4-strand french braid?

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Is there such a thing?

I just learnt to do 4 strand and i can only wear braids as french. (i don't have enough length to ponytail and then braid)

[Gothic Lolita]

It's possible to braid French-style with an even number of strands. The French rope braid would be an example. However, I think it's very difficult to hold 4 strands and then seperate more hair from my head.

Here is a video from a nice German lady with wonderful hair. She makes extremly good tutorials and even though she speaks German I'm sure you'll like it. I found it very helpful when I tried to find more braiding techniques. She braids with 5 strands in this video, but it should work the same with 4 :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi29171aQXI&feature=related

[Dreams_in_Pink]

oh my god! that looks fantastic!! Thank you for giving that link, exactly what i was looking for!

[Finoriel]

I´m sorry, that´s not exactly right. It is not possible to do even numbered french or dutch braids or hmm well it´s possible but it looks very weird.
They need to have an uneven number of strands 3, 5 or 7 to really look like a french or dutch braid.
Plain logic :wink: if you have 4 strands, one side of the braid will end up looking dutch and on the other side the strands will be added like for a french braid. The problem is the braiding pattern, it´s a woven one and you need an uneven number of strands to add the hair in the same way from both sides.
I have a pic from last summer where I did it out of silliness :wacko: looks pretty weird.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=60818&albumid=2818&dl=1264085014&thumb=1 (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=2818&pictureid=60818) (clickable)

[Dreams_in_Pink]

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=60818&albumid=2818&dl=1264085014&thumb=1 (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=2818&pictureid=60818) (clickable)
looks good, just not symmetric ;) I see what you mean, the woman in youtube video was doing 5 strand braid (and regular french braid has 3 strands)

[Finoriel]

:laugh: Thanks, but not symmetric braids = :nono: for me. Disturbed patterns are hmm :p disturbing.

[FrannyG]

Yes, you absolutely can do a 4 strand French braid. If you look at the third set of photos down on this page (http://www.frannyslonghairstyles.com/braids.htm), you'll see my French 4-strand box braid in action. There are other patterns of 4-strand braids, but the box braid looks the coolest, as it is not flat. Flat 4 strand braids tend to twist and indeed look asymmetrical. :)

[Gothic Lolita]

I probably should have clarified that I meant the box braid with 4 strands. Finoriel is exactly right about flat braids. They are possbile but look asymmetrical. I think the boxbraid looks really cool when done French-style. But honestly can't Frenchbraid on myself, I#m proud when I get a decent boxbraid done.

[FrannyG]

I started by learning how to do a half-up box braid. That took me about a week to learn. Then I learned how to do a box braid on the entire length. That also took me about a week to perfect. Only then was I able to figure out how to do a French 4-strand braid.

When I joined LHC, I couldn't even do a simple 3 strand French braid. All I can say is practise, practise, practise. Once you get frustrated, stop trying for that day. Try again the next day.

Eventually your muscle-memory will kick in and you'll get it. I know you can do it! :cheese:

[Dreams_in_Pink]

what's the difference between flat 4-strand and box 4-strand? when i do it i always end up with flat one.

[FrannyG]

If you go to the link I've provided in post#7 above, you'll see that I've provided some written instructions for the box braid. Don't try to do a french braid that way to start, just do a single braid. It's super-easy once you get the hang of it.

[Gothic Lolita]

The way you cross the single strands is a different one. The box braid, in my opnion, is a bit trickier to braid, but looks extremly cool and complicated. The flat one is probably wasier, especially when you opt for French and doesn't require eas much length on me. I've iii hair and it took me forever to do a box braid because all the thickness ate up the length. Now I'm a tailbone and still can't do many of the cool-looking buns and braids.

[little_cherry]

Here's a 4 strand French I did several months ago...
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=5176&pictureid=68753

I just followed the directions for a 4 stranded flat braid and added sections from the side..

[Capybara]

I've tried this (both the flat and box versions), but am only able to do them on other people. Any attempts on my own head end up ... err, unsatisfactory :lol:

I definitely prefer the box, as a French braid. If you like the look of the flat braids, though, the five-strand French really isn't that difficult :)

Loepsie has an excellent video on how to do it on yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz7FlauLlDE

[MissManda]

This thread has very interesting timing because I just learned the fourstrand box braid the other day and I am wearing a French box braid today. :D

I was browsing the LHC Archives a while back when I cam across CryssieWillow's Guide to Medieval Braiding (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=57997). I am capable of doing the 4-strand braid she demonstrates as a French or Dutch braid. Does it make me a hair geek for making French/Dutch variations of these braids? This braiding technique (very similar to fishtail braiding except the strands are fixed) gives interesting results without things looking wonky like the two kinds of flat four-strand braids I've seen. I don't have pictures and I have prohibited myself from using my cell phone to take pictures this month until DBF and I can get our phone issues solved.

I haven't tried the six-strand version yet because I'm trying to perfect the four-strander first.

ETA: Just tried the Medieval four-strand braid as a dutch style again. Apparently, it is wonkier than I remembered it to be so nevermind.

[-j-]

OMG!!

Unbelievable french braids! I didn´t know that was possible to make by yourself, just two hands!

[Heidi_234]

This thread has very interesting timing because I just learned the fourstrand box braid the other day and I am wearing a French box braid today. :D

I was browsing the LHC Archives a while back when I cam across CryssieWillow's Guide to Medieval Braiding (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=57997). I am capable of doing the 4-strand braid she demonstrates as a French or Dutch braid. Does it make me a hair geek for making French/Dutch variations of these braids? This braiding technique (very similar to fishtail braiding except the strands are fixed) gives interesting results without things looking wonky like the two kinds of flat four-strand braids I've seen. I don't have pictures and I have prohibited myself from using my cell phone to take pictures this month until DBF and I can get our phone issues solved.

I haven't tried the six-strand version yet because I'm trying to perfect the four-strander first.

ETA: Just tried the Medieval four-strand braid as a dutch style again. Apparently, it is wonkier than I remembered it to be so nevermind.

I can't follow the instructions (I'm a visual learner), but the result looks suspiciously like a fishbone braid done on large section. If that's the case, I'll jokingly call it 'cheating' :) A fishbone braid can be done on any amount of strand.

That said, I'm pretty sure I saw here on LHC 'french 4-strand flat braid' here on LHC. I clearly remember being surprised because like Finoriel I thought it was impossible to do due to the even number of strands. Hmm....

[Sagi1982]

A flat 4strand wouldn't work - a round one (box braid) will do well! Trust me, I've tried both :eyebrows:!