Tips for an even braid?

[frogette]

My english braids always look quite messy. First I can't seem to be able to part my hair in three even sections (there's always one strand that's a bit thinner than the two others). And then there's this poofy hair at the base of the braid, no matter how tightly I try to braid it... Plus, there are hair tips poking out (this problem is getting better as my layers are growing out); and the pattern looks uneven...

I thought I would improve with practice, but I've been trying in and out for months and I can't see any progress. Any suggestions?

[Capybara]

I am in no way a braid expert, but some friendly advice...

If you use oil, I'd suggest oiling the length before braiding - this will help with the pouffiness. Also, smooth down each section of hair before making the next plait. It takes longer to braid this way, but the results are worth it :)

I have the same problem with getting even sections of have :D Oftentimes, I have to re-section the hair and start over. You could also "donate" hair from one section to the next, if needed.

HTH !! Good luck !

[spidermom]

I've heard that messy braids are all the rage this season, so don't worry about yours. You're in style!

[Ash]

I only ever braid my hair wet. Otherwise I have ends poking out everywhere and the hair is too slippery to stay in a braid anyway when dry. I can usually get the top of my braid to look even but halfway down I usually end up with one part that is thinner than the rest. What I do then is to take a small piece from the underside of another section and add it to the thin piece. Sometimes I have to do that multiple times during the braid. Also, I comb the pieces periodically to help keep them smooth. I also braid my hair down as far as possible, the unbraided section is less than an inch usually. This is just a matter of personal preference though.

[HildeMV]

Using cones in my conditioner usually make my braids more even. And oiling the lenght makes the hair smoother. If the strands are of an uneven length, I "donate" between them so that no big chunks are sticking out. Braids are one of my favorite ways to wear my hair.

[Heidi_234]

Have you seen/tried this?
http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=23652

[Loreley]

Same problem here... I have tons of hairs sticking out of my braid and the end of it is soooo thin (compared to the upper part). I'm planning to cut almost all the growth next year to thicken the ends and let shorter hairs catch up. I think that would help a lot.

[dancingbarefoot]

I'd say relax and don't worry about it. Seems like every time I think my braid is not particularly well done, that's the day I get lots of comments from strangers on how nice it is. ;)

[Meni]

You can prevent the poofy part at the base by crossing the last left strand of hair to the most right braid part, and the last right strand to the left braid. Got that tip in one of Torrin Paige's videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/torrinpaige#p/u/22/YC_unKDz_JA

[chopandchange]

To prevent the poofiness, you could also try this (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=42674) method (but if you struggle getting your strands even, you might not want an extra strand to worry about).

[WaitingSoLong]

Wow, awesome advice/links. I have been struggling with this, too! Thanks to the OP!

[joiekimochi]

I split my hair into 3 sections by making a ponytail then sticking two fingers into the base of the ponytail. It's pretty easy to feel the thickness of each section between your fingers, at least for me.

[yellowchariot]

I split my hair into 3 sections by making a ponytail then sticking two fingers into the base of the ponytail. It's pretty easy to feel the thickness of each section between your fingers, at least for me.

^ This is exactly what I do. When I skim my top ponytail, I hold it with with hand, fanned out, then I make a "peace sign" with my 2 fingers though the hair. It evens out the hair very well, because sometimes your side sections tend to be thicker than your middle section, and the angle of your fingers tends to even it out better.

Hope this helps! :thumbsup:

[Norai]

If you have shorter layers closer to your face, it helps to make those two sections bigger than the one in the middle - because as you braid down, they start getting thinner and thinner and towards the bottom it can get uneven. I don't know if you have layers though, hth!

[blue_nant]

My english braids always look quite messy. First I can't seem to be able to part my hair in three even sections (there's always one strand that's a bit thinner than the two others).

I have more hair on one side than the other, so I compensate by adjusting where the divisions go; I'm talking a single English braid; maybe you're not? On my scalp, I "draw" a much wider swath on the right side of my skull than on my left side, where most of the hair lives.


And then there's this poofy hair at the base of the braid, no matter how tightly I try to braid it...

Practice. It's *hard* to keep it perfectly snug when I change from hands behind the head braiding to over the shoulder braiding. It gets better.


Plus, there are hair tips poking out (this problem is getting better as my layers are growing out); and the pattern looks uneven...

Other folks answered this better than I can. My fine hair starts slipping out in an hour, but I never thought too much about it :-)

The pattern? I totally have to "cheat" by stealing small chunks of hair from strand of the braid to another (closest) strand. Dunno if that makes sense, but you do have to sense the thinness in one strand kinda early; also, adjustments of tension can help. I often look down and BAM, a bump. (and I'm all "what-the?" lol) Sometimes I backtrack and re-braid, and sometimes that's all that's needed. -- Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I "cheat" up to 4x on the same braid. *shrug* ya duz whatcha gotta


I thought I would improve with practice, but I've been trying in and out for months and I can't see any progress. Any suggestions?

This one, well. I've been braiding my single and stacked braids for ... too many years to count, well more than 20, but I agree that smoothing out each fold-over all the way down is beneficial

[MsBubbles]

Have you seen/tried this?
http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=23652

I just had a lightbulb come on in my poor, braid-challenged brain. Thank you for posting that link! But yeah, major braid envy too :p