We all love cornrows dearly—they’re straightforward, protective, easy to make, and they look great any way you style them. However, have you ever wished that you could add a little extra dazzle to your basic cornrows? Stitch braids styles are the answer to your prayers! Stitch braids are cornrows that are braided in such a way that there are visible lines underneath each cornrow.
It’s not super complicated to do and with just a little practice you should be able to whip these up in no time. They’re made by first adding gel to the hair to secure it in place and ensure that the lines will come out shiny and more visible. Then start making the cornrow as you normally would but as you’re braiding along, create lines by using either the pinky fingernail or a rat tail comb to make small, straight parts at consistent intervals throughout the cornrow. The end result should be a cornrow that appears to have horizontal lines running down the length of it.
Stitch braids are really trendy and all cornrow styles can be made as stitch braids if you simply use the stitch braid parting technique instead of weaving them normally. If you’re not 100% sold on stitch braids yet, then here are a whole bunch of ways that you can make stitch braids your next favorite hairstyle.
1. Stitch Braids for Men
Men can spice up their cornrow braids by making them using the stitch technique. Stitch braids for men has become a really popular style because of its sleek look
Stitch braids for men are gaining serious traction, thanks to their sleek and polished appearance. Discover more about this style in our braided hairstyles for men feature.. Since men don’t usually keep their hair long, these plaits don’t take long to make and they can be made in different styles. The Pop Smoke and the straight back stitch braids are the most commonly-made stitch braids for guys.
2. Stitch Braids With Heart
The heart design is one of the most decorative and trendiest designs for braids. They’re achieved by plaiting the top or side of the hair into a heart shape while the other parts are braided as straight cornrows.
3. Stitch Braids to the Back
Stitch braids to the back are stitch braids styles that are plaited from the front of the hair back to the nape of the neck. This style can be made as straight backs, center-parted, side-parted and in many other ways as long as the braids start from the front of the hair and travel to the back.
4. Stitch Braids Ponytail
Stitch braid ponytails are ponytails braided using the stitch technique. The visible lines make this braid ponytail look unique. It definitely stands out from the regular ponytail braids that have no visible lines.
5. Goddess Stitch Braids
Goddess stitch braids are stitch braid styles that have curly extensions hanging alongside the braids. This is an alluring hairstyle and looks far more ravishing then the regular stitch braids styles. Keep in mind that goddess braids require more maintenance because the curly extensions must be kept fresh and untangled.
6. Feed-In Stitch Braids
Sleek and natural-looking feed-in braids can be made as stitch braids. In fact, most stitch braids are made using the feed-in technique which involves adding the braiding hair underneath the braids so that they don’t show on the braids—that’s what gives the feed-in braids their natural look. Feed-in stitch braids can be made into different styles, sizes and lengths.
7. Six Stitch Braids
The six stitch braids hairstyle consists of stitch braids in any style—be it straight backs, braided ponytails or any other one—that is braided into just six braids. This is relatively easy to make since there are only six braids and it doesn’t take a long time to make either.
8. Stitch Cornrows
Stitch cornrows are cornrows that are made using the stitch technique and have visible lines on the scalp along the braids. All stitch braids styles fall under this category. This fabulous scalp braid style is a simple and easy protective hairstyle that doesn’t put too much tension on the scalp.
9. Five Stitch Braids
Do you want a quick and attractive stitch braids style that doesn’t look too sparse? Then go for five stitch braids. Because the hair is made into only five braids, you’ll spend a lot less time at the salon. This style isn’t made for long-term wear though as they can easily get messy after just a short while.
10. Small Stitch Braids
If you want your stitch braids to be long-lasting, the small stitch braids are your best option. The only catch is that their small size means they take longer to make than the medium and jumbo ones, so you’ll be spending quite a bit of time at the salon getting these done.
11. Four Stitch Braids
Four stitch braids is a jumbo stitch braid hairstyle that is made up of just four braids. This style typically features a center part but can also be made in other ways. These four braids are a simple and fast hairstyle that looks great but doesn’t last long and aren’t meant for long-term use.
12. Two Stitch Braids
Do you love super fast hairstyles that will highlight your face and give you a minimal but classy look? Then the two stitch braids are perfect for you because you’ll get to look gorgeous despite spending less time at the salon. These two stitch braids, like all other two braid styles, are jumbo braids that can only last for a couple of days or very few weeks.
13. Stitch Braids Into a Bun
Your stitch braids can also be styled into a low bun or a high bun. The low bun is achieved by wrapping the braided hair at the back into a bun and securing it so it doesn’t fall. The high bun is made by braiding the hair into a high ponytail and then securing the hair into a bun. The stitch braids into a bun style is suitable for ladies that don’t want their braids falling back or ladies that are going for a more formal look.
14. Eight Stitch Braids
Eight stitch braids are stitch braids in different styles, either as ponytail braids or straight back cornrows, that are braided as only eight braids. These braids don’t last for very long because of their big size but they’re easy to make and you don’t have to sit too long getting them done.
15. Stitch Braids Low Bun
Low bun stitch braids are created by cornrowing the hair back using the stitch braid technique and wrapping the ends of the braids at the back of the head, close to the nape of the neck. These are comfortable because they don’t allow the hair to fall back and cause any disturbances to the wearer.
16. Ten Stitch Braids
Ten stitch braids are medium-sized stitch braids that are just ten in number. The higher the number of braids, the smaller they are which means braid styles with more braids take more time to make but also last longer than those with less braids.
17. Straight Back Stitch Braids
Straight back stitch braids are the simplest stitch braids style and it’s achieved by braiding the hair from the hairline to the nape of the neck. How long this hairstyle stays neat depends on the braid’s size, with the small-sized ones lasting the longest.
18. Pop Smoke Stitch Braids
Pop Smoke stitch braids are one of the classiest and most popular Pop Smoke braid styles. The lines which give stitch braids their distinctive look are made by using the pinky fingernail or a rat tail comb to create parts when weaving the hair. Stitch braids require the use of a gel to hold the hair down and make the lines very crisp and clean.
19. Stitch Braids With Curly Ends
The ends of stitch braids can be curled to give them an even prettier look. The curls are created either by rolling the unbraided ends of the braids in rollers and putting them in hot water to lock the curls in place or by sewing a curly weave to the ends of the braids. Stitch braids with curly ends require proper maintenance as you don’t want the curls to become frizzy and rough.
20. Stitch Braids With Design
Are you tired of boring stitch braids and want them to be even more creative and non-basic? Then you should add a couple of designs to the stitch braids such as the heart design and the criss-cross design which are really trendy. Other designs like the zig-zag can also be used to give your stitch braids a glamorous upgrade.
21. Red Stitch Braids
Red stitch braids are stitch braids made using red extensions on red-colored hair. To pull off the red stitch braids look perfectly, your hair must either be naturally red or dyed red. This style is very vibrant and colorful, and makes heads turn whenever you pass by.
22. Stitch Lemonade Braids
Stitch lemonade braids are lemonade braids that are made to have visible lines running along them. You get this look by parting the hair to form lines while braiding. The stitch braid technique gives a major boost to the already-stylish lemonade braids and they can be made in small, medium or jumbo sizes.
