Hair Care

Celebrity Hairstyles: Best and Worst Braids

See which A-listers look hot rocking these trendy twisted hairstyles and who missed the mark entirely

by Anna Jimenez, Sharon J. Yi

0 of 11

Getting your hair braided by your BFF or braiding her hair is part of a young girl's rite of passage. Now that we're all grown up, youthful braided hairstyles are back in style for us adults. There are a million ways to work a braid whether it's inspired by Lauren Conrad's iconic French-braided bangs, (learn how to create the look by watching this braided hairstyle how-to video) or Nicole Richie's various boho braided looks. Braids are a fun, flirty, versatile hairstyle that can be worn casually for a day at the beach, in a more flirty way for a date, or even more polished for the office or a big event. Braided hairstyles are also a great way to make unwashed hair look beautiful. We personally love the messy, yet chic side braided hairstyle with face-framing loose curls. It pairs perfectly with beachy, tousled hair for a sunny summer day. For a little braid inspiration, check out this tutorial for the classic fishtail braid.

No matter the braided style you choose to try, here are a few quick tips on making any braid look perfect:
Tip 1: To create a sleek braid, comb through your hair first to smooth out any knots or tangles. Then apply a bit of shine-enhancing pomade to get rid of flyaways.
Tip 2: To create a messier braid, curl all of your hair before braiding with a large barrel iron then backcomb the curls slightly to create that messy volume.
Tip 3: After finishing any braid, spritz with flexible hairspray to help the look last. You can also add an accessory to your braids to up their cool-factor -- try a leather headband or glitzy flower pin.

One warning: not all braids are created equal � if they're not done well, they can look super sloppy or like a prom hairstyle gone wrong, quickly becoming a bad hair day for you. Take a look at the best and worst braided celebrity hairstyles that have graced Hollywood's red carpet.

Guess which of these celebs hit or missed the braided hairstyle trend: Mena Suvari, Kate Hudson, Elizabeth Banks, Leona Lewis, Jada Pinkett Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katie Price, Amanda Seyfried, Nicole Richie and Amy Smart.

SEE NEXT PAGE: Worst: Mena Suvari

EDITORS' BEST OF

12 Best Acne Products for Your Clearest Skin Yet

11 Best Tinted Moisturizers for Easy, On-the-Go Coverage

leave a comment

Older comments

very pretty styles

by LittleBunny Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 08:09PM Report as inappropriate

Sorry to Gwyneth Paltro lovers [I am not a fan], but she\'s getting too long in the tooth to wear this braided hairstyle. She looks almost as bad as Paris Hilton when sh wearhose silly, Godawful hairbands. Both Paltrow and Hilton seem to be trying [and unsuccesfully, I might add] to hang onto their youth. Let\'s leave the hairbraids to the younger starlets and German hausfraus.

by BengalsGal Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 02:37PM Report as inappropriate

I can safely say that NONE of these female celebrities\' braids, even the attractive styles, were \"pulled off in minutes,\" all by themselves. Just as getting that \"barefaced\" look takes longer for a makeup artist to perfect for their clients, getting a disheveled or \"bedhead\" look is a more complicated job or a hairstylist to do. A regular gal could never pull off the hairbraids shown here all by themselves.

by BengalsGal Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 01:53PM Report as inappropriate

I loved Amanda's braid as well as Leona. They are so beautiful!!

by yestfl Friday, February 24, 2012 at 01:04PM Report as inappropriate

I disagree with most of these!

by volta Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 11:55PM Report as inappropriate

I agree about Leona Lewis, she looks the most put together.

by MissPurple Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 02:06PM Report as inappropriate

Leona Lewis had a great brade that suited her face

by selma Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 12:15PM Report as inappropriate

some of these are just bad

by aguifra14 Monday, July 4, 2011 at 04:23PM Report as inappropriate

What was Katie thinking?!! I love braiding my hair. I usually try different patterns in front of the mirror. Some will be great, some ok and some very bad. Finally I'll make note of what suits me with which dress and use it on different occasions.

by ebbsandtides Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 06:25AM Report as inappropriate

i love jada;s braid

by judyangel101 Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 07:10PM Report as inappropriate