starting a french braid

[khan]

I can successfully french (& dutch) braid. What I can't seem to do is to get it to begin at the very top of my head. Forehead. The braid beginning always slides to the back of my head. I've tried itty bitty skinny & big bold sections of hair. Neither works. Does anyone have any suggestions ? direct me to an article ? ........................ ?
:confused:

[little_cherry]

Hi!
I always start at the front by brushing my hair back and taking the very front section of my hair (what would be the fringe/bangs). While I'm working on the top of my head, I sort of hold the braid up from my scalp and braid a little tighter then relax as I make my way down.

I hope I explained that correctly!

[saskia_madding]

I have the exact same problem with fish tail braids. It is SOOOO frustrating.

[yellowchariot]

What I do, is start on the very top of my head using very small sections to begin with. Then I hold my hand against my head right at that location, while I'm adding my new sections in, pulling tightly as I go. The braid will automatically descend down on its own and you keep adding more sections in from the sides. This comes in handy when I want the mohawk effect, starting high on top. (Though I wish I had thicker hair :o) So it stands out more.

[Finoriel]

For me the only way to prevent the sliding out / sagging southwards of a French braid is to start out with a very small section of hair and braid the beginning using English style, before adding hair to the strands to make it an actual French braid. I do the same for Dutch braids, though they tend to sag less than French ones for me.
The issue may also partly be hairtype related. Braids in straight slippery hair tend to sag more than in other hairtypes.
And products can also make a difference. While using coney products braids were almost instantly sliding out, switching to coneless and less coating routines helped a lot.

[emmabovary]

As others have said, I just take the very top and centre part (the would-be bangs/fringe). The smaller sections I do the better it stays. Either way I never get any sagging with French braids, but then again I have quite thick and medium/coarse hair.

[spidermom]

Mine slides, too. It's not surprising considering the weight that's riding on it.

[khan]

Thanks All :D I'll add your advice to my LHC folder, which is getting kinda chunky.... And try some of these ideas. I think the braid looks much more polished when it starts at the top/front.

I didn't think about the products. Coney's work well with my hair. But I can give it up. I'll try using a clarifying routine for a while. And thinking about what Finoriel & emmabovary said - maybe I'll try a dry shampoo to give my hair a little less slip/sleek. Thicken it up.


Althought at my age - my hair is the only thing sleek about me anymore! :uhh:

[Ma'am]

Don't know about starting from the very front, but there's a super great tip for the ending of a French braid here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC_unKDz_JA

[khan]

Update: Braided it today. Smaller sections, dirty hair, hand held close to my scalp. It's about an inch back from my forhead. Yahoo! The techniques you all offered WORKED. Thanks again.

[adiapalic]

That TorrinPaige video has an awesome tip!

[gmdiaz]

Don't know about starting from the very front, but there's a super great tip for the ending of a French braid here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC_unKDz_JA


This is such a great tutorial!