Anyone who believes that short hair cannot look feminine and beautiful is dead wrong. Ever since rebellious flapper girls first started lopping off their long locks in favor of short bobs back in the 1920s, short hair has been a staple hairstyle for chic fashionistas around the world.

From blunt bobs to choppy ones and short natural afros to playful pixies, there is no end to the amount of short hairstyles you can play around with. Despite these many different hairstyle options being incredibly varied and unique, they do have one thing in common; when done correctly, short hairstyles can look chic, edgy and incredibly complimentary on just about any face shape. Of course, one of the best things about short hair is that it easy to style; totally hassle free. However, we all have days and special occasions when we want to add a fancy touch to our hair and upgrade our look.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that short haired girls are unable to experiment with elaborate styles! Here are our some of our favorite fancy short haircuts with braids.

Ombre Braids

We never would have imagined that a wavy, shoulder length blunt bob could look so stunning. The gentle ombre caramel, honey and gold in these waves stands out even more thanks to those dark roots and beautiful, waterfall braid.

Orange and Green

There’s something very autumnal about the mix of colors in this sweetly braided bob. Vibrant orange and a pretty forest green work perfectly together. Play around with temporary dyes or hair chalk and try this style for a festival or other fun event.

Waterfall Braids

Waterfall braids work wonders by pushing hair back, showing off that bone structure beautifully. This intricate hairstyle also adds some stunning structure to the gold and brown balayage bob.

Unicorn Braids

It’s easy to see how unicorn braids earned their name. The hair on top of this pastel pink pixie has been braided into a simple structure, adding height and a touch of fairy tale magic to the look.

Braided Faux Bangs

Want to see how you’d look with side bangs, without the hassle of getting them cut in? These pretty faux bangs have been created by braiding the brunette bob at the front with a deep side part.

Unicorn Braid and Bun

This bold unicorn braid has been tied at the very top of the hair, complete with a top knot bun at the back. This is a unique take on the casual top knot trend and adds a whole new, elaborate shape to this silvery blue bob.

Crown Braids

Two braids; one thick and chunky and one small and intricate have been tied together to make a crown in this blonde, wavy bob. This look is stylish, playful and will work just as well on nights out as it will on casual work days.

Braided Bob with Bow

A fun and playful way to liven up your short bob is to tie the back up into a huge, textured braid like this one. That white ‘Alice in Wonderland’ style bow finishes off the pretty plait in a particularly feminine way.

Edgy Blue Pixie

You’re guaranteed to turn heads wherever you go if you dare to recreate this peacock princess pixie look. There’s so much going on here that we barely know where to begin. The asymmetrical pixie cut, shaved undercut, shimmering shade of turquoise and simple side braid – this hairstyle has it all.

Wavy Bob

Something about this icy blonde, wavy bob and the chunky braid running down the side reminds us of Elsa from Frozen. You don’t need to wait until winter to pull look though, those dazzling blonde hues will look beautiful in the sunshine.

Half Up Half Down

It’s surprisingly simple to imitate this hairstyle. All you need to do is take strands from either side of your chic bob and pull them back into loose, chunky braids. Meet two sections in the middle and you’ll be good to go.

Stacked Pixie

Stacked layers add structure to pixie hair, instantly making any short crop look both fashionable and flattering. A tight, French braid down the side will add even more volume to this already high style.

Twin Braids for short pixie cut

Here is a hairstyle which is guaranteed to make your fine hair look fuller and thicker than it ever has before. Blonde and brown ombre come together to give the hair a beautiful depth, and those two fishtail braids with wispy strands around the face are perfectly whimsical.

Curly Crown Braid

Flaunt your big natural curls while style keeping your hair away from your face and enjoying the manageability of an up-do. This handy crown-like braid works like a hair band by pushing the tight curls back, and has the added benefit of looking beautiful.

Messy Braids

We can’t get enough of the casual, looping style of these twin crown braids. The messiness of them is fun and carefree and works especially well with a rock chick blonde bob.

Fluffy Unicorn Braid

Don’t you just wish you could reach out and touch this super soft and fluffy braid? Super pale pastel colors work wonderfully with such a hairstyle, giving the whole look an angelic vibe.

Sleek Up-Do

Short, natural curls in tight braids like these are ideal for sculpting into a super sleek up-do. If the glossy style wasn’t gorgeous enough, that rich shade of red finished the look off perfectly.

Barely There Braid

This hairstyle will probably only work on girls with naturally thick and luscious locks. The deep brunette bob has been cut into a choppy style and a thick, looped braid has been hidden amongst the waves.

Fiery Faux Hawk

Cornrow braids can be used to create a rebellious faux hawk style, especially if you’re lucky enough to rock big, bouncy curls like these. If the style alone wasn’t rebellious enough on its own, then that fiery shade of red will definitely do the trick.