- Plaits are a fun way to keep your hair back and out of your face.
- It can be tricky to find braided hairstyles [1] for short hair.
- Aside from the classics, like a french plait [2] or a fishtail braid, these are more advanced plait styles you can do on short hair.
We love plaits for a myriad of reasons: they're perfect for second-day (and third-day) hair, they're a fun way to add personality to your look, and they're a creative way to keep your hair back and out of your face outside of a messy bun or a basic ponytail. But you can only do a classic french plait or fishtail braid so many times before you get bored. Not to mention, if you have a trendy haircut [3] that hits at the shoulders or above (and so many people do right now), it's nearly impossible to complete plaits on short hair [4]. There just isn't enough hair to work with.
Rather than having to pick and choose between your love for bob haircuts [5] and being able to pull off a cute braid [6], you just need better tutorials for short plait hairstyles. With that in mind, we rounded up plaited hairstyles for short hair [7] that you can do year-round.
How to Do a Waterfall Braid on Short Hair
A waterfall braid starts at the front of your head and wraps all the way around to the other side, pulling in tiny sections of hair as you go. Milana, the vlogger behind the account Milabu, made the style look easy on her short hair.
How to Do Two Side Braids on Short Natural Hair
Learn how to do two side braids on short natural hair with this 13 minute hair tutorial. You'll want to get some hair clips to hold the sections of hair in place and tiny elastics to secure the ends.
How to Do a Snake Braid on Short Hair
Ingrid Nilsen shared a quick and easy tutorial on how to do a snake braid on short hair. Simply part your hair to the side, braid a small front section of hair, and then hold the middle strand of hair and scrunch the others up. After you make this little snake shape, secure it in place with a bobby pin.
How to Do a Crown Braid on Short Hair
Unlike most crown braids that braid the hair from the back of the head and wrap it around to the front, this short hair tutorial by Ashley Brooke starts by french braiding at the front and wrapping it around to the back.
How to Do a Braided Headband on Short Natural Hair
This braided hair headband tutorial for super short, natural hair is a fun way to mix up your regular style. After you complete the braids in the front, you can pull the rest of your hair into a puff or leave it out.
How to Do a Dutch Bride on Short With Bangs
Mallory Brooke shared how to do a dutch braid on super short hair with bangs. She had been using this hairstyle to keep her grown-out bangs out of her face. The key to making it hold: second day hair.
How to Do a Headband Braid on Short Hair
Louise Barnard shared how to do four different braided hairstyles on short hair in this how-to video. She went through some of the basics, like french braids, before showing how to do a trickier headband braid.