9 of The Best Braiders in LA

*Scratches record.* It’s time for a west coast remix (here’s the original “Best Braider” track for those who missed it) in honor of our mobile hairstyling service making a cross-country journey to Los Angeles! (Discover Yeluchi LA ). We stay booked and busy ladies so in case we can’t get your edges in order, we present to you our list of the 10 best braiders in LA.

If you know of a stylist or salon that should be on this list, LEAVE 👏🏾 THEIR 👏🏾 NAME 👏🏾 IN 👏🏾THE 👏🏾 COMMENTS!

We hope that this list helps in the creations of some of your magical Black girl moments! Make sure you snap a flick 📷 of your new ‘do and share it in the comments, tag us and the stylist on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

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Dr. Kari Williams

At a Glance:

What makes her dope: Renown celebrity stylist, the good Dr. Kari Williams has had some noteworthy “patients” such as Megan Goode, Tyra Banks, Willow Smith, and Rutina Westly aka Nova Bordelon from the critically acclaimed series Queen Sugar. The creator of the ever-so-popular Goddess Loc style, Dr. Kari Williams is training other stylists in the art and mastery of Goddess Lots.

Styles: Goddess Faux Locs, Knotless Braids, Cornrows, Twists, Twist Outs, Bantu Knot Outs, Box Braids, Twists With Extensions

Booking: Book an appointment by calling 323-939-1620 or contact a Dr. Kari approved stylist by reviewing this list.

Felicia Leatherwood

At a Glance:

• Name: Felicia Leatherwood
• Neighborhood: General Los Angeles Area
• Contact: via website
• Links: Site | Instagram

What makes her dope: Another renowned celebrity stylist Felicia Leatherwood has worked with some of our favorites; Issa Rea, Ava Duvernay, Nichole Ari Parker, Simone Missick, Skai Jackson, and Teyohan Parris. In addition to her star-studded clientele, Felicia Leatherwood is also the creator of “The Detangler Brush” which you can find here.

Styles: Crochets, Cornrows, Box Braids, Faux Locs, Marley Twists (basically everything, lol)

Booking: Booking Ms. Leatherwood is a little tricky. But you can contact her via her website.

Raww Intuition

At a Glance:

• Name: Kamara Brown
• Address: 3822 Crenshaw Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90008
• Neighborhood: General Los Angeles Area
• Phone: 310-489-3261
• Links: Site | Instagram

What makes her dope: This talented artist has a plethora of skills that are in full display with the sheer amount of services that she offers and the high praise she receives from her clients. Kamara Brown got her big break when she was introduced to singer and songwriter Jhene Aiko to create the faux loc style for the artist wore in her music video “The Pressure.”

Styles: Spring Twists, Passion Twists, Cornrows, Crochet, Box Braids, Faux Locs, Marley Twists, Goddess Locs, Havana Twist, Senegalese Twist

General Pricing: $55 for a shampoo and braid-up, $480 18 in Goddess Locs

Reviews: 5 out of 5 on Style Seat, 262 Reviews

Booking: You can book an appointment here.

YayaDidMyHair

At a Glance:

• Name: Mariah Leilani
• Address: Given with booking confirmation
• Neighborhood: General Los Angeles Area
• Link(s): Instagram

What makes her dope: One of the best-known unknowns is how we would categorize this extremely talented young lady. Having worked with such names as Cardi B, Brandy, and Ella Mai this Compton native went from doing hair for friends and family to being an “it girl” in Los Angeles’ styling community.

Styles: Cornrows, Box Braids
General Pricing: Prices available upon booking, $25 deposit required

Reviews: 5 out of 5 on Style Seat. Previous clients generally love her work, however those who left a less than great rating were typically upset because the stylist was late or th appointment needed to be reschedule.

Booking: You can book an appointment via her Instagram.

Strands of Life Hair

At a Glance:

• Name: Jehcara “Summer” Nelson
• Address: 4323 Crenshaw Blvd. , Los Angeles, CA, 90008
• Contact: (323) 300-0028
• Neighborhood: West Hollywood
• Links: Site | Instagram

What makes her dope: With over 20 years of experience in the Los Angeles styling community, Jehcara “Summer” Nelson has worked with some of our childhood favorites like Tichina Arnold and Tamera Mowry as well as one of our new woman crushes Dwanda Wise from the She’s Gotta Have It series. In addition to working with celebrities we love, she has also worked with esteemed-stylist and one of our features Dr. Kari Williams.

Styles: Goddess Locs, Cornrows, Havana Twist, Los Retwist, Kinky Twist, Box Braids
General Pricing: $25 Natural Loc styles, $1,500 Goddess Locs

Booking: You can book an appointment on her site.

Kia Harper Braids

At a Glance:

• Name: Kia Harper
• Address: Given with booking confirmation
• Neighborhood: General Los Angeles Area
• Phone: 773-799-4804
• Links: Site | Instagram

What makes her dope: Kia Harper is living her best life. This singer/songwriter/stylist did not come to play with y’all, she came to slay your edges and serenade the masses at the same time. This multi-talented woman has worked with influencer/model/actress Kinigra and recording artist Kehlani.

Styles: Cornrows, Box Braids, Knotless Box Braids, Flat Twists
General Pricing: $70 for 4-5 feed-in braids, $375 for back-length knotless box braids

Booking: You can book an appointment on her site.

IamKarlea

At a Glance:

• Name: Karlea
• Address: Given with booking confirmation
• Neighborhood: General Los Angeles Area
• Phone: 832-245-7961
• Link(s): Instagram

What makes her dope: Another one of our best-known unknowns and mononymous stylist–Karlea. She is definitely making moves in Los Angeles and is a promising up-and-comer in the braiding community. Karla has worked with models and fitness influencers like Kamie Crawford, Liana Maria, and Lita Lewis.

Styles: Cornrows, Box Braids
General Pricing: Prices available by phone

Booking: You can book an appointment on her Instagram

JanaeBraids

At a Glance:

• Name: Janae Stallworth
• Address: Given with booking confirmation
• Neighborhood: Inglewood
• Phone: 323-437-3719
• Link(s): Instagram

What makes her dope: Janae Stallworth is a talented local favorite. She is a jack-of-all braiding and has an extensive Instagram resume. Janae Stallworth has worked with influencers like Darneisha LaVette.

Styles: Cornrows, Box Braids
General Pricing: Prices available by phone. $25 deposit required, $50 Deposit required for “small” braids

Booking: You can book an appointment on her Instagram.

HairDoneByYanna

At a Glance:

• Name: Yanna
• Address: 14129 Crenshaw blvd Hawthorne, CA 90250
• Neighborhood: Los Angeles
• Links: Site | Instagram

What makes her dope: With over 6k followers on Instagram the talented HairDoneByYanna is quite literally trending. She had the top four posts under the hashtag “losangelesbraider” Yanna is making her mark in the Hawthorne area of L.A. In addition to working in a brick and mortar location, Yanna is also a mobile stylist who will travel to you.

Styles: Cornrows, Box Braids
General Pricing: $80 for 4-6 cornrows and $375 for small knotless box braids

Booking: You can book an appointment on her site.

BraidsByNecole

At a Glance:

• Name: Necole
• Address: Given with booking confirmation
• Neighborhood: Orange County, CA
• Phone: 310-991-2897
• Link(s): Instagram

What makes her dope: Necole is a creative and popular stylist in the Los Angeles area. We selected this talented stylist because in addition to creating amazing styles, she does a lot or work with women who are suffering various forms of hair loss. (See her transformations on Instagram).

Styles: Cornrows, Box Braids, Knotless Box Braids
General Pricing: Prices available by phone. $25 deposit required.

Booking: You can book an appointment by phone.

Unruly

At a Glance:

• Name: Unruly
• Address: We’re mobile stylists, so we come to you!
• Neighborhood: Burbank, Downtown LA, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, North Hollywood, Studio City, Glendale, East L.A, Ladera Heights, Inglewood
• Phone: 212-461-0928
• Links: Site (technically you’re already on it 😉 | Instagram

What makes us dope: As our owner and co-founder, so cleverly notes: “We’re literally God’s gift to black hair,” given Yeluchi means God’s gift in the Nigerian language Igbo. Historically, when we need our hair done it is a full day affair, literally. And you all know that 3-4 hours of that day is you simply napping under the dryer! 🤣 Wouldn’t you rather roll out of bed at your leisure, make a balanced and healthy breakfast (yes girl, we see your avocado toast and grapefruit slices), and wait for your stylist to come to you? Yeluchi can make this fantasy your reality.

Booking: You can book an appointment on our site.
Styles: Crochets, Cornrows, Box Braids, Twists, Weave Installs, Two Strand Twists, Knotless Braids, Feed-In Braids. View all our styles here.
General Pricing: Crochets start at $175, Cornrows start at $65, Box Braids start at $200, Knotless Braids start at $225.