You’ve probably seen lemonade braids trending on your feed or maybe you’ve had them done yourself. These braids are simple and low-maintenance.
But how much do you really know about them except that Nancy from next door rocked them and she looked amazing?
Why are they called lemonade braids, are they still in style, which celebs have rocked the hairstyle?
Well, that’s what we’re going to discuss in this article.
What are Lemonade Braids?
Named after Beyonce’s album Lemonade, these braids are basically a mix of several braiding styles. You got a combo of cornrows done in fulani style mixed with goddess-style braids.
There are several variations of the Lemonade hairstyle but the somewhat ‘original version’ was really just a combo of cornrows done at the front of your head, then you have the classic box braids at the back.
Another popular version is when the cornrows are done all the way from one end of the head to the other. In this variation, there is little to-no box braids rather, the ends of the cornrows are fed in with braids to create super long braids as shown below.
Unlike usual cornrows that are done from the front to the back, in this hairstyle half of the cornrows are plaited to the side.
As with other hairstyles, lemonade braids are versatile meaning that you can do them shoulder-length or waist-length. You can also play around with different extension colors.
Why are they called lemonade braids?
Lemonade braids are named after Beyonce’s Lemonade album. These braids were originally called side braids, and have existed for several years among different cultures.
But when Beyonce wore them in her album ‘Lemonade’ in 2016, the style became popular with everyone rocking it, including celebrities, and the name changed to lemonade braids.
In the album, she had blonde-colored hair extensions done on her hair in the hairstyle. The braids reached below her waist, making them even more eccentric.
Are lemonade braids still in style?
Even today, lemonade braids are still in style. Since 2016, the style has evolved in so many ways as people get creative with the hairstyle.
As we mentioned above, the hairstyle can be styled in so many ways including:
- Heart lemonade braids, which include adding a heart-shaped cornrow to your hair.
- Ghana lemonade braids involve feeding in extensions to the cornrows.
- Ponytail lemonade braids. In this hairstyle, only cornrows are done on your hair in a ponytail manner. Box braids at the back are excluded.
- Cardi B lemonade braids that include adding beads at the end of your cornrows.
- Bob lemonade braids that are shoulder-length.
- Ombre lemonade braids
Here are some of the celebrities that have rocked the hairstyle on and off the red carpet, injecting life to the style and making it even more trendy.
Beyonce lemonade braids
It goes without saying that without her, then this trendy and classic hairstyle would not have had it’s name.
Beyonce has worn Lemonade braids on a few events, each time she has them styled in a completely different way.
Nicki Minaj
In 2017, the fashion icon rocked pink lemonade braids for the music video motorsport. The braids had a nice hue of pink and were floor-length.
Nicki Minaj is known to be really experimental with her hair, rocking wigs most of the time. With this hairstyle, she totally outdid herself.
Cardi B lemonade braids
When it comes to her hair, Cardi B goes all out, so much so that she invented her own homemade hair mask.
She mostly rocks diverse wigs ranging from pink ones to ombre ones and even blue ones.
But in the Please Me music video, she had worn a different type of lemonade braids that had a mix of lemonade braids and Fulani braids in it. At the end of her cornrows, she had added a number of wooden beads giving us some hairstyle inspiration.
Why lemonade braids?
To channel our inner Beyonce and African woman of course! Beyonce’s lemonade album represented a lot of African and black history. Most people wear them in order to feel and connect with that history.
Apart from that, lemonade braids are a protective style, meaning that they tuck in your hair and keep it healthy. Lemonade braids are also low maintenance, versatile, and not to mention stylish.
Conclusion
Lemonade braids are versatile; you can rock them in so many colors. They are stylish, thanks to Queen Bee, and most importantly, keep your hair tucked in and protected.
