How to pin a tucked french braid?

[Heavenly Locks]

I'm thinking a tucked french braid will be a good choice for a gym hairstyle. However, I've never worn one before and I'm not sure how (or which type to use) to pin the bottom so that it stays tucked.

Help? :flower:

Oh and I have bobby pins, u pins, amish pins and some good days hair pins.

[GoddesJourney]

I struggled with this one for months and gave up. Finally, I bought a flexi 8 just to try it out and found out I couldn't do anything with it... except use it to pin my tucked French braid!

[Masara]

I use a flexi 8 too.
I used to use a scrunchie before I found flexi-8's

[Elbereth]

I use Amish pins. I first tie the braid off with a small elastic, then tuck it in. I insert my amish pins so that the opening points to the floor (that way, gravity works for me and the pins won't slide out) and the pins cross. All the better, if I manage to catch the elastic with a pin. The important thing is that I never insert the pins so that the opening points up. That looks nice, but the pins won't stay. You can insert a supporting pin "upside down" securely only if you manage to anchor it to crossed pins.
It's a trick, but once you manage it, you will love the style. It was my favorite when my hair was around BSL length.

[FrannyG]

I have success with just plain old bobby pins. I use two, and I like to make sure that I catch a bit of the coated elastic with at least one of the bobby pins. It works for me. Best of luck with it. :)

[Ramona_Fosca]

I can use almost anything (stick, fork, bobby or amish pins) as long as I make sure to catch the elastic with it.

If I aim for extra secure I use Scroos, they will hold even when pointing upwards.

Good luck!

[akka naeda]

I used to wear my hair like this years ago, and used ordinary hairpins. Bobby pins wouldn't have held my hair and we don't have other types of pins available in the UK. They held well enough that I could do games lessons without having to repin my hair.

ETA - I mean I'd do my hair first thing, go to school and have a day of lessons including games (hockey, tennis, cross-country running, trampolining) go home and only have to unpin my hair when I went to bed. It didn't need redoing at any point during the day.

[Madame J]

I've used bobby pins in the past with good results, but I've also had more success with a Flexi, and even a hairstick (if you tie off the braid, roll it under, and stick the stick through the braid above the tie, it holds). Are you jogging or doing a vigorously bouncy exercise? If so, go for something more stable, like a Flexi -- I can get through 4 miles of running with a braid flipped up and held with a Flexi, if I secure it properly. If you're doing something less bouncy, like weight training, or even spinning, you could probably get away with a plain old stick bun. I've been wearing stick buns to bellydancing the last couple of weeks and doing fine.

My hair's still pretty short though, so I can still get away with just leaving my braid loose in a French braid when I run.

[celelu]

Is it possible to tuck a french braid when the hair is TBL? My braid is pretty thin, and itself is waist lenght.

[Katrina]

I'm curious about it too (TB length). I have never tried this style and would like to give it a try some day.

[yellowchariot]

I'm thinking a tucked french braid will be a good choice for a gym hairstyle. However, I've never worn one before and I'm not sure how (or which type to use) to pin the bottom so that it stays tucked.

Help? :flower:

Oh and I have bobby pins, u pins, amish pins and some good days hair pins.

I used to try this out when playing my guitar, because my strap would pull on my braid across my neck. So one day I decided to try and tuck it up. I don't know how everyone else does it, but the only way I could figure out how to even tuck it was to use my finger and "drill" up under at the base of my neck and make a "tunnel" underneath the braid. (I braid tightly so perhaps it should have been braided looser at the base of the neck :confused: ) Then I took the very end of the tail and fed it up through first. After that, I used a ponytail holder to band the bottom part of the braid "looped" that was left exposed. This worked out ok, but I didn't do any serious head banging while playing my guitar :D!

I don't own bobby pins or else I'd give it a shot LOL :laugh:

[KatKeRo]

I'm past tailbone and I don't have a problem to do the french tuck.

I secure my french tuck with an elastic.

[windinherhair]

This is one of the first updo's I ever learned and I think it it can look so pretty! I roll my braid up around my hand, and then I try to loosen the hair under my braid just enough to tuck the rolled up braid into the part underneath. First I stick a large bobby pin underneath my braid starting at the nape of the neck and going upwards (vertical). That secures the braid from falling back out. Then I stick a few pins on side of my head (horizontal) through the braid. It has always stayed secure for me.

[enfys]

I've never been able to do this without getting very irritaring bagginess at the nape. I can do a regular French braid now, but I can't tuck it in nicely. When I tuck it in baggily I can use a stick or Ficcare to hold it easily.

[GoddesJourney]

I used to try this out when playing my guitar, because my strap would pull on my braid across my neck. So one day I decided to try and tuck it up. I don't know how everyone else does it, but the only way I could figure out how to even tuck it was to use my finger and "drill" up under at the base of my neck and make a "tunnel" underneath the braid. (I braid tightly so perhaps it should have been braided looser at the base of the neck :confused: ) Then I took the very end of the tail and fed it up through first. After that, I used a ponytail holder to band the bottom part of the braid "looped" that was left exposed. This worked out ok, but I didn't do any serious head banging while playing my guitar :D!

I don't own bobby pins or else I'd give it a shot LOL :laugh:

There's a trick to making this work. You don't want to separate the hair too much because it defeats the purpose.

So you know what I'm talking about, when I do my French braids, I just make a stripe of hair by parting it in a line with the edge of my thumb (I have no fingernails) straight back. I stop gathering just before I get to the braid so that there's about a two inch stripe going down the back of my head (directly underneath the French braid) that is not *directly* attached to my scalp. Anyway, this leaves a little pocked under my braid where the rest of it fit snuggly and perfectly. It also makes it look a little neater and more comfortable even for a regular French braid because it doesn't pull along the braid.

So you can start feeding your braid through with your fingers but try not to separate the hair at the nape too much. Use the flat end of a pen or something to push it up into the braid pocket. It's easier if you can hook it on to the elastic.

I've never found bobby pins to work on my hair without damaging it. Good days hair pins fall out. My hair is very thick and heavy. The flexi 8 was the only thing that held it for me. I shook my head around like crazy to see if it would survive a run and it didn't budge an inch. I will hurt my neck before it comes out (which is amazingly easy to to with my hair all tucked, since I'm used to compensating for the weight and drag). The point is, this should be easy for you at your length and should stay rather securely.

On a side note, I start my French braid right at the point of my head where it starts to angle down. My hair is way too bulky and my head apparently too pointy to start it at the front like I've seen on other people. I get serious "braidhawk"...:D

[Little_Bird]

I did this style about three times, it does hold very well. For exercising I don't know, you'd have to try it out.

I use 6 hair pins to hold it, 3 on each side. I don't put an elastic where the braid folds or anything, just in the end to tie it off. I tuck it under using only my fingers, you have to be carefull tough.

Hope I helped! :flower:

[Heidi_234]

Subscribing, as I can't seem to get it right. :)

[DanielleRenae]

Pictures, anybody (of pinning techniques and TB-length tucks)? I'm a visual learner.

[Olde Soul]

<-- Also TB and want to learn.

[KarenLynn]

I'm not sure if I've tried this style on 37" of hair, but I can definitely do it at up to 34". I fold my braid under twice and secure it with either a flexi-8 or hair scroos.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v438/KarenLynn/March&#37;202009/IMG_7136.jpg

[DanielleRenae]

I'm not sure if I've tried this style on 37" of hair, but I can definitely do it at up to 34". I fold my braid under twice and secure it with either a flexi-8 or hair scroos.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v438/KarenLynn/March%202009/IMG_7136.jpg

Oooooooh... :applause

[yellowchariot]

I'm not sure if I've tried this style on 37" of hair, but I can definitely do it at up to 34". I fold my braid under twice and secure it with either a flexi-8 or hair scroos.



KarenLynn, that is awesome! Nice smooth shiny hair! :thumbsup:

[MissManda]

I also use a Flexi-8. My MIL gave me a U-shaped pin for that style, but i accidentally left it at her house during Thanksgiving, so I never got the chance to try it. I think it's too small, actually (about 3 inches long), but I don't know.