hair is that it starts thinning from midway to the ends. It’s hard to get uniformly-sized braids to the ends of this braid hair. 


Dorsanee Black Senegalese Twist Crochet Braid Hair

61MkFesYRhL. SL1050
  • Key features: Hot water setting, pre-cut, pre-layered
  • Hair type: Straight
  • Hair color: Natural black
  • Hair length: 12″,16″, 20″, 24″, 28″, 36″,42″, 48″
  • Bundles per pack: 8 bundles
  • Best for: Budget

If you’re price-conscious, you can try the Dorsanee braid hair. You can wear the hair at less than 20 US dollars per pack. It will easily meet a low budget for a great money save-up.

Also, the braid hair is itch-free for fresh and comfortable, long-lasting wear. It’s not made with irritative chemical ingredients. Therefore, the interests of women with sensitive skin are clearly fulfilled. 

When you buy it, you are not restricted to one hairstyle. Aside from box braid plaits, you can use this hair for Senegalese twists, faux locs, or crochet braids. 

Sadly, the braids look beautiful after you’re done braiding, but when you dip them in hot water, they shrink. Once they shrink, they lose their length and become shorter and less beautiful.


Befunny Black-Brown Extra Long Box Braid Hair

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  • Key features: Crochet Yaki hair, pre-feathered
  • Hair type: Straight
  • Hair color: Black-brown
  • Hair length: 16″, 20″, 24″, 30″
  • Bundles per pack: 8 bundles
  • Best for: Two-tone hair

The package of Befunny braid hair features soft and smooth hair strands. These strands flow in one direction; hence when braided, there’ll be no flyaways for neatly-braided box braids. 

Plus, the package is packed with hair accessories besides the hair bundles. You’ll find 10 rings of different colors for decorating your braids.

Not forgetting, this brand generates braids with two color tones to break the monotony of one color. It is a mixture of black and brown, with black starting from the roots and fading into the brown shade at the ends. 

However, the hair tangles up severally as you braid it onto your own hair. So you’ll keep undoing the tangles for you to braid to the very end of the strands. 


Firstcyh Hair Pre-looped Box Braid Hair

71gR73fhnML. SL1500
  • Key features: Pre-looped, 100% handmade
  • Hair type: Curly
  • Hair color: Natural black
  • Hair length:10″, 12″. 18″, 20″, 24″
  • Bundles per pack: 8 bundles
  • Best for: Pre-looped

This is the best quality pre-looped crochet braid. The loops are holed wide enough for ease in crocheting. You need not customize the loop because they are well-defined.

In addition, the braids have curly ends. That adds a touch of beauty and natural looks to your box braids. It’s also a perfect chance to change from straight braids to curly braids.

Lastly, the hair is made of high-quality synthetic fibers. The synthetic material is flame-retardant such that the braids will not be susceptible to heat. So, you can curl them more if you desire finer curls or hot-water setting them.

But the smaller curls at the ends snag up on the bigger curls even with a proper care regimen. It ends up turning into a matted mess of braids. And the loops are too tiny to crochet the braids; hence the installation is hectic. 


Themis Hair Ombre Jumbo Hair for Box Braids

81wyz0PBB0L. SL1500
  • Key features: Pre-looped, synthetic Kanekalon hair, Flexi-locked
  • Hair type: Straight
  • Hair color: Ombre
  • Hair length: 24″
  • Bundles per pack: 3/6 bundles
  • Best for: Ombre color

The Themis Hair ombre braid hair gives off a cute dazzling ombre hue. This brings out wholesome beauty in a woman, especially if they’re after lighter glowing hair.

Looking at the hair material, this box braid is pure Kanekalon hair. This is soft synthetic hair that mimics the human hair texture. Thus, the box braids will look nice and closely resemble your own hair.

It’s also an economical investment as the package comes with free beads and a crochet needle. If your baby girl wears this braid hair, she can as well accessorize it and glow more. The crochet needle spares you the heck of spending more for a DIY install.

Though true to color, the number of braid strands is fewer than advertised. Instead of the 24 strands per bundle, they’re 22 strands per bundle. 


Lmzim Crochet Box Braids with Curly Ends

819a+72GciL. SL1500
  • Key features: Pre-looped, bohemian box braids
  • Hair type: Curly
  • Hair color: Natural black
  • Hair length:12″, 14″, 18″, 20″, 24″
  • Bundles per pack: 8 bundles
  • Best for: Curly hair

If you’re after Bohemian box braids, commonly known as Boho braids, you have this brand as your pick. They glam you up with some inches braided, leaving the mid-shaft to the ends wavy and curly. And it’s one of the popular trendy braid hairstyles these days. [1]

When you unravel the packaging, you will receive 8 bundles of hair. And each bundle has 16 strands. These 128 braid strands in total make about 5- 6 packs sufficient for a full head.

The variety of lengths provides freedom of choice. You can select either 12″, 14″, 18″, 20″, or 24″, depending on your heart’s desires. If it’s short box braids, 12 inches is an ideal choice.

Unfortunately, the synthetic box braids look too fake. One might think it’s Barbie doll hair because it’s too shiny and gets frizzled up after a week of wear.


Xchslb Goddess Crochet Box Braids

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  • Key features: pre-looped, crochet, jumbo box braids
  • Hair type: Straight
  • Hair color: Natural black
  • Hair length: 12″, 14″, 18″, 20″, 22″, 26″, 30″
  • Bundles per pack: 2, 6, or 7 bundles
  • Best for: Easy installation

Sometimes, you wish to put on braids but fix them yourself without help from a professional. In this case, you’ll definitely expect the installation to be easy and smooth on your end. That’s where the Xchslb goddess Crochet box Braids come in handy since they’re easy to install. 

They are pre-looped for the crochet needle to have easy movement around them. On top of that, they’re straight, with the ends already sealed. Therefore, you will not exert a lot of energy working on them.

Regarding the thickness of the braids, they are of medium-thin size. The braids start at the base as medium-sized sizes that taper into thin ends. Generally, this is beautifully done for a nice appearance. 

But the box braids shed a lot. And also, if you try setting up a high ponytail or styling them, they tangle up so badly that you might have to cut the most stubborn tangles. 


X-pression Original Braiding Hair for Box Braids

61qvEjvMHOL. SL1000
  • Key features: 100% Kanekalon
  • Hair type: Straight
  • Hair color: Natural black
  • Hair length: 82″
  • Bundles per pack: 3 bundles
  • Best for: Lightweight

X-pression braid hair is reputable for its super light braiding hair. Its lightweight nature makes it the best for bulky long braids if you want them closely packed. As such, you will still feel comfortable even though the box braids are many on your head.

The hair is also soft and tangle-free because it’s of Yaki texture. If you brush it before plaiting, you’ll notice that the brush goes through it with ease. It’s the brushable kind of braid hair.

Since the hair is Yaki hair, it will be a breeze to install and braid it. For that reason, it will save you much time for a short installation process.

Speaking of its downsides, it crumples up when dipped in hot water. Afterward, it looks untidy and no longer attractive. The hair also knots up easily, so you must be careful when working with it. 


Phoenixfly Multi-colored Box Braid Hair

71KB5Yvtt1L. SL1500
  • Key features: Pre-stretched, synthetic hair, Yaki texture
  • Hair type: Straight
  • Hair color: Black/purple/light green
  • Hair length: 26″
  • Bundles per pack: 6 bundles
  • Best for: Colored hair

Striking a wonderful amalgamation of bright colors is possible with the Phoenixfly braid hair. The hair gleams in three vibrant colors, one coming after the other along the hair strands. These colors appear in this order: black, purple, and light green, for a pop of colors on you. 

Apart from that color variation, there are 25 more color variations you can choose to explore. You can also find two-toned or four-toned braid hair. Black/purple/blue, purple/rose red/yellow, black/red/yellow/white, and black/pink hair, among others, are available.

Something else, the hair is very long for a luscious, luxurious feel. Wear the 26″ of braid hair for the opportunity to flip your braids side to side and open yourself to several braid styles. 

The disadvantage of this braid hair is its itchiness. You’re likely to experience scalp irritation that could lead to scratching and hurting your scalp.


Layashow Bob Crochet Box Braids with Curly Ends

  • Key features: Pre-looped, synthetic hair, curled ends
  • Hair type: Curly 
  • Hair color: Dark brown
  • Hair length: 10″, 12″
  • Bundles per pack: 6 bundles
  • Best for: Bob

While most box braids are medium-long to very long, Layashow box braids are bob braids. They’re 10- 12″ long to enable you to wear the bob braid style. And the curled ends enhance the magnificence of the bobs. 

The braids are thick and fluffy. They encourage hair volume for women with thinning hair and hair loss problems. With its pre-looped construction, you create cornrows and attach them to those cornrows using a crochet needle.

Lacking split ends means the hair is from premium-quality synthetic material. The manufacturer embraced a hair technology that imitates the properties of healthy human hair.

However, the loops of these bob braids are small and tight. That makes it difficult for one to install them. 


Best Hair for Box Braids

How to Select the Right Hair for Box Braids

To pick the right hair for box braids, we recommend you scrutinize the following factors before checking out. 

Hair Material

Most box braids are plaited from synthetic box braids because it’s most women’s choice. You’ll get the standard synthetic or the Japanese Kanekalon fibers for synthetic braid hair.

If you are sensitive to quality matters, Kanekalon hair is the best choice. Kanekalon fibers feature a natural appearance like human hair. It has a tangle-free, soft feel that makes braiding easier and more styleable. 

Best Hair for Box Braids

Hair Quality

There’s more to hair quality than just the hair material of the braid hair. If braid hair is of great quality, it should be authentic in all aspects to meet your hair needs.

Screen the braid hair to confirm that it does not emit weird odors. Also, check that it should not bear any scalp irritation effects, which may interfere with your scalp health.

Simply open the customer reviews, and scan the comments to locate any that disclose the presence of foul odors and itchiness.

Best Hair for Box Braids

Hair Length

Braiding hair usually comes in a wide array of lengths. Long braiding hair puts you in a better position to enjoy different hairstyles than short hair. So, the longer the braid hair, the more the styling options. 

As for short braid hair, you can rock in bob box braids. It’s an instant facelift and a great fit for ladies with thin hair. Bobs create an illusion of thick, voluminous box braids on your head. 

Weight

Whichever box braid hair you go for, ensure it’s adequately lightweight. Remember, box braids put weight on your scalp and hair; if heavy, they might tug your hair at the roots. That may result in much pain and hair breakage. 

Also, if you’ve been struggling with thin hair, you have no choice but to be extra vigilant with the braid’s weight. It’s better to care for the hair than graduate into the balding phase. 

Best Hair for Box Braids

Color

When choosing the braid hair color from the variety, consider your natural hair color. There are light tones like ombre, dull tones of black and brown, and two-toned and multi-toned braids. Picking the right color makes every other feature of the braid hair worth the purchase.

If you’re venturesome, you can opt for colored braiding hair different from your hair color. Plaiting your hair with a different braid color actually creates a nice blend of two colors. 

Hair Color Ring

Installation

In the event of a DIY installation, check the ease of installation of the braid hair. You’ll want to have an easy time fixing the box braids so that you’re not tired after the process. This helps if you’re also phobic of long salon stays. 

Look for pre-looped braid hair because it takes a little time to install. It will only need cornrows and crocheting compared to plaiting the braids to your hair. 

Best Hair for Box Braids

How to Fix Your Own Box Braids

Plaiting box braids becomes easier with more practice. In this section, we’re going to guide you on the easiest way to make box braids in a step-by-step tutorial. And before starting to do your box braids, your hair should be clean and straightened. 

Step 1: Part the hair mass into a third of the entire hair from ear to ear and from the front. You’ll have front and back sections. Cut the front section into two subsections along the middle part and loosely braid them.

Step 2: Using a rat tail comb, starting from the back, part the hair across into small-sized boxes. Then apply a holding gel of your choice at the roots.

Step 3: Take a portion of the synthetic braid hair and split it into two. One piece should be smaller than the other and loop them into each other. 

Step 4: Lay the loop along your box of hair with your hair in the middle. Grip the base and braid towards the ends of the braid hair. Repeat the same with every box of hair. 

Final Words

Finding the perfect hair for box braids is easy if you’re sure what kind of hair you want for yourself. Braid hair is very versatile, durable, and currently exotic.

For the best service, care for your box braids appropriately with the right hair products. And from time to time, oil your scalp to avoid flaking. Above all, our research revealed Difunee Pre-stretched Yaki Braiding Hair is the best hair for box braids. 

Author: Charity Nasike

AUTHOR

Charity Nasike is a passionate wig wearer and basically has diverse knowledge related to wigs' care and maintenance. When she's not writing, she's either in the kitchen trying out new recipes or on social media advising fellow ladies tricks to apply on their wigs.

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