English braids: easy; Dutch braids: difficult??

[intothemist1999]

I've been doing English braids since I was little kid. Maybe it's just experience! I wanted to try a Dutch braid and found it REALLY tricky to do! Basically it's the opposite of an EB, right? In an EB the sides come in *over* the middle strand. In a DB they go *under*?

I came across these instructions which make it sound so simple. I think it's just a different perspective: thinking of moving the *middle* strand vs moving the outer strands.

I'll experiment some more later. Now that I finally got it in, I don't want to take it down! :DIt's not really much different from an EB, visually, but by fluke or not, it's alot tighter at the base than my usual EB (which is often too loose and looks sloppy, in spite of my efforts).

[Dez]

yes, it made it easier for me to say oohh they go UNDER now! LOL

[redneckprincess]

I cant do a french braid on myself only a dutch braid and the opposite for braiding someone elses hair

[Jason]

I've been doing English braids since I was little kid. Maybe it's just experience! I wanted to try a Dutch braid and found it REALLY tricky to do! Basically it's the opposite of an EB, right? In an EB the sides come in *over* the middle strand. In a DB they go *under*?

I came across these instructions which make it sound so simple. I think it's just a different perspective: thinking of moving the *middle* strand vs moving the outer strands.

I'll experiment some more later. Now that I finally got it in, I don't want to take it down! :DIt's not really much different from an EB, visually, but by fluke or not, it's alot tighter at the base than my usual EB (which is often too loose and looks sloppy, in spite of my efforts).

I started a thread on this topic a few months ago:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=27504

I didn't know at the time that what I was doing were English versus Dutch braids.

[Thinthondiel]

Basically it's the opposite of an EB, right? In an EB the sides come in *over* the middle strand. In a DB they go *under*?

A Dutch braid is the opposite of a French braid, not an English braid... an English braid is just a regular braid where you don't add anything from the sides, whereas you do with both the Dutch and French braids... at least I think so. :shrug:

ETA: After seeing the thread Jason linked to, I'm not sure anymore... but I've never seen anyone use the term "Dutch braid" about braids where you don't add more hair from the sides (like in a French braid) before.

[rach]

actually find dutch easier. think i can distribute the tension better with it but i don't see the logic on that. maybe i'm just better at working backwards :rolling:

[maxzeen]

a dutch braid is an inside out french braid...or the opposite

[Iylivarae]

I find it easier when I think "out, out, out", than "under...". And with english braids, I think: "in, in" and so on, so for me it works a lot better. I was confused a lot, too, when I started doing dutch braids, as I've only known english/french braids before.

[Peter]

I can only cross the outer strands *under* the middle strand when I'm doing a single braid. If I'm braiding in front of my shoulders then a regular English braid is no problem, but behind my head I can't do it at all. Who knows why? :shrug:

[JamieLeigh]

Same here - I learned to French braid other people's hair in 1st grade, and could do my own by the 2nd grade, yet I never even TRIED a Dutch braid, on myself or anyone else, until last year at age 28. :p The instructions always sounded so daunting. Thinking of it as moving the middle strand outward does help some!

[Little_Bird]

I face the same issue. Whenever I try braiding my hair in a dutch way, it seems so much more dificult than the other way around...

It's just practice I guess. Like you, I always wear my hair in an english braid, so I can do that while I dance even!...

Oh well... practice makes perfect they say :thumbsup:

[intothemist1999]

UPDATE!! :) Ok, I tried the Dutch braid a few more times yesterday and started getting the hang of it. I'm doing these as braided ponytails.

Since it held so well, I decided to try it for work today and once I started thinking "middle stand over to the right, middle stand over to the left..." it was SOO much easier. I can't believe this, but I found it easier to do behind my head than the English braid! Also, I guess because of the positioning, my fingernails didn't keep catching hairs from the wrong strand!

I'm very happy with it, because after a couple hours, so many hairs are loose from an English braid, I have to re-do it. I haven't had to with the Dutch braid! Not sure why that would be.

As for French braids...I always figured what distinguished them from other braids is that you include hairs from the side as you go. I guess a more precise name for the French braids I used to do is "French-English"...and you could also do a "French-Dutch". Now THAT I think I'd have a hard time doing on myself!

[frodolaughs]

I always thought english braids were the kind of braid you do without adding anything (usually with the hair going over into the middle), French braids were done in the same 'over' pattern as english braids, but with hair added in, and dutch braids were done with hair added in but with the hair going under to the middle. I learned to do English braids first, then French and Dutch. For me french braids are easier to do on someone else, and dutch braids are easier to do on myself. Dutch braids always hold more tightly for me, and the hair at the nape comes out much more neatly.

[dolcevita]

I cant do a french braid on myself only a dutch braid and the opposite for braiding someone elses hair

Same here and I've tried SO HARD to do it... but it never works out. I can't switch the way I overlap the hair!

[rusika1]

Do you stand in front of the mirror when you braid? Years ago, when I taught myself how to french braid, I found that I had to turn my back on the mirror and 'use the force' .

When I tried a dutch braid a few weeks ago, I used the same method as before. I lean against the bathroom counter, back to the mirror, and silently coach myself through each step, but I don't look until I'm finished. (Okay, got a good grip on these two strands, move that strand to the other hand, pick that piece up, remember, UNDER, not over, etc.)

Let 'slow and steady' be your motto. Oh, and take turns resting your arms if they get tired, just don't drop the hair in your other hand.

ETA: In an english braid, you alternate crossing the outside strands OVER the center strand. A french braid is an english style braid; you continue adding new pieces of hair to the outside strands, but you are still crossing over the center strand.

In a dutch braid, the outside strands cross UNDER the center strand. Both the 'added in new pieces' style and the good old 'plain braid' style are called dutch braids. (I think.)