How to Add Length to Your Braid Out in Minutes with Clip-ins

If you've ever admired the fullness and length of a braid-out and wished yours looked a little more extra, this one’s for you. Maybe your natural hair is growing, but you want more oomph right now. Or maybe you’re just looking for a beginner-friendly protective style that’s cute and easy. Either way, let me introduce you to your new bestie: natural textured clip-in hair extensions!

Yes, we’re talking big, fluffy braid-outs that bring the drama—without the wait. And yes, you can totally do this at home, even if you’re new to clip-ins. We’ve broken it down step-by-step so you can follow along easily.

🪮 What You’ll Need:

• Your favorite leave-in, cream, and gel/styler for a braid-out — we’re using the Styling Cream by PATTERN Beauty
• Naturally textured clip-ins — Melanj Hair 20” Corkscrew Curl clip-ins shown
• Spray bottle with water
• Wide-tooth comb or detangling brush
• Hair clips or scrunchies to section
• Satin scarf or bonnet for setting (optional but recommended)

Step 2: Section Your Hair

For this look, you want to aim for medium sized braids on damp hair. Re-wet your hair with a spray bottle, if needed. Apply a generous amount of the styling cream to each section and make sure the section is fully detangled and smoothed before braiding. Keep in mind, the sections don’t need to be perfect, but remember that your final hairstyle will lay depends on how your braids are positioned. For instance, if you have a middle part down the back of your head, your braid out will be separated in the middle, which may not be the look you’re going for.

Step 3: Blend + Braid

The key to a seamless blend when you’re doing a braid out using extensions, is to combine your natural hair with the hair extensions. Start the braid as close to the root as possible and keep a nice amount of tension in each braid to ensure a fully set style and continue braiding your hair in medium-sized braids until you’ve cover your entire head. Make sure you re-wet and apply enough product to each section as needed. This will keep your braids nice and juicy, which is exactly what we want!

Step 4: Let It Dry… completely!

This may be one of the most important, and often missed, steps. Once you’ve gotten your braids in, you want to let them dry completely. Based on personal preference and how much time you have, you can let it air dry overnight or you can sit under the hair dryer. Either way, you want to make sure your hair is completely dry to ensure your style is SET and avoid unnecessary frizz. If you feel like your hair isn’t dry enough when you’re ready to take it down, use a diffuser to hit those parts to dry a bit faster.

Step 5: Take Down + Fluff

Unravel the braids gently with some oil on your fingertips to avoid frizz. Then fluff your roots with a pick or your fingers for that full, juicy look. Take your time when separating each braid. Control how big or small your hair is by separating each braid more or less. For more volume, pull apart more sections of each braid. For less volume, only separate each braid once or twice.

Optional step: Use a wide tooth comb or hair pick to fluff your hair. This will also help blend the braided sections more so you have an overall seamless look

Step 7: Style & Slay

Once you’ve gotten your hair to the finish line, the only thing left to do is give it a big hair flip. To preserve your curls at night, separate your hair in two parts and loosely braid each section securing the ends with a satin scrunchie. Throw on a loose bonnet or sleep on a satin pillowcase to avoid drying out your precious locks.

🖤 What we love about this style:

• Beginner-Friendly: You don’t need pro skills to make this look amazing.
• Protective: Your real hair is safely braided, reducing manipulation.
• Customizable: Add as many clip-ins as you want for length or volume.
• Natural Blend: Because the clip-ins match your texture, nobody will know where your hair ends and the extensions begin.

Real Talk: The Struggle Used to be Real

If you’ve ever felt like your natural styles lack volume or wished for more length overnight, you're not alone. Clip-ins let you enjoy the best of both worlds—your natural texture and the drama of a fuller look. No sew-ins, no glue, no stress.

📌 Final Tips:

• Don’t skip the moisturizing step. Dry braids = dry results.
• Sleep in loose braids and a satin scarf to preserve the style.
• Want more even stretch? Blow-dry your hair and the clip-ins on low before braiding.

Have questions? Drop them in the comments! And don’t forget to tag us in your braid-out selfies—we want to see those big, beautiful results!