Lemonade braids

What you need

What lemonade braids cost in South Africa, and how long they take

Variations

With curls

Curly or wavy extensions are added to the braided lengths for a boho look. Gyal Braids says this may take one extra pack of bulk wavy hair. Ask the salon to price the curly version separately.

Shorter lengths

Shorter lemonade braids take fewer packs. Ywigs puts medium braids at 4 to 5 packs at shoulder length against 5 to 6 at mid-back, and shorter hair also puts less weight on your roots.

Beads, colour and patterns

Curl Centric lists colour, length, beads and patterns, from swirled to ombre designs, as ways to make the style your own. Colour codes for the packs are on our colour chart.

For kids

Keep the braids loose and skip heavy accessories. The American Academy of Dermatology advises loose braids and covered rubber bands for children.

How long they last, and care

1. 1
   Protect it at night
   Curl Centric says to cover lemonade braids nightly with a silk or satin scarf or bonnet, and to oil them when they are dry.
2. 2
   Wash the scalp
   Curl Centric says to focus on the scalp with sulfate-free products. Its protective styling guide adds that you should go easy on product.
3. 3
   Know when to stop
   Guides put lemonade braids at about a month (Curl Centric) up to 4 to 8 weeks (Ywigs). Ywigs suggests taking them down at around 6 to 8 weeks to protect your edges.
4. 4
   Check the tension
   Pain, stinging or small bumps along the cornrows mean they are too tight. Ask to have them loosened or taken out.

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Lemonade braids, explained

What lemonade braids are

Curl Centric describes lemonade braids as side cornrows with extensions, popularised by Beyoncé's 2016 Lemonade visual album. It says she debuted the look that year with hairstylist Kim Kimble. The cornrows are swept to one side and can use both your own hair and extension hair. You may also see the style called side lemonade braids or cornrow lemonade braids.

In South Africa the name turns up on salon price lists next to Fulani braids, and some salons price the two together. If you are comparing prices, check which style the price is for.

How many packs of hair you need

The guides do not agree, and the gap is large. Un-ruly says 2 to 3 packs. Eayon Hair says 3 to 4. Gyal Braids says 4 to 6 individual packs of standard beauty supply hair for a full head of medium lemonade braids, and Curl Centric says 4 to 8 packs depending on thickness and length. Ywigs, whose lemonade guide is written with human hair in mind, gives medium braids as 4 to 5 packs at shoulder length, 5 to 6 at mid-back and 7 to 8 at waist length.

Much of the gap comes from pack size. Gyal Braids sells an 8-in-1 bundle and says you need 1 to 1.5 of its packs, which it equates to 4 to 6 ordinary packs. Our calculator uses the 4 to 6 packs of standard hair for mid-back length and the same length steps as the Ywigs chart. Whatever number you settle on, ask your braider, and compare grams.

If you want curls, Gyal Braids says you may need an additional pack of bulk wavy hair to get the boho look. At the X-pression Ultra Braid price we checked (R44.90 a pack at Hair City on 6 Oct 2026), 4 to 6 packs is about R180 to R270. The table above shows more brands and stores, cheapest first.

What it costs to have it done in South Africa

Only 8 of the salon listings we read on Fresha name lemonade braids, across 7 salons, so treat this as a rough guide. The middle half costs R450 to R750, with a median of R650. Five list lemonade on its own, from R300 to R750. Three price it together with Fulani braids, from R650 to R850. The times run from about 3 to 5 hours, with a median of 4.

These are published list prices. Many do not say whether the hair or a wash is included, and the pages show only part of each salon's menu. Ask what is included, and ask the braider how many packs they use.

How long they take and how long they last

Curl Centric says installation can take as little as 2 hours, quicker than most braided styles. The SA listings we read put the middle half at around 4 to 4.5 hours, so allow most of a morning, and treat 2 hours as the best case.

Guides disagree on how long the style holds, from about a month (Curl Centric) to 4 to 8 weeks (Ywigs). Curl Centric's tribal braids guide puts lemonade braids at 5 to 6 weeks. Take them down before 8 weeks. Curl Centric says to treat eight weeks as the maximum, not the goal.

Choosing hair and colour

Most braiding hair in the stores we checked comes in colour codes such as 1, 2, 4, 27, 30, 33 and 350, and a colour that looks right on the pack can look different on your head. Our colour chart explains what the numbers mean. Codes differ a little between brands, so go by the pack photo and buy all your packs in one go, from the same batch, as Ywigs advises, so that the colour and texture match.

Ask your braider whether they prefer to supply the hair or want you to bring it. Some price lists say the hair is included and some salons list a lower price if you bring your own, so compare like with like.

Lemonade braids for kids

If you are booking lemonade braids for a child, a word of caution. A 2018 dermatology review notes that children often have plastic beads and barrettes added to their braids, which adds traction, and it cites a study of caregivers of girls aged 1 to 15 in which girls who had worn cornrows in the past 12 months had a significantly higher risk of thinning along the hairline.

The American Academy of Dermatology advises making braids and ponytails loose for children and using covered rubber bands. Ask for larger sections and light accessories, and take the style out when the edges look flat or feel sore.

Looking after your edges

The American Academy of Dermatology lists cornrows among the hairstyles that can cause hair loss when they pull on the hair, so watch for warning signs. It lists pain, stinging, crusts on the scalp, broken hairs around the forehead and a receding hairline as signs that a style is too tight. Curl Centric adds that bumps at the roots can be inflamed follicles, and says to loosen or remove the style if they appear.

Lemonade braids: questions