Frida Kahlo Braids: The Tehuana Roots, and How to Wear Them Without Losing Your Edges
Homegirls, it's that time of year. October hits, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is on the calendar, and every other photo on your feed is somebody in a braided updo with flowers pinned on top, captioned "Frida vibes."
Gorgeous. Truly. But here's how a lot of those photos actually got made: hair yanked back at 6 a.m., two braids pulled so tight around the head that the temples went white, twelve bobby pins jammed straight into the scalp, and a bouquet of silk flowers stacked on top like the braid owed it rent. By noon there's a headache. By takedown there's a little ring of short broken hairs sitting right where your edges used to be.
The style isn't the problem. The execution is. So let's talk about where the Frida Kahlo braids really come from, who was wearing them first, and how to wear them without making your hairline pay the tab.
The Frida braid isn't a costume. It's Tehuana.
The hairstyle the internet calls "Frida Kahlo braids" didn't start with Frida. Kahlo's hair was frequently braided and woven with ribbons in the Tehuana style, according to the Fashion Institute of Technology's Fashion History Timeline. Tehuana dress is tied to the Zapotec women of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, in southern Mexico. It's the embroidered huipil (a loose, boxy blouse), the long full skirt, the gold, and the hair.
Here's a detail that surprises people: that same FIT essay notes that Frida Kahlo never actually visited the Isthmus. She wore Tehuana dress as a statement, a nationalist, anti-colonial choice in post-revolutionary Mexico, when artists and thinkers were pushing back on the idea that European style was the only "elegant" option. Frida made the look famous around the world. Zapotec women made the look.
On the Isthmus, the Tehuana hairstyle is still worn today. A feature from México Desconocido, republished by El Reportero, describes two main versions: braids woven with colorful ribbons and wrapped around the head as an updo, or a simpler version where the braids fall to one side. Fresh flowers like bougainvillea, marigolds and sunflowers often finish it, and it shows up at velas (the Isthmus's big community festivals), weddings, religious processions and patron saint celebrations. The same piece notes that married women or women of higher standing often wear taller, more ornate versions, while younger single women may wear simpler ones.
So when you pin that braid up this season, you're borrowing from a living tradition with real rules and real meaning. Say where it comes from. That's the whole ask.
Trenzas con listón: the braid a lot of Mexican women already know
Search "trenzas mexicanas con listón" (Mexican braids with ribbon) and you'll see how many Mexican women grew up with some version of this. A listón is a ribbon, and braiding one right into the hair shows up in a lot of places: folklórico performances, school festivals, church, a tía with a comb and zero patience before a family event.
We're not going to pretend it's one tradition with one meaning. How the braids are placed, which ribbons, which flowers, and what the look says changes from state to state, community to community, and generation to generation. What your abuela called a party braid in Jalisco might not be what somebody's mom did in Michoacán or what a Zapotec woman wears to a vela on the Isthmus. If your family has its own way, that's your version, and it's valid.
Photo: Los Muertos Crew via Pexels
What's common across most of them? Braids pulled back from the face and pinned high. And that's exactly where the edges start getting into trouble.
Where this style eats your edges
The American Academy of Dermatology lists tight braids and pulled-back buns and updos among the hairstyles that can lead to traction alopecia, which is hair loss from repeated pulling. A Frida braid is literally both at once: braids, pulled back, wrapped into an updo, and then weighed down with decoration.
The AAD's warning signs are worth memorizing:
- Pain from tightly pulled hair (their line: if the style feels painful, it's too tight)
- Stinging or crusting on the scalp
- "Tenting," where the scalp gets lifted up at the root
- Broken hairs around the forehead
- A hairline that's creeping back, or patches thinning at the tension points
Homegirls, "beauty is pain" is a lie somebody told you so they could braid faster. Pain is information. It's your hairline filing a complaint.
How to do Frida Kahlo braids without losing your edges
You can absolutely wear this style for Día de los Muertos, a quinceañera, a wedding or just a Tuesday. Just build it smarter.
1. Prep soft, not stiff
Start with detangled, moisturized hair. A light layer of Botanical Blend Hydrating Leave-In Conditioner ($15.95) before you section gives the braid some slip, so you're not dragging a comb through dry knots at the hairline.
2. Part with slack at the front
Center part, two sections. Before you start braiding, leave a little give at the temples. If the skin at your hairline moves when you pull the section back, you're pulling too hard. Back off until it doesn't.
3. Start the braid behind the ear, not at the temple
This is the big one. Start each braid low and behind the ear, and let the front hair sweep back loosely into it. Starting a tight Dutch braid right at the temple puts all the tension on the most fragile hair on your head. For a smooth braid, a little Botanical Blend Braiding Gel ($17.95) on the section helps tame flyaways so you don't have to crank the braid tighter to make it look neat.
4. Pin the braid, not your scalp
When you wrap the braids over the top of your head, slide pins through the braid itself and catch as little scalp as possible. Fewer, well-placed pins beat twelve pins stabbed straight down. If you're weaving in a listón, braid it in loosely. The ribbon should ride along, not cinch.
5. Keep the flowers light
Big silk flower crowns are heavy, and that weight hangs off your braid and pulls toward your hairline all day. Choose lighter flowers, spread them out, or anchor them to the braid instead of pinning them into the hair at the front.
6. Style the edges gently, if at all
Want the baby hairs laid for pictures? Use a small amount of Strong Hold Edge Control & Loc Gel ($17.95) with a soft edge brush ($9.95), and use light pressure. Don't brush the same short hairs over and over. And if you want the full cultural backstory on laid edges, we broke that down in Chicana Baby Hairs.
7. Take it down the same night
A formal updo is a one-night style, not a week-long style. Unpin slowly, unbraid with your fingers, and don't rip through the dried product. Loosen it with a little warm water and conditioner first. Then give your hairline a few days off from anything pulled back.
Curls, coils and short hair can wear it too
You don't need long, straight hair to wear this look, whatever the Pinterest boards say. Mexican women have every texture, from pelo lacio (straight hair) to tight curls and coils, and Afro-Mexican women in places like the Costa Chica are part of that picture too. If you've been told your texture doesn't "fit" a traditional look, that's the beauty standard talking, not the tradition. We got into that in Mexican Women Have Curls Too.
For curly and coily hair, stretch the hair a bit first so braiding takes less force. For shorter hair, two small side braids pinned up with a thick ribbon or a head wrap give you the silhouette without tension. And if a big event is coming up, like a quinceañera where the whole family wants that updo tight enough to survive the dance floor, read How to Prep Your Hair for the Quinceañera Without Wrecking Your Edges first.
A word from us
Grow Your Edges Back is a Made in Black America brand, and Mexican and Latina homegirls have always been part of our community. We're not claiming the Tehuana tradition, and we're not selling it back to anybody. The braid belongs to the Zapotec women of the Isthmus and to every Mexican family that kept it going. Our job is the hairline underneath it.
FAQ
What is the Frida Kahlo hairstyle called?
It's usually described as the Tehuana hairstyle, from the Tehuana dress of Zapotec women on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca. Frida Kahlo wore her hair braided and woven with ribbons in that style, which is why people now call it "Frida braids."
Is it okay to wear Frida Kahlo braids for Día de los Muertos if I'm not Mexican?
Wearing a braided updo isn't the issue. Treating a living tradition like a costume is. Know where it comes from, name it, skip the caricature, and don't pair it with anything that mocks the holiday or the people who celebrate it.
Can Frida braids cause hair loss?
They can if they're too tight or worn too often. The American Academy of Dermatology lists tight braids and pulled-back updos among the styles that can lead to traction alopecia. Start braids behind the ear, leave slack at the temples, keep decorations light, and take the style down the same night.
How do I do Frida braids on short or curly hair?
Stretch curly or coily hair a bit first so braiding takes less force. On short hair, do two small side braids and pin them up with a wide ribbon, a scarf or light flowers to get the shape without pulling on your edges.
What does "trenzas con listón" mean?
It means braids with ribbon. A listón is a ribbon braided into the hair. The style, colors and meaning change by region, community and generation across Mexico, so there's no single "correct" version.
Homegirls, wear the braid. Honor where it comes from. Just don't let a tight part and a heavy flower crown take your edges with them.
90-Day Edge Confidence Guarantee. We handle it.
— CEOLorenze
Featured photo: Yessi Trex via Pexels. In-article photo: Los Muertos Crew via Pexels.