What You Need for Boho Braids

Boho braids are knotless braids with curly hair left loose along the braid, so the finished head reads as part braid, part free hanging curl. They sit close to the curly version of goddess braids, and the practical difference is density: boho sets usually carry more loose hair, spread across more of the braid, which makes the choice of curly hair the most important decision you make.

Human or synthetic for the loose hair

This is where the money goes. Synthetic curly hair is cheaper and holds its pattern without any effort, but it tangles against itself and cannot be brushed out once it does. Human curly hair costs more, can be detangled, washed and re-defined, and lasts through a full wear cycle looking better at the end. If you plan to keep the set six weeks and you handle your hair often, human hair is the one that survives. If it is a two-week style for an event, synthetic is fine.

What to buy

Braiding hair for the braids themselves, usually pre-stretched, plus the curly add-in hair. Two to three bundles or packs of curly hair covers a full head at typical density, and more if you want the heavily loose look. Buy the curly hair in one purchase so the curl pattern matches; two bundles of the same description bought weeks apart often do not.

Blending it in

The loose pieces are added while braiding, folded in and carried down so they emerge along the braid rather than being tied on. Start them below the root so the braid has a clean anchor. Vary where the pieces exit along the braid, because pieces that all emerge at the same height create a visible line across the head. Leaving the last inch of the braid clean and sealed keeps the ends from looking scraggly.

Keeping it from matting

Matting starts where the curl meets the braid and works outward. Check that junction every few days, separate with fingers, and keep the hair damp rather than dry when you work through it. A light leave-in spray is enough; oils and creams build up on curly add-in hair fast and turn it stringy. At night, gather the loose pieces and cover them, or they will felt against a pillow within a week.