It is the world of braids, and we are just doing them for a happy living. And indeed, we should because braids are functional protective hairstyles that look classy, chic, timeless, and all the adjectives you can think about. But majorly, when we think of braids, the box braids pop into our heads. But these days, box braids are getting heavy competition with knotless braids. Well, if you are also sailing on the two boats of these braids and want to decide which one you should go for. This blog and definitely be a big help. So let’s check which one is better for you. The box braids or the knotless braid.
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Box Braids vs. Knotless Braids: Which One is Better and Why?
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Nov 26, 2024 |
7 mins read
Two of the most popular braid styles today are box braids and knotless braids. While they may look similar at first glance, each style offers distinct advantages and challenges. Choosing between the two depends on your personal preferences, hair needs, and lifestyle. Let’s dive into a detailed comparison to help you decide which is better for you and why.
Best Braiding Hair For Box Braids
Definition Of Box Braids
The braids are made by creating boxes on your head and then braids forming out of it. The braids can be of different sizes based on the size of the box you have made. So big box braids, small box braids, jumbo braids, all these are different variations of box braids. Apart from that, you can also have multiple colored box braids to create a fashionable look to it.
Pros Of Box Braids
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- Box braids are one of the oldest styles of braids, and that’s why they always remain classic and timeless and always look relevant despite of whichever time and decade you do it.
- The box braids are made by creating boxes at the scalp, so they’re tightly knit by the root, and therefore their foundation is quite secured.
- The braids require less maintenance, and you can easily wear them for 6 to 8 weeks with ease.
Cons Of Box Braids
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- The box braids are tightly tied, so you might feel irritation on the scalp after a certain point of time.
- The box braids are generally heavy because of the high scalp tension, and that is why doing high-intensity workouts or swimming with box braids is a little difficult.
- Installing and removing box braids can be a lengthy and difficult process.
Best Braiding Hair For Knotless Braids
Definition Of Knotless Braids
The word itself explains knotless braids. It is a braid where there is no knot tied at the scalp because the braid starts with natural hair, and then the braiding hair is fed into it to create a beautiful braided look. You can say they are the elevated version of box braids.
Pros Of Knotless Braids
- As the braiding hair is added into the knotless braids, the braids look fuller and thicker and have a more finished, premium look to them.
- The scalp tension is much less, which creates less irritation or headaches
- The knotless braids are not bulky, which makes it easy for the wearer to swing them freely.
Cons Of Knotless Braids
- As the base of knotless braid is not as secure as the box braid ones, the braids can start slipping out, which makes its shelf live very less.
- The knotless braids are a high technical process of installation, which includes lots of money as well as time to it.
- Doing knotless braids at home is only possible if you have a braid expert at your home. So definitely, you have to make a budget to visit a stylist to get them done.
Direct Comparison Between Box Braids and Knotless Braids
No, let’s have a head-on one-to-one comparison between box braids, and knotless braids so that you can learn which one is different from the other in what sense.
Longevity
When it comes to box braids, they can easily stay for up to eight weeks, whereas when we talk about knotless braids, the maximum they can stay in good shape is six weeks because they are not secured at the bottom, unlike box braids. So, if you want to have braids that go for a long time and can even go up to three months, you should pick box braids.
Scalp Tension
If you are someone who scratches your head a lot, definitely knotless braids should be your pick because the box braids start from the very root of the scalp which creates high tension over it. At the same time, the base of knotless braids allows the scalp to feel easy.
Appearance
The box braids start from the root by creating the boxes, which create the chunky bulky look from the very start, whereas, in the knotless braids, the hair is gradually added with the braid in the process, so it is smoother and leaner.
Installation Time
Both of them require a lot of time so you need to have a lot of patience while you are getting your braids done. But if you can’t invest long hours, go for box braids. Box braids are made in around three hours, but when it comes to knotless braids, you might have to sit for five to six hours because the technique is very special and very skilled people can only execute properly.
Installation Time
The box braids are comparatively less than the price because, firstly, the installation time is less, and secondly, you do not even require braiding hair extensions. But when it comes to knotless braid, the skilled staff is needed with longer time and definitely braiding hair as required to create the look. Eventually, it has three more factors to make this braid look done, so the cost of knotless braids automatically becomes higher.
Deciding Factors For Your Braid Type
Well, above, we have discussed the factors that make two braids different from each other, and you are still confused about it. You can choose based on your personal preferences by considering the following factors.
Budget
How much you are willing to spend on your braids. If you have a good budget and the money has no restrictions, you should go for knotless braids. But if you have a limited budget, the box braid will be the right choice.
Hair Type
If you have hair with low porosity, they are very thin and easy to break; you should go for knotless braids, as they have low scalp tension braids. But if you have good, healthy, thick, strong hair, you should go for box braids, as they can easily be carried on your real hair.
Lifestyle
Can you spend a good amount of time maintaining your hair and like crazy workouts, swimming, and sweat-prone activities where you have to head out in the sun a lot? You should go for knotless braids. But if you are someone who wants to get going, do not have enough time to spend on their hair and still want to experiment multiple hairstyles with braids, you should go for braids. Because they are highly versatile and will not require much of your time and attention.
Winner: Box Braids Or Knotless Braids?
Here comes the tricky part. Which one is the winner? Well, nothing compares to box braids, but due to present times when people are having massive hair fall issues, and the spending capacity is also improved, it is being advised these days to go for knotless braids. Because they look smoother, do not give that much weight to your scalp, And you can easily wear them for a month. So, if you had asked this question five years back, the answer would have been box braids. But based on current trends and patterns, maybe knotless braids will be a winner over here.
Conclusion
So, this was purely based on the factors that we have put into consideration with the condition in mind that the paying capacity is good. But if you are someone with a limited budget, box braids are no harm. Yes, they definitely create some tension on your scalp, but it has been done for ages and doing it once in a while never harms. So be it knotless braids or box braids you can go with any of them based on your preferences. Just make sure whatever braiding hair you are using to create these braids, They are human hair extensions so that they are durable enough to stick into the braids for multiple weeks and make you look ravishing.
