I wanted to try jumbo box braids and twist on myself and I needed to purchase the braiding hair online. It is difficult to tell what texture and length to buy online. Normally I would go to the local beauty supply store, so I can see and feel the hair in person. However, my local beauty supply store was temporarily closed so I had to order online.

I was inspired by videos of YouTubers doing Jumbo Box Braids like the Chic Natural and wanted to try to install Jumbo Box Braids on myself at home.

Recommended Braiding Hair for Jumbo Box Braids

OUTRE Pre-Stretched Braiding Hair Ruwa

For Mid Back length Box Braids I used Outre Ruwa Pre Stretched Braiding hair from House of beauty website

I got a little impatient waiting on the hair from House of Beauty to arrive, so I ordered hair from Amazon . I ordered the 42 inch hair but this was a little shorter than I wanted. I would recommend using the 48 inch or 52 inch hair from this brand to achieve mid-back length box braids. A similar type of pre-stretched braiding hair is available on Amazon.

For dramatic waist-length braids or longer, you need longer lengths of hair. This hair is not available pre-stretched. The waist-length Kanekalon Hair can be used to achieve waist length or longer Jumbo Box Braids. I want to try this hair in the future since it is closer to the texture of my natural hair.

Kanekalon Braiding Hair

I used Kanekalon Braiding Hair for my Jumbo box braids. Kanekalon is a type of synthetic fiber. Kanekalon braiding hair is affordable and available in a variety of lengths and colors. This is why I chose to use Kanekalon braiding hair for my Jumbo Box Braids.

This was my first time trying Jumbo Box braids and it was also my first time purchasing braiding hair online. The hair I purchased on-line was a very straight texture and I liked how my braids turned out. However, in the future, I would probably try to find braiding hair that is similar to the texture of my natural hair.

Save Time by Using Pre-Stretched Braiding Hair for Jumbo Box Braids

I used to get my hair braided at braiding shops in Harlem. The braiders they held the strands of the braiding hair between their fingers and gently stretched the hair to feather the ends and make the braiding hair a little longer. Stretching braiding hair is not a difficult process, but the braiding hair can get messy and it does add additional styling time.

Pre-stretched braiding hair tapers off down the length of the hair. The ends of pre-stretched braiding hair are very thin. Thinner than I would make the ends of braiding hair if I were stretching the ends myself. If you do not want the ends of your braiding hair to be very thin, pre-stretched braiding hair may not be the right type of braiding hair for you.

Pre-Stretched braiding hair is available at most local beauty supply stores and online. Pre-stretched braiding hair is perfect for most diy braiders. You can grab the braiding hair straight from the pack and achieve a more polished look.

Braiding Hair 2x and 3x packs

Braiding hair is sometimes sold with two to three bundles of hair in a pack. Each bundle of braiding hair is the equivalent of one individual pack of braiding hair. So one 3x pack of braiding hair is the same as 3 individual packs of braiding hair

The table below shows how many packs of 2x and 3x braiding hair you will need to buy if you choose to use those instead of single packs.

	Single Braiding Hair	2x Braiding Hair	3x Braiding Hair
	3 packs	2 packs	1 pack
	4 packs	2 packs	2 packs
	5 packs	3 packs	2 packs
	6 packs	3 packs	2 packs
	7 packs	4 packs	3 packs
	8 packs	4 packs	3 packs

Buying 2x and 3x braiding hair instead of single packs saves a little bit of money. I’ve watched lots of You Tube Videos and most braiders get somewhere between 3 and 5 braids per pack of braiding hair.

Braiding Hair Length for Jumbo Box Braids and Twists

One of the hardest parts about choosing hair online is selecting the right length. In order to install braiding hair you need to fold it in half to attach it to your natural hair. Most brands of braiding hair are sold folded in half. The challenge with purchasing hair online is knowing whether the advertised length of the hair is folded in half or stretched out.

I wanted mid back length braids and I was unsure what length of braiding hair to purchase to achieve my desired result.

I purchased hair from two online retailers. One type of hair was 42 inch long hair from Amazon. The other type of hair was 24 inch long hair from House of Beauty World. When they arrived, I was surprised to see that the 41 inch hair was longer than the 21 inch hair!

This was because the hair from Amazon was the length of the stretched hair, and the hair from House of Beauty was the folded length.

In general from what I have seen online if the advertised length of braiding hair is between 20 inches and 30 inches long. This is the folded length of the braiding hair. If the advertised length of the braiding hair is over 40 inches long, this is the full length of the braiding hair.

Braiding Hair for Waist Length or Longer Braids

For waist length or longer braids, I would recommend buying 84-inch long jumbo braiding hair. The 84-inch Jumbo braiding hair is 7ft of hair. To achieve dramatic waist length of longer braids you will need to use the full length of hair so you will need 6 to 8 packs of the super jumbo braiding hair. You will need more braiding hair

If you are having your hair professionally braided, your briader may be able to achieve the look with less braiding hair. Discuss your desired look with your braider.

This hair is affordable, I’ve seen it online for about $5 a pack.