As with many bits of hair terminology, the term 'box braids' plays multiple roles.
Often, box braids refer to a form of knotted
braids used as a way of attaching hair
extensions. In box braids a bundle of hair is knotted into the base of an extension, and the extension forms the body of the braid. This is in contrast to extensions that are woven in along the length of the natural hair.
Box braids do not necessarily look any different from weaves or fully natural hair, but they may result in neater looking braids (or, rather, more extreme braids being more achievable with less work), and the 'box', or knot, may be visible. Box braids may be used as the base of any sort of free-hanging braided hairstyle, although purists may insist that boho braids should properly be weaves.
But also, the style most likely gets its name from the fact that scalp hair is generally parted into a series of small squares, resulting in a distinctive pattern; this pattern may be called a box braid in the absence of extensions. This is not, confusingly, a necessary part of a box-braid-with-extensions hairstyle, as hair may be parted into triangles, rows, irregular segments, or other shapes; and it is often the case the the body of the extensions cover the roots regardless.
If braids have square partings at the base, and are not knotted, they will often be called 'knotless box braids'. The general term for hair parted into separate units and then braided (as apposed to cornrows, French braids, or the like) is, confusingly, single braids.
While box braids are most commonly associated with female hair, it is fairly fashionable for men to have their hair braided in short, narrow, and unextended braids in the box pattern, which are often referred to as either box braids or single braids. Women's box braids are, at the time of this writing, almost universally extended by a knot or weave.
HairQuest 2025