Doechii Just Co-Signed One Of The Season’s Hottest Protective Styles

Since bursting onto the scene about three years ago, Doechii has quickly established herself as something of a modern protective style icon. Think the braids that connected her to her dancers on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert; the braids and finger waves she wore to the 2025 Grammy Awards; and her cornrows adorned with ‘70s-esque beads at NPR’s Tiny Desk, to name a few. And at the 2026 BET Awards, the performer unveiled another entry in the Doechii Hair Hall of Fame: A cascading faux-locs updo.

For the June 28 event, held in Los Angeles, the “Alter Ego” rapper hit the red carpet with burgundy curls piled atop her head, in what appeared to be an oversized bun cleaved right down the center — creating something of a “sexy space bun” effect. Hairstylist Matthew left out plenty of hair at the front for face framing, and at the base of that hair, the performer’s faux locs were on full, beautiful display.

The hairstyle’s earthy, sensual vibes were a perfect match for the star’s dress: A crochet halter gown from DSquared’s spring/summer 2006 collection, styled by Sam Woolf.

While technically not braided, the upswept protective ‘do still falls right in line with the recent trend of braided updos, which have become a style of choice amongst celebs like Keke Palmer, Kerry Washington, and Chase Infiniti. And their rising popularity makes perfect sense: As hairstylist Rashuna Durham told TZR, braided updos are “both practical and elevated, making them perfect for summer events, vacations, and everyday wear.”

The dress wasn’t the only throwback element of Doechii’s awards-night look: Nail artist Rachel Sun gave the “Nissan Altima” rapper a short, square French mani with the toes to match. Very Y2K!