If you comb and brush your natural hair every day, you expose it to a lot of stress. If you want to take a break from the constant brushing for about two months and keep your styling time to a minimum, box braids can be an excellent protective hairstyle to wear. Don't want to sacrifice styling versatility? These small box braid ideas will prove that's not necessary!

Small box braids offer a fantastic sense of movement and beautiful texture that can be used as the basis for countless updos and downdos: ponytails, braids on braids, high messy and low buns, twisted styles and beautiful side dosses. Although small braids take longer to set up, micro braids don't actually use too much hair per braid, so they don't feel heavy. If you also ask your stylist not to braid them extremely tightly, you won't experience headaches or excessive breakage.

Because they are so flattering on black hair, braided hairstyles for African American women never go out of style or fashion. Beyonce, Eva Marcille, Keri Hilson, Solange, Brandy Norwood, Tae Heckard, Christina Milian, Kandi Burruss, Angela Simmons and Eva Marciller are among the celebrities who love rocking box braids with style, and we often get inspired by their striking looks. With box braids, your hair is always in order, you can easily monitor its growth and experiment with effortless and showy hairstyles, like the one below.

Knotless box braids are among the most versatile braided styles you can try. It unlocks a wide range of styling options, like this high, layered bun that is both fun and elegant. Buns are one of the easiest and most common ways to style braids, but don't sleep on them. There are many ways to get creative with buns, as this layered bun shows.