Question about milkmaid braids with my length hair

[LauraLongLocks]

My braids go all the way over my head and end right where the braid on the other side begins. There is no place to hide the ends of the braids. I tried folding back the tassles and pinning them under the opposite braids, but it didn't quite work. If my hair was longer, I could criss cross them in back and hide the tassles. If it was shorter, I could tuck them under. What have others done at this length? Maybe I need to start the braids farther to the back of my head instead of just behind my ears? Please help!

ETA: I discovered that starting the braids at the back of my head works very well. The braid tassels have somewhere to hide now!

[~Abi~]

Now I really miss having my hair long enough to pin my braids on my head milk-maid style! Starting the braids farther on the back of your head is one option, but I preferred to cross the braids before bringing them on top of my head (making a complete wreath of braid). I did that because I hated how the base of the braids would bulge out if I just flipped the braids up on my head. I hope you get what I'm saying as I can picture what I'm trying to say well enough in my head, but I feel like it's not coming out very clearly. If you need me to clarify, I'll get a couple of pictures of the back of my sister's head for you tomorrow. ;)

[LauraLongLocks]

Hmm, that's an idea I hadn't considered. I'll give it a try and see if the braids are still long enough to cross in front after crossing in back.

ETA: Nope, not long enough to cross in front after crossing in back.

[Bagginslover]

What about braiding just one side, flip it over, and incorporate the ends into the other braid? You;ll still be left with one braid's worth of ends to deal with, but maybe you could try weaving them into the start of the first braid too, so it looks almost endless....

[bunzfan]

Hmm, that's an idea I hadn't considered. I'll give it a try and see if the braids are still long enough to cross in front after crossing in back.

ETA: Nope, not long enough to cross in front after crossing in back.

Mine aren't either and i'm hip length..i figure i will need at least TBL for that.

[neko_kawaii]

Take a finger and make a pocket in the hair next to your scalp and tuck the ends in and pin.

[torrilin]

I'd do what Neko says, and also check how you're starting your braids.

There are two major ways to part your hair for braiding. You can do 3 roughly equal chunks, where the parts aren't all that systematic. Or you can do a T shaped part. Section off the "top" section like you're doing a half up. Then split the bottom section into two chunks. It may take a bit of fidgeting and practice to learn how to make the half up section the right size for a plain braid on your head. I have always tended to do very small half ups, so the bottom section would have really huge hunks of hair... perfect for french or dutch braiding, not so great for plain braids.

The T style part will tend to seat twin braids so they're nicely centered on the nape of your neck, and they'll tend to hang down your back. So if you're used to hiding tassels under braids, that should give you a few more inches to nail down Neko's pocket technique :D.

[ooglipoo]

Neko's suggestion, along with the use of spin pins is how I work it. I'm at the same approximate length, based on your description of how the milk-maids lay.

[LauraLongLocks]

What about braiding just one side, flip it over, and incorporate the ends into the other braid? You;ll still be left with one braid's worth of ends to deal with, but maybe you could try weaving them into the start of the first braid too, so it looks almost endless.... I like this idea. I'll give it a try and report back.


Mine aren't either and i'm hip length..i figure i will need at least TBL for that. Yes, it's several inches away for me.


Take a finger and make a pocket in the hair next to your scalp and tuck the ends in and pin. That's what I tried to do, but it wasn't as neat and pretty as I wanted it. My pocket ended up bulging funny above my ear, and well, it was fine for a workout at the gym, but I was glad I didn't have any other place I had to go.


I'd do what Neko says, and also check how you're starting your braids.

There are two major ways to part your hair for braiding. You can do 3 roughly equal chunks, where the parts aren't all that systematic. Or you can do a T shaped part. Section off the "top" section like you're doing a half up. Then split the bottom section into two chunks. It may take a bit of fidgeting and practice to learn how to make the half up section the right size for a plain braid on your head. I have always tended to do very small half ups, so the bottom section would have really huge hunks of hair... perfect for french or dutch braiding, not so great for plain braids.

The T style part will tend to seat twin braids so they're nicely centered on the nape of your neck, and they'll tend to hang down your back. So if you're used to hiding tassels under braids, that should give you a few more inches to nail down Neko's pocket technique :D.I'll try doing the T-version. I usually do the three equal chunks.

Lots to try here. I'll report back after I give it a go. Thanks for the help!

[LauraLongLocks]

Okay, tried putting one braid over the top and the other braid around the back. This eliminated one tough spot, because the one around back fit neatly into the braid that went around the top. The one around the top didn't make it all the way to fit under the braid going around the back, however. So, I hid the mess of bobby pins with some flowers. Next, I'll try starting the braids farther towards the back, with the T-start.

[hypersensitive]

How tight are you braiding? You could braid a little looser so that you get some more length.

You could also try an paranda a bit to give yourself a bit of an extension.

Try pinning the braids farther from the hairline so the braid does not wrap around the outer perimeter of your head.

Finally, wait a few months for your hair to grow and you won't have this problem!

[LauraLongLocks]

How tight are you braiding? You could braid a little looser so that you get some more length.

You could also try an paranda a bit to give yourself a bit of an extension.

Try pinning the braids farther from the hairline so the braid does not wrap around the outer perimeter of your head.

Finally, wait a few months for your hair to grow and you won't have this problem!

All great ideas, especially that last one, ;).

I'll give it a try and report back.

[torrilin]

Okay, tried putting one braid over the top and the other braid around the back. This eliminated one tough spot, because the one around back fit neatly into the braid that went around the top. The one around the top didn't make it all the way to fit under the braid going around the back, however. So, I hid the mess of bobby pins with some flowers. Next, I'll try starting the braids farther towards the back, with the T-start.

Hiding the messy bits with decoration is *always* a valid life choice.

[LauraLongLocks]

So, today I did milkmaid braids again, and I started them towards the back of my head rather than just under my ear. Amazing! My braid tassels had somewhere to hide this time! Yay! So, the easy solution for now is to start them at the back of my head, not just behind my ears.

[LauraLongLocks]

Here's a picture.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/milkmaidbraidstartingatbackofhead.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/milkmaidbraidstartingatbackofhead.jpg.html)

That little bald spot next to my part is from an injury as a child. Just some scar tissue where no hair grows, and it sometimes peeks out when I part my hair in the center.

[Janette17]

Wow it looks gorgeous!!