Festival braid styles, tips for maintaining your festival braids, and a festival braid removal guide.
Festival season means long days, dust, heat, and zero time for a full hair routine. Braids solve all of that, but only if you pick the right style and take care of them once you’re out there. Here’s what’s worth knowing before you head to Burning Man.
Popular Festival Braid Styles
Dutch & Boxer Braids — 1-6 thick braids running straight back from the front hairline, often woven with color extension fiber for added dimension. Simple, secure, and easy to customize without a ton of upkeep. A solid choice if this is your first time getting braided for a festival.
Bubble Braids & Face-Framing Accents — Small sectioned “bubbles” or face-framing pieces added alongside a main braid style for extra detail and texture, without changing much about the maintenance.
Goddess Braids — Thicker, raised braids that sit close to the head, usually styled back into a low bun or ponytail at the nape. Great if you want something that reads as more “done” without being fragile—the thickness means less frizz and fewer flyaways by day three.
Individual Braids with Colored Extension Fiber — Smaller, individual braids finished with extension fiber in a color of your choice, giving a more custom, personalized look.
Loc Extensions — Temporary locs, styled loose or pulled back, that hold up well in dust and heat since there’s minimal loose hair to tangle.
Whichever style you go with, tighter and closer-to-the-scalp generally means it’ll hold up better over multiple festival days than a looser, more decorative braid.
Maintaining Your Braids During the Festival
Keep your scalp feeling fresh: Festival days can leave your scalp feeling sweaty or itchy. A few spritzes of Dollylocks Refreshening Spray help soothe your scalp, reduce buildup, and keep your braids feeling fresh.
Protect them at night: A silk or satin scarf (or sleeping on a satin pillowcase if you have one packed) cuts down on friction and keeps flyaways to a minimum.
Don’t touch them: It’s tempting to keep tucking loose pieces back in, but constant handling loosens braids faster than actual wear does. Let them be.
Use a UV protectant if your hair is colored: Sun exposure fades color fast, and festival days mean a lot of sun. A leave-in spray with UV protection helps your color (and your braids) hold up better by the end of the week.
Watch the sunscreen and product buildup: Residue near the hairline can make braids look dull or feel gritty. A bandana or headband during peak sun hours helps keep product off your scalp and hairline, while protecting your scalp from sunburn.
Taking Them Out: Go Slow
This is where most of the damage actually happens. After a week of dust, sweat, and sun, braids can be more tangled and fragile than they look. Rushing the comb-out is one of the fastest ways to end up with breakage.
Start with a detangling spray or conditioner to soften things up before you touch a comb, and work in small sections from the ends up. If it feels like it’s taking forever, that’s normal! A careful comb-out on festival braids should take time.
Skip the stress entirely. Come to Hairetics Salon for braid removal. Braid removal and detangling is a service we offer specifically because DIY takedown is where most breakage happens. We’ll take the time to do it right, section by section, so you walk out with your hair intact instead of a handful of it in the brush.
Click here to read our detailed Post-Festival Hair guide.
Booking a festival braid style before your trip? Ask us about reserving a post-festival removal appointment so you’re covered when you get home. → Click here to book your appointment at Hairetics!