How long is your braid?

**Handel'sWig** · May 21st, 2021, 11:50 PM

I’m curious about this. How long is your (English) braid compared to your hair and how long do you leave your tassel? My hair is a little past waist length and my braid is in the bsl range. I braid all the way to my ends, leaving as little tassel as possible. I like it better that way, and besides I figure it makes for less damage.

**lapis_lazuli** · May 22nd, 2021, 01:43 AM

In LHC measurements, my hair is 63" (mid-calf) and 55" when braided (knee). So it's an 8" difference.

Some math because I was curious... Subtracting the tassel (6") and scalp hair (12"), the actual amount of hair braided is 45". The braid itself is 37" long and therefore shortens my hair by about 18%.

**foreveryours** · May 22nd, 2021, 07:28 AM

Originally Posted by Handel'sWig

I’m curious about this. How long is your (English) braid compared to your hair and how long do you leave your tassel? My hair is a little past waist length and my braid is in the bsl range. I braid all the way to my ends, leaving as little tassel as possible. I like it better that way, and besides I figure it makes for less damage.

Depends on hair thickness and how tightly you braid. Lesser of either won't shrink as much.

I also braid as far as I can down to the tiniest of sections so my tassle is generally 2-3 inches.

Measuring this morning from the nape where the braid starts all the way to the ends I measure 37" free vs 28" braided, so for me shortening looks to be about 25%.

**neko_kawaii** · May 22nd, 2021, 07:49 AM

My hair is past knee length but with fairytale ends I braid down to about hip where it starts to be thin enough that the braiding really slows down. That leaves me with a little over 1 ft of tassel which ends right at knee. I’d guess the braid eats up 4-5 inches of length. I braid snuggly.

**AmaryllisRed** · May 22nd, 2021, 08:15 AM

Keeping in mind that I usually start my braid up high like a ponytail but without the elastic and that I braid tightly, my braid is about classic length and my tassel takes it to mid-thigh. Unbraided, it's hovering juuuuuust about knee, depending on how much shrinkage from waves I've got that day.

**ZoeZ** · May 22nd, 2021, 05:05 PM

My hair is (was) 28.25" long the last time I measured a few weeks ago (trying not to measure until September) and my French braid is 2.25" shorter. I don't braid to the end, though, as it wont hold, and my braid is medium tight. I expect it will lose more like three inches when it's a little past waist.

**Ylva** · May 27th, 2021, 01:08 PM

My single English braid is about BCL, and unbraided, my hair is close to classic length.

**SleepyTangles** · May 28th, 2021, 07:16 AM

My braid is 20 cm long, with a pretty long tassel of 7,5 cm!

**Bri-Chan** · May 28th, 2021, 04:08 PM

My braid is ~44 cm/17,5 inches long. My tassel is a 4 inches long wurl. I had a sidecut several years ago and it hasn't reached all my lengths yet.
For reference, I'm almost at tbl and with a braid my hair looks halg inch far from bcl.

**knobbly** · May 28th, 2021, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by AmaryllisRed

Keeping in mind that I usually start my braid up high like a ponytail but without the elastic and that I braid tightly, my braid is about classic length and my tassel takes it to mid-thigh. Unbraided, it's hovering juuuuuust about knee, depending on how much shrinkage from waves I've got that day.

OT but how do you begin a tight braid higher than your nape? I’ve been trying for a bit and it’s always a mess, would love some tips.

ETA: To keep it on topic, my hair is BCL and my braid is usually to my hip-ish? I’ll take some proper pics and measurements at some point because one of my goals is a braid that can drape in my lap.