How to Install Crochet Braids Yourself

The whole style comes down to a braided base and a latch hook. Your hair is braided down first, and the added hair is attached to those braids, never to loose strands. The style is achieved by braiding the hair to the scalp, then attaching the extensions to each braid with a crochet needle that has a latch.

The latch hook is the one tool that changes everything. It slides through the braid, catches the loop on the extension, and pulls it back through. The hair locks in place when you pass the loose end through the loop. You can pull the hair through without removing the hook from the braid.

The base decides everything that comes after, and there are two main routes. Cornrows are the standard for a full crochet install, because they lie flat and give the hook a long, even surface to work along. Individual plaits, sometimes called the no-cornrow method, are the other route, and they are the one most people use for crochet box braids. The base you braid is the pattern the added hair follows, so choose it for the finish you want rather than the skill you have.

For the no-cornrow version of box braids, instead of cornrows you make individual braids, then attach each piece by pulling its loop under the base of the braid with a latch hook and threading the bottom end of the extension through. Box braids work with either an individual method or a cornrow method.

There is no single best. Match the base to the style you want.

For a closed part, a crisscross method unravels and rebraids the base so the part stays clean instead of leaving a gap at the crown.

The base only holds if the hair underneath is clean, dry and detangled. Deep condition first: apply the conditioner or mask to the hair, cover it with a cap, and sit for two to three hours, or overnight when possible.

After conditioning comes the part people rush. Fully dry and detangle the hair before you braid it down, because braiding over damp or tangled hair makes the base uneven, and every attachment point later follows the line you braided.

As a beginner, the part to worry about is the base, not the hook. The hook motion is the same every time and becomes automatic after a few pieces, but a neat base is what makes the whole install look tidy, so put most of your effort into the braiding. If you use pre-looped human hair like Body Wave, the strands arrive ready to hook, which removes the separating and folding that loose hair needs.

Pack count depends on how the hair is packed and how full you want the finish, so the number on the pack matters less than the strand count inside it. A full head of crochet human hair usually lands around 250 to 300 strands. Tressifine crochet packs hold 80 to 100 strands at 100g, so the working number for most full heads is about three packs.

That hair comes pre-looped in 9 colours and lengths from 16 to 26 inches, with pack options from 1 to 4. The Burmese Curly texture is the rounder, fuller option of the two.

Nobody can give one number, because the install splits into two parts. The prep and the base take the longest, and the hooking goes quickly once the base is down. What gets timed is the prep, not the whole install, so a clean answer does not exist.

Deep conditioning alone takes two to three hours, or overnight, before any braiding starts. Then comes drying, detangling and building the base, which depends on how long and thick your hair is and whether a stylist does it for you.

Plan for a session, not a single number.