Top 4 Best Braid Patterns For Crochet Braids

If you haven’t heard, crochet braids are the latest style trend to take the natural hair community by storm due to their ease of installation and versatility. These styles are so convenient they have even beat out other easy to do styles like havana twists and sew -ins as many naturals’ protective style of choice.

But just like any finished product, the foundation of the of the crochet braids - the braiding pattern- is very important for how the ends results will come out. If you look online, you will find dozens of patterns you can use as the foundation for your style. In my research, I have found that there are four main crochet braid pattern styles you can use to get the hair to lay the way you want it to.

Here are my top four braiding patterns for crochet braids that you can DIY at home or show your stylist:

Cornrows or “straight back” crochet pattern

If you’re just starting out, using simple cornrows are great especially if you are going to be installing your own crochet braids. This pattern doesn’t give too much versatility for styling, but it will get the job down and still look pretty fabulous. Check out this video by Naturally Curly on how to put these in!

Vixen crochet pattern

The vixen pattern is the most versatile pattern you can use for crochet braids. In this pattern,  the hair is sectioned into four parts and each part is treated as a full head of hair on its own. This gives you the option to have some hair is sectioned off (aka “leave out”) which will not be crocheted, instead blended to leave room for parted styles, ponytails, etc. The rest of the hair is braided in a circular pattern. Flawless Britny has an excellent tutorial on the vixen pattern with and without leave out!

Beehive pattern

This pattern is one of my favorites to use because it gives you the ultimate flat surface to work with. If you want bangs, this is the pattern to go with. It is also excellent for ponytails - again because of the flat surface. Check out Chimere Nicole’s video on creating this pattern for crochet braids.

U-part cornrows crochet pattern

This pattern is very similar to the traditional cornrow pattern, but gives you more flexibility for styling parts in different places on your head. This pattern is most commonly used method for sew-in styles because it allows a more natural looking leave-out. I like using this pattern because it gives me several parts so I can switch up my hairstyle often. Youtuber Brittney Denise has a nice video explaining how to create this pattern.