20 Half Up Medium Knotless Braids to Try
Twenty half up medium knotless braid ideas, and the freedom this braid count gives you — the section line disappears into the density, so it no longer has to be a straight line across the head.
In this article · 27
- What Makes a Medium Half Up Work
- How to Choose Yours
- The 20 Half Up Ideas
- 1. Classic Half Up Ponytail
- 2. Curved Section Half Up
- 3. Diagonal Section Half Up
- 4. Half Up Bun
- 5. Half Up Top Knot
- 6. Two-Stage Gather
- 7. Half Up with a Face Frame
- 8. Low Half Up
- 9. Deep Half Up
- 10. Two Half Up Buns
- 11. Half Up with a Large Claw Clip
- 12. Half Up with a Scarf Tie
- 13. Half Up with a Braided Wrap
- 14. Half Up on Waist-Length Medium
- 15. Half Up on a Medium Bob
- 16. Half Up with Curl Falling Below
- 17. Boho Half Up
- 18. Blonde Half Up
- 19. Half Up Revealing Hidden Colour
- 20. Half Up at Week Seven
- Styling and Upkeep
- Mistakes to Avoid
- FAQ
- Final Thoughts
The half up is the most-worn braid style, and at medium size it gains something it does not have on wider braids.
The section line disappears. At forty braids, an ear-to-ear parting is a visible edge running across the head, so it has to be a clean straight line. At a hundred and forty, the density swallows it — which means the line can be curved, diagonal, or deeper on one side, and it reads as shape rather than as a parting.
What Makes a Medium Half Up Work
The line can be any shape. Curved, diagonal, deeper at the back. None of it shows, so none of it has to be perfect.
The gather is a real mass. Half of a hundred-and-forty-braid set is a lot of braids. It needs securing in two stages, or with a clip sized to it — a single tie forced around the whole thing has to be pulled tight to hold.
The hairline never moves. The gather starts behind the front row, so those braids stay where they were installed. This is why it is the style to wear as the set ages.
The exposed crown reads as texture. Gathering the top exposes the partings, and at this density that looks like hair rather than like a grid.
How to Choose Yours
Shape the line rather than measuring it. A shallow curve following the crown flatters most heads and costs nothing to try.
Secure in two stages for anything above half the set. Divide, tie each part, then bring them together. Far less tension than one forced band.
Use a claw sized to the mass. A small clip on this many braids slips and marks them. Wide-toothed and large.
Leave two front braids out if you want it softer. A face frame changes the whole register of the style.
The 20 Half Up Ideas
1. Classic Half Up Ponytail
Gathered and tied. The version everyone means. The front row stays where it was installed, which is the whole reason this style is gentle.
2. Curved Section Half Up
The line following the crown rather than cutting straight across. A curve follows the shape of the head, so it reads as a considered line rather than as a parting.
3. Diagonal Section Half Up
Higher on one side than the other. Only invisible at this density. At forty braids a diagonal line is an obvious mistake; at a hundred and forty nobody can find it.
4. Half Up Bun
The gathered section coiled rather than left hanging. Coiling keeps the mass close to the head, which is more comfortable than a gathered section swinging behind you.
5. Half Up Top Knot
A smaller gather, taken from temple to temple. Less mass in the gather means less tension needed to hold it, which makes this the lightest version.
6. Two-Stage Gather
Divided, tied and brought together. The low-tension way to hold a big gather. Two halves each need far less force to secure than one band forced around everything at once.
7. Half Up with a Face Frame
Two braids left out at the front, softening the whole style. Two reads as deliberate; more than that starts to look like the gather is failing.
8. Low Half Up
The gather sitting at the back of the head rather than the crown. Low placement lets the head carry part of the weight, so nothing is hanging from the crown roots.
9. Deep Half Up
More than half gathered. Possible here because the line stays hidden. A deep gather at a wider braid count would put an obvious line across the head; density is what makes it available.
10. Two Half Up Buns
Split at the part and coiled into two. Each side carries half the mass, so neither fastening needs pulling anywhere near tight.
11. Half Up with a Large Claw Clip
No tie at all. The fastest version and the gentlest. A wide claw clamps at the edges rather than squeezing all the way round, so there is no compression on the braids.
12. Half Up with a Scarf Tie
Fabric knotted at the gather. Colour with no weight. Fabric also spreads its pressure over a wider band, which matters when the gather is this substantial.
13. Half Up with a Braided Wrap
One braid wound around the base to hide the tie. It also adds a second layer of hold, so the gather survives the tie loosening rather than failing with it.
14. Half Up on Waist-Length Medium
The longest version, where the weight relief is most noticeable. Lifting half a waist-length set off your neck is the biggest single comfort change available on a long set.
15. Half Up on a Medium Bob
Barely enough length to gather, and it works. A bob has just enough at the crown to hold, and because the mass is small the tie barely has to close.
16. Half Up with Curl Falling Below
Curl released beneath the gather, contrasting with the smooth top. Gathering only the top also keeps the curl out of the tie, which is where curl gets crushed.
17. Boho Half Up
Loose pieces escaping the gather deliberately. Choose them before you gather rather than pulling them out afterwards, or you loosen the whole thing.
18. Blonde Half Up
Light braids gathered, with the crown partings on show beneath. Blonde partings show more than dark ones, so oil them if the crown is going to be on display.
19. Half Up Revealing Hidden Colour
Gathering the top exposes the peekaboo layer underneath. A half up is the only style that reveals a hidden colour on purpose, which is worth planning for at the appointment.
20. Half Up at Week Seven
Loosened roots, no added pull. The style for this stage. By week seven the roots have given what they are going to give, and this is the one gathered style that asks nothing more of them.
Styling and Upkeep
Move the section line day to day. Taking it in exactly the same place leaves a crease across the crown where the braids sit differently.
Undo it at night. Gentle for a day is not the same as gentle for eight hours.
Wrap the tie with a braid. It hides the band and stops it biting into the gathered mass.
Oil the exposed crown partings. A half up puts them on permanent display.
Loosen it before it hurts. Even a low-tension style becomes tension if it is pulled tight.
Mistakes to Avoid
Forcing the whole gather into one band. It has to be pulled tight to hold, which defeats the point.
A small clip on this many braids. It slips, and it marks the braids it does grip.
Taking the line in the same spot daily. It creases the grid.
Including the front row. That makes it a ponytail and removes the reason to wear a half up.
Sleeping in it. Undo it, every night.
FAQ
Where should the section line be? Anywhere — at this density it is invisible, so it can be curved or diagonal.
How do you secure it? In two stages, or with a claw sized to the mass.
Is it gentle on edges? The gentlest gathered style there is.
Final Thoughts
Try a curved section line before you try anything else on this page. It costs nothing, it is invisible at this braid count, and it is the single change that stops a half up looking like a parting and starts it looking like a style.
For the same style at a wider braid size see 20 half up large knotless braids I saved, and for the full range see 25 medium knotless braids ideas. More in Braids & Protective Styles.
