How do you do a presentable french braid???

[shawneez]

I have tried and they look terrible. How did you'll learn to do nice looking even french braids? I have a hard time getting the pieces I add from right to left to be the same size and of course my arms feel like they are going to fall off by the time I'm done and it looks like doo doo!

[frodolaughs]

There really isn't a secret to doing a french braid, other than adding to the braid with each crossover. For me it just took patience and practice. Your arms do get tired at first, so when I was teaching myself I'd do a try or two, not expecting any results I'd want anyone else to see, then comb it out, and put it in whatever style I was actually planning to wear. You can also use a freakish practice braid as a sleep braid, because it doesn't matter what you look like in bed, does it? Your arms will get used to braiding over time, and the braids will get tidier. Trust me. I've been there.

[SerenityBlue]

When I was younger I practiced on long haired baby dolls. :)

I can french braid other people's hair beautifully now, lol.

On my own hair, the few times it was long enough to french braid I found using a mirror on the wall facing another mirror helped me to get the strands even when I picked up from each side.

[Paniscus]

Will be watching this thread for more tips. I would love to be able to do this, but mine always end up all wonky as well.

[dayonea]

Yep mine are wonky as well LOL. I am a nanny and they little girl I care for has BSL hair. She is only 5 so it seems a strange way to describe her length? Anyway I practise on her hair while she is watch cartoons and I am getting better with her hair, her parents love it to:D so eventually I think I will be able to do myown......I hope lol

[trillcat]

Practice practice practice!
For years mine never came out quite right. Always going wonky or looking like someone had at my head with an egg beater.
It got better, muscle memory has been built up, my hands just know what to do now without me having to think about it.
When I was first learning, I fould it easier to NOT look in a mirror, that just completly confused my brain and left and right, up and down lost all meaning.
The first step, dividing up the hair at the top can still be tricky for me, my hair seems to just want to seperate into two nice chunky bits, and one really skinny one. :rolleyes: But after some cussing and re-doing, it all works itself out.
For the tired arms, I usually braid my hair at my desk, so I can just lean forward while still hanging onto the hair and rest my arms on the desk. It looks funny, but hey, who cares? The couch works well too, except you lean back to rest the arms on the back of the couch.

[yellowchariot]

A lot of the members here have done great tutorials, including myself! I done a youtube vid not too long ago.

I recommend watching them all, and then finding your own method! :thumbsup:

[frodolaughs]

One thing I just thought of--for years I found it easier to do a french braid on other people's hair, but a dutch braid on my own. I think when you switch from working on someone else's head to the back of your own the muscle motions are more similar that way. I've never been able to braid while watching in a mirror. The image-reversal is just more than I can handle. Sometimes when I'm learning a new bun I'll do it along with a youtube video. It's as if seeing somebody else's hands doing the movements helps mine figure out what to do. Maybe that would help?

[trillcat]

A lot of the members here have done great tutorials, including myself! I done a youtube vid not too long ago.

I recommend watching them all, and then finding your own method! :thumbsup:
Torrin Paige also has some great tutorials, Though my arms hurt just watching some of them. :D
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=torrinpaige#g/u

[frizzinator]

It takes a lot of practice. Don't worry about what it looks like, because you will get better with more practice.

I learned how thirty years ago, and I think it worked out better when I did not try to look at it in a mirror when making it.

[atlantaz3]

When I first starting doing french braid I tried tiny bits of hair. When you are learning take big chunks! I started using the same amount of hair that I would used for a half up (more like a quarter up) with a barrette and was able to manage a little better. As I got better with braiding smaller bits work now. For me a fast french braid is only five or six bumps and then a longer pony from the neck down. Practicing on someone else doesn't work for me, because my fingers don't transfer to behind my head. Double mirrors would just confuse me!
PS try closing your eyes and just concentrate on what your fingers are doing.

[yellowchariot]

Torrin Paige also has some great tutorials, Though my arms hurt just watching some of them. :D
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=torrinpaige#g/u

Torrin Paige has such excellent videos! Very few people explain the instructions so well as she does. Pretty much everybody that subscribes to her, or are on her friends list at youtube, you can learn a lot from! I give credit to her, and the rest of the members here and on youtube that helped me out :thumbsup:! Here are some of mine, I hope this helps you all out: http://www.youtube.com/user/YellowChariot99


It takes a lot of practice. Don't worry about what it looks like, because you will get better with more practice.

I learned how thirty years ago, and I think it worked out better when I did not try to look at it in a mirror when making it.

I agree with frizzinator, try not to look in a mirror. Get the "feel" down first. Once your are comfortable with your hand and finger combination, then use a tri-fold mirror to measure your sections, that's what I do. Works for me.


One thing I just thought of--for years I found it easier to do a french braid on other people's hair, but a dutch braid on my own. I think when you switch from working on someone else's head to the back of your own the muscle motions are more similar that way. I've never been able to braid while watching in a mirror. The image-reversal is just more than I can handle. Sometimes when I'm learning a new bun I'll do it along with a youtube video. It's as if seeing somebody else's hands doing the movements helps mine figure out what to do. Maybe that would help?

I do find it difficult to re-calibrate myself from doing a braid on someone verses going back and doing one on myself. It's like one of those brain games :D. However I can make them look better on other people because I cross the middle strand over, and then add hair to that part, then cross another strand over, to "lock" it into position. That particular technique, smooths out the braid on top ,and makes it look as if it is being poured into the head, rather than being "raked" across with so many hair sticking up.

[SolSara]

I'm in french braiding training too. :p Two things that have helped me is:

- When starting, NOT parting the hair like for a half up. I have a close-to-the-middle-part and that just looks weird. Instead I only take the very top hair and then add pieces from the front during the first three turns or so.

- Add the extra hair on BOTH sides before the braiding. I think torrinpaige does it that way. Like this: add hair to the left strand, add hair to the right strand, cross the right strand over middle, cross the left strand over the middle and then from the beginning again. This should be of great help for your problem with uneveness. :)