French Braiding

[YamaMaya]

So, despite being in the type 1 category, my hair is surprisingly tangle prone, probably due to all the differing lengths on my head. This is causing me some headaches when I try to french braid, as I'm not very coordinated with my braiding just yet, and it makes it about 10x more difficult when I run into a tangle in the first few inches of my braid. I usually just give up and can never follow through. The ones I do manage are wonky due to all the fighting with my hair. I just wanted to vent my frustration. Despite having long hair most of my life I never really experimented with it until I joined LHC. I've got quite a learning curve and feel silly because I can't even french braid:(. If any of you ladies have any tips for making french braids easier please let me know.

[velorutionista]

Mine tangles if I don't separate each strand after every pass, so I tend to throw the top strand over my wrist on the hand holding the braid (weird, I know) when I'm french or dutch braiding, and then use my free hand to separate and smooth the other two...it's also way easier to braid my hair damp or oiled, if that helps.

[YamaMaya]

Mine tangles if I don't separate each strand after every pass, so I tend to throw the top strand over my wrist on the hand holding the braid (weird, I know) when I'm french or dutch braiding, and then use my free hand to separate and smooth the other two...it's also way easier to braid my hair damp or oiled, if that helps.
Hm yes I have noticed it's much easier to keep my hair in line when it's damp/oiled, I may have to try it on an oil day,

[MadameV]

This may not apply to your particular problem, but it was the thing that helped me the most when I taught myself to french braid: if you're using a mirror, try it without one. I discovered that most of my tangling and weirdness was caused by looking in a mirror while I braided. That discrepancy between what I was seeing and what I was feeling got my hands all kinds of turned around. One day I got frustrated, shut my eyes, and tried it like that. Boom. Probably the best french braid that was possible with collarbone-length, layered hair.

[Sharysa]

Maybe you can just work your way up to French braiding by doing normal braids regularly? Also, seconding the fact that you need to remember to run your hands through the strands to make sure they don't stick together at the ends. I've always done that since my hair's coarse and wavy, but people with straighter hair tend to forget that step because their hair behaves better.

[Coolcombination]

I just drop on strand and use that hand to separate the others, then I pick up the dropped strand, doesn't matter if you get extra hair caught in it.

[spidermom]

As I pass the braid from hand to hand, I use the free hand to run down the strands to separate them. My hair tangles up like crazy while I'm braiding, too, but as long as I start with tangle-free hair and keep separating the strands like this, my braids are successful. I agree - don't look while braiding. It's a "by feel" activity.

[Bagginslover]

Try detangling your hair in the direction youre going to be pulling it in to braid it. In the past, I have even laid on my bac with my head off the edge of the bed to french braid, just so that the hair is already lying in the right direction ;)

[Quixii]

I'm a total fail when it comes to French braiding my own hair. Don't feel too bad. :flower:

[MeowScat]

I have the same problem! Torrinpaige has a couple French braid tutorials on her YouTube channel. She shows what fingers should hold what section of hair.

[Peggy E.]

I just drop on strand and use that hand to separate the others, then I pick up the dropped strand, doesn't matter if you get extra hair caught in it.

This is exactly how I finally got the hang of French braiding - dropping the one strand. Also, kept my eyes closed - something I'd read in a braiding book and the best hair styling advice ever, works with so many other stylings.

I haven't had that much trouble with tangling, though, but I took up "specialty braidings" rather late in life and had a whole lot of trouble with them.

One bit of advice I was given that made it worse for me was that of having damp hair. This just made it difficult for me to get the sections apart!

Good luck!

[YamaMaya]

I'm a total fail when it comes to French braiding my own hair. Don't feel too bad. :flower:
Haha, thanks :p, good to know I'm not alone

Thanks to everyone else for all your advice, I might give it another go tonight :D.

[torrilin]

Don't be afraid to screw up. I expect to try a new style 20 or 30 times before I get it down, and sometimes it can take no kidding years. I've had long hair most of my life, and I could braid things by age 4 or so. I couldn't braid my *own* hair until I was 15 or 16. French braids weren't doable for me until I was in my 20s. It takes a lot of practice.

These days I learn new tricks faster than I did as a kid, but 20 or 30 attempts isn't exactly what most of us would call fast...

[mary*rose]

I have the same problem. What makes it easier for me is when I do a side French braid with a part. I also think it looks better. But I do French braid my hair normally for work days - I just have to take my time.

[GoldFrappe]

Took me a month to learn xD