How to French Braid: Tips for the Struggling Stylist

The French braid has been a classic hair style for decades. Variations of this style have been used for maintaining hair in everything from sporting events to weddings to piano recitals. The timelessness of this lovely hair style, combined with its practical effectiveness at keeping hairs away from the face adds to its overall versatility. However, mastering the French braid can also be excessively tricky for many beginners. Getting all of the hair back into a lovely braid without making it so loose that it all falls out or making it so tight that the person like a worm (with such slicked back hair) can be challenging. Because of these difficulties here is some advice on how to best master this intricate braid.

1. Practice on a doll, if possible: Learning how to braid on a human can be much more nerve racking than learning on an inanimate object. Use a beautician's figurehead's hair or a doll head with long hair. Working with a doll will allow you to pull however hard you wish to on the hair, as well as braid and re-do the hair as often as needed without the added pressure of working with a real individual.

2. Twist the hair: If you're having a difficult time with keeping the hair back tightly enough in your French braid, then try twisting the hair a bit before working it into the braid. This should allow you to pull back the hair a bit loosely but have it still look reasonably tight.

3. Know the different styles of French braiding: In general, working in larger chunks of hair into your French braid will create a sportier, more casual style. Using thinner sections of hair in your braid will create a much more intricate braid, perfect for more formal and elegant events. With this latter style it is entirely appropriate to weave in small flowers throughout the braid for an even more formal appearance.

4. Start with a basic, single braid: Before you advance to other styles of French braiding, start by learning the single-down-the-back-of-the-head braid. This style works well with a variety of hair lengths and thicknesses; once you have mastered this style, feel free to try bang braids, pigtail French braids, and French buns.

5. Use your first two or three fingers on each hand: Many beginning braiders find themselves tempted to stick sections of hair between their last couple of fingers as a way to keep the hair separated. Don't do this, as it will make the braiding process much more difficult in the long run.

Mastering the French braid takes time and practice, but it is definitely worth it in the long run. Try these tips if you're having difficulties with this timeless style.