Cornrows are a modern choice for black men who want a unique and flattering style that will stand out. From short to long and small to big, cornrow braids come in many styles, designs and cuts to create a cool vibe. These braided men’s hairstyles can elevate your look for a fashionable finish that will impress.
While most cornrow hairstyles start with a fade, taper, undercut or shaved sides to highlight the braided hair on top, some guys prefer to braid all their hair straight back or down the side.
For inspiration, here are the some examples of the best cornrow styles for men who want to experiment with a stylish braided look.
What Are Cornrows?
Cornrows are a cool braid style for men that look stylish, modern and flattering. Cornrow hairstyles are a popular choice for black men who want a low-maintenance and eye-catching look. These braided styles can be simple and clean or intricate, detailed and simply artistic.
Cornrow Styles
Cornrow Braids
Cornrow braids generally use big and small plaits to create a rugged look full of texture. They’re also incredibly modern thanks to the edgy design, with plaits running off in all directions and lines. Guys love these types of cornrows because they’re easy to combine with styles and trends that are on point at the time. A perfect example is a line-up fade that only adds to the daring and standout nature of this aesthetic.
Cornrow Fade
If you’re looking for extra volume on top, you can get it with a cornrow fade. The great thing about pairing cornrows with a fade is the flexibility. There are so many different types of taper fade haircuts to try, with the mid skin and high bald fade being the most popular cuts to try with cornrows.
Naturally, you can incorporate a different dimension with a burst fade that drops down and arcs over the ears or a drop fade that curves down to the neckline. The key is to mix up your braids and fade to ensure the style doesn’t get old and played out.
Cornrows with Shaved Sides
Cornrows with shaved sides let you highlight the focal point of the look – your cornrow braids. Since there is no hair on the back and sides, the eye is instantly drawn to the top hair. You can take advantage of shaving the sides by utilizing an intricate design, such as zig zag, big and small, or spider cornrows. With a clean-cut, fresh aesthetic, you can pull off an edgy braid style women will find hot and sexy.
If you want to keep a tiny amount of hair, you should try a razor fade or low bald fade as it leaves stubble for extra texture. Talk to your barber and stylist about fading the sides down to the skin to highlight your cornrows on top.
Side Cornrows
Most cornrows are high and tight, angling backward, whereas side cornrows drop down to your ears and neckline. These braids are fashionable because they’re original and a cool variation on a classic. The trick is to keep the plaits simple and medium-length.
That way, side cornrows stand out without losing their relaxed attitude. These are fantastic for men with long hair as they eliminate the maintenance that comes with luscious locks.
Simple Cornrows
Simple cornrows are basic in design, yet very powerful. This is because a straightforward design ensures the aesthetic isn’t lost, which can happen with intricate plaits. As a result, simple cornrows are classy and elegant, especially when you twin them with an undercut.
Although both features are minimal, they work together to create a sharp look that’s as at home in the office as it is at home or a bar. Guys with short hair can cut them off at the back, whereas men with long hair can tie it into a man bun to add another element.
Two Cornrows
The two cornrows trend is on point because the braids act as a focal point. Usually bigger and thicker, the two plaits dominate your head, running all the way to the back.
This doesn’t mean that this style lacks sharpness or finesse. With a high to mid fade, you’ll strike a fantastic balance between stylishly bold and practically sleek and smooth.
Three Cornrows
Getting three cornrows creates a stylish braided hairstyle for guys who want a cool and casual look. To achieve this style of cornrow braids, your stylist can mix and match big and small or thick and thin rows of hair all over or with a fade on the sides.
Whether you want straight back and classy or zig zag and creative, three cornrows is a great trend to run with. Grow and shape your beard to add a masculine touch to this look.
Four Cornrows
You’ll find that four cornrows allow you to space your braids more effectively as you don’t have to worry about making a statement with only 2 or 3 rows of braids. While you can get a fade or undercut on the sides and back, most guys opt to cover the entire head with braids to maximize spacing and even coverage.
The best way to style 4 cornrows is to have two in the center and two to the sides of the head, all of them angled towards your crown and meeting in the back. Remember that you can choose how many rows to have, so experiment with two, three or four braided styles.
Cornrow Designs
There are tons of cornrow designs out there. You don’t need to stick with the tried and tested “straight and to the back” if you find it tedious. Instead, you can play around with your braids however you see fit, whether that means criss-crossing them or positioning them into a mohawk.
Don’t be afraid to mix complicated with simple, either. A popular and current trend uses a double helix on top with a normal plait on the side for the ultimate design.
Short Cornrows
Short cornrows bust the myth that only men with long hair can have braids and plaits. Some styles are better when your hair is grown-out, but cornrows are attainable as long as you choose wisely.
The simplest method is to morph your hair into short rows that finish at the crown and to combine them with a short fade. The short sides emphasize the braids, especially if you incorporate micro plaits with thicker, longer braids.
Long Cornrows
Long cornrows don’t stop at the crown – they carry on until they hit your shoulders or the top of your back. The iconic style is braided rows all over the head that hang free and loose. Think Post Malone from the current generation.
Nevertheless, long cornrows aren’t one-size-fits-all. If you want to change things up, you can taper the sides and let two extended braids work their way from the front of your head to the back.
Cornrows with Taper
Cornrows with a taper are for men that don’t want an exposed skin fade as they need to remain stylish and professional in equal measure. The trick to a powerful taper with cornrows is to blend short hair into even shorter hair for a seamless adjustment that’s subtle and smooth.
A line-up is a perfect addition if your taper isn’t bold enough, particularly if you use an arc to blend it into your sideburns.
Big Cornrow Braids
Big cornrows braids are made for men with thick hair who want a hassle-free way to braid their hair without losing any style. They are also popular among guys as big cornrows stand out, making them very manly.
A great tip is to start with small plaits at the front of your head and to make them gradually bigger as they reach your crown. Then, the varying sizes will complement each other with aplomb.
Small Cornrows
Small cornrows are great for men with thin hair as they maximize the length and thickness, making them appear longer and fuller. Small cornrow braids lend themselves to more complicated designs as well since there’s plenty of space for intricate plaits of different shapes and sizes.
Small cornrow styles will give your hair a crisp look that’s symmetrical, so there’s no reason to over-complicate matters.
Easy Cornrows
Easy cornrows let you take care of your hair in the morning and not worry about it again. The maintenance is almost zero as it only takes a straightforward plait to put them into position.
Some men may find that they get boring after a while, yet you can take care of this by switching the sizes of the braids. For example, opt for longer, fuller rows on top and smaller, more frequent rows on the sides for a trendy and functional style.
Crown Cornrow Braids
For a simple hairstyle, guys can get a crown braid in the back of the head. Cornrows around the crown feed-in to the back and connect in a circular design to make you feel like a king. Crown cornrows for men may be simple and sleek, but the style is fresh, smooth and ruggedly charming.
Mohawk Cornrows
Like all mohawk styles, cornrows and a mohawk make a statement that you aren’t here to mess around. Therefore, it’s not for the faint of heart. If you’re the type of guy who likes to make a scene, you should leave a crop of hair on top that’s wide enough to braid into a mohawk. Two inches should be plenty. With the rest of your hair, you need to trim it down to size so that the middle part is the first thing people notice when they look at your locks. Let the back of the mohawk grow out and braid it down to your neck for an even edgier appeal.
Big and Small Cornrows
Big and small cornrows maximize contrast to create a seamless effect that bounces off each element of your braids. There are plenty of plaits to choose from, so the decision is yours. If you’re searching for inspiration, lots of barbers like to pair a mixture of micro, small, and jumbo braids for a contrasting trend. An undercut on the sides will take this cut to another level.
Blonde Cornrows
Blonde cornrows are for when plaits and braid so their edge. Sometimes, even switching up the length, volume, and pattern isn’t enough to give you the wow factor that you’re after. On the other hand, Bleach instantly raises your cornrows and imbues them with a boldness that’s handsome. Men who don’t want to go fully blonde should highlight individual rows instead as it’s softer and not as in your face, yet still flattering.
Straight Back Cornrows
Straight back cornrows have been around for decades, yet they still maintain a sense of modernity. Typically, this is because straight back braids are versatile. An excellent option is to change the thickness and amount of rows so that you can incorporate new trends.
For example, if you switch from eight rows to four, you can utilize a fade or undercut for a modern twist.
Zig-Zag Cornrow Braids
Zig-zag braids epitomize the versatility of cornrows as they allow you to experiment with different zig-zag styles until you find the most suitable design. Regardless of which one you choose, this is a rock star-like haircut that grabs attention normally found on the likes of musicians and actors. A great way to complement zig zags is to pen them in with a long, rounded plait on each side and to add an undercut.
Spider Braids
Snoop Dogg and other famous rappers made spider braids popular in the 1990s. The name refers to the spider web shape that they represent as the plaits start in the middle and reach out to each corner of your head. Daring and bold, spiders are unique and suit numerous fades and a line-up along the hairline.
High Top Cornrows
High top cornrows is a men’s hairstyle that starts with a high top haircut and gets braided into a cornrow fade. Versatile and trendy, guys can experiment with many high top braid hairstyles and designs to create the look they want.
Xzibit Braids
Like Snoop, Xzibit braids were made famous in the 90s during the Gangsta rap era. Pinpointing a particular style is tough because the rapper and actor switched up his style regularly. So, if you want to emulate the “Pimp My Ride” star, you’ll have to do the same. Try styling simple designs with more complicated patterns as Xzibit was well-known for this trend.
Asian Cornrows
Cornrows are suited to Asian hair because it tends to be thick and long, and the Asian world has taken advantage. If you want Asian cornrows, you should keep things laid back and relaxed with basic straight back braids that dangle from the back of the head. Ask your barber for an undercut or taper fade haircut on the sides and back to achieve different styles.
Cornrows For Boys
Boys can look great with cornrows, too. Of course, kids are better with low-maintenance cuts as they don’t have the motivation to stick to a routine. Therefore, small rows on top with a line-up and a fade will look on point no matter the occasion. You can switch up the pattern of the plaits should they want to attempt something different.
