4 Tribal Braids With Heart Design Guide

If you are a certified lover girl, you must get on the heart design hair trend! One of the gorgeous ways to execute that is to get tribal braids with hearts.

Tribal braids with heart designs involve making half cornrows with some tribal designs or unique patterns combined with a heart shape design. Tribal braids with heart hairstyle is a protective hairstyle that makes a bold statement and is suitable for an everyday look or a special occasion. This type of hairstyle is versatile and can still be styled in other ways. There are also various options of hair accessories that can be added to tribal braids styles with hearts, such as beads, braid cuffs, etc.

In this tribal braids with heart design guide, you will find everything you need to know before getting this unique look.

Equipment Needed for Tribal Braids With Heart Designs

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1. Braiding hair: Braiding hair usually comes either pre-stretched or blunt. Different brands produce braiding hair you can choose from and come in various colors.

2. Braiding rack: If you do not have someone to assist you with separating the braiding hair during the braiding process, the best option is to arrange the pieces of hair you need on a braiding rack. Arrange pieces of the braiding hair from small to medium sizes on the braiding rack according to the different ways you need them. It is advisable for braiders to do this before the client arrives to save time and make the braiding process smooth.

3. Scissors: scissors will be needed to trim the loose braids before dipping them in hot water. It will also be needed to cut hair extensions if you’re using the ones that do not come pre-stretched.

4. Parting comb: you will need a parting comb to part the natural hair into sections as you’re braiding.

5. Braiding gel: you can use a braiding gel to get more precise partings and make the braids come out neater. Avoid using too much braiding gel to avoid unnecessary product build-up.

6. Hair clips: you will need hair clips to hold the hair in place while braiding to prevent flyaways from disturbing you.

How to Prep Your Natural Hair for Tribal Braids With Heart

Prepping your natural hair before getting protective hairstyles like tribal braids with heart is very important to ensure that the braiding process is smooth and the results come out well.

Some equipment needed to prep your hair are;

• Shampoo and conditioner
• Leave in conditioner
• Blow dryer (optional)

Now for the steps to prep your hair:

• • Wash your hair! The first step in prepping your hair for any protective style is to wash it with shampoo and conditioner because you’ll have your hair in for a while.
  • You can allow your hair to air dry or use a blow dryer to dry it

• • If your hair is more on the 4c side, you can stretch it out with a blow dryer to make your braids last longer. This is optional, but if you decide to, do not forget to use a heat protectant for black hair to prevent your hair from getting heat damage.

• Do not leave any products in your hair before braiding because it causes the hair to be slippery, and if a braiding gel is used on top of other products, it will turn white.

How to Prep Braiding Hair For Tribal Braids With Heart

If you use braiding hair that does not come pre-stretched, you will need to prep it before it can be used to braid. There are two ways this can be done:

The pulling method

• Cut the extensions according to the length you want.
• Hold a decent size of the braiding extensions close to the tip.
• Use your thumb and index finger to gently pull the tip of the extensions but by bit to stretch them out.
• Repeat this process until you have pulled out all the braiding hair.
• Separate the extensions to remove any tangles.
• Use a brush to smoothen out the extensions.

The separation method

• Cut the braiding extensions to the desired length.
• Fold the extensions into two and hold them in the middle.
• Use your other hand to separate the extensions bit by bit.
• Once the ends of the extensions start to feather, pull them out and add them back to the one in your hand.
• Repeat this process until all the tips of the braiding hair are feathered.
• Brush the extensions to smoothen it out, and it is ready to use.

How to Make Tribal Braids With Heart Design

Tribal braid styles with heart usually take about three to five hours, depending on how fast the braider is or the number of braiders working on the hair at the same time. Tribal braids with hearts can be done in any color of your choice and can also be done in different forms. To create the heart braid design, use the parting comb to part out the shape of a heart. Then divide the heart shape into two and create a diagonal line on each side of the heart.

Start the braids from the top section of the diagonal part you made and follow the shape of the heart. Repeat this process on the other side of the heart and combine both braids at the bottom of the heart shape. After the braiding process of tribal braids with heart, you have to trim the thick tribal braids and seal the ends by dipping them into hot water. You can also leave the long braids’ ends and curl them with a flexi rod or curling rollers.

Now that you know how to create the heart design, let’s explore the best tribal braids hairstyles. You can add the heart design to your cute tribal braids!

1. Tribal braids with heart on the side

This is the most common way people get their tribal braids with heart. It is achieved by making individual box braids or Knotless braids at the back of the head and combining tribal braids with a heart design on the side of the head. You can choose to do one heart design on the left, right, or even both sides. You can spice up your hair by adding some strands of a different color of braids at the back to give the peekaboo effect.

2. Tribal braids with heart in the middle

Another great way of getting tribal braids with hearts is placing the heart design in the middle. To achieve this perfect hairstyle, part the hair into two sections and make individual box braids or Knotless braids at the back. Make the tribal braids on both sides of the top section and braid the heart design in the middle.

3. Tribal braids with heart on the side and middle

If you’re going for a bold and dramatic overall look, do it all by placing the heart design on both the sides and the middle of your tribal braids. Make the individual braids at the back and any tribal braids design of your choice. Then, braid the heart design on one or both sides of the head and also in the middle part. Swoop your edges, and you are ready to slay!

4. Straight tribal braids with heart

If you are going for a less dramatic look, you can opt for straight tribal braids with heart. All you must do is part your long hair from ear to ear to create two sections. Then, make individual box braids or Knotless braids at the back and straight cornrow braids in the front section with the heart design. You can also decide to make the cornrows as stitch braids.

How to Maintain Tribal Braids With Heart

Tribal braids with hearts usually last for about two to four weeks or more, depending on how you maintain and care for them. Here are some tips and steps on how to keep this braided hairstyle:

• Always wrap your braids in a silk scarf or bonnet before you sleep. You can get one at your local beauty supply store.
• Oil and massage your scalp to avoid dryness and promote growth.
• Ensure you clean your edges with water every night on the days that you use edge control.
• Use a good leave-in conditioner to keep your hair moisturized.
• If you would like to refresh your braids, dampen them with little water and a conditioner spray, oil your scalp, and apply some mousse and your braids will look as good as new!
• You can also decide to redo the top section of your hair and get fresh tribal braids when your beautiful hairstyle gets too rough.

How to Take Out Tribal Braids With Heart

Follow these steps to properly take out your braids to avoid any breakage:

• Use sharp scissors to cut the extra braiding extensions a little after your natural hair stops.
• Unravel the braids with your hands or a tail comb until you get to the root of your hair.
• Spray a water-based leave-in conditioner at the root of your hair to loosen any build-up of dirt or products.
• Finger-detangle your roots before using a comb or detangling brush to run through your hair.
• Twist or braid each section as you remove them because leaving your hair in mass may result in re-tangling.