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Mrs. D
March 22nd, 2011, 12:25 PM
Good Morning,
How did you learn how to braid your hair? I always had short hair as a girl and never really learned to braid. I do two little "Swiss Miss" braids the night before I wash, but no others.

Is this something that you need to learn as a child then build on the skill?

Have a great day,
Shannon

krissykins
March 22nd, 2011, 12:31 PM
http://dreamweaverbraiding.com/

Madora
March 22nd, 2011, 12:33 PM
I didn't learn how to braid until age 13 or so.

It's never too late to learn how. I started with 3 shades of yarn, tied at the top in a knot. The knot was then put in the dresser drawer, then the drawer was shut tightly to hold the yarn knot in place. Then I started to experiment.

Actual hair braiding didn't come into play until several years later.

ElusiveMuse
March 22nd, 2011, 12:37 PM
I'm still really bad at braiding, but horses. When I was a young teen I was really involved in horseback riding and learned to braid by caring for my horses' manes and tails.

In2wishin
March 22nd, 2011, 12:37 PM
I always had really short hair as a child so I didn't actually start braiding my hair until High School or college.

I did learn how to braid though: I remember I was in 3rd grade and the really long stocking caps were in style. While waiting to be let into the building one winter morning before school a friend showed me how to braid using the tassle on my cap. It was great because I didn't have to take the cap off to do it :). I never did get to learn the 4 strand square braid :(

Tiina
March 22nd, 2011, 12:38 PM
I never learned to braid my hair before I started growing it long early last year. I didn't find it particularly hard to do french/dutch braids or rope braids. I made it clear to myself what the principle of the braid is by watching youtube videos and then read out the instructions to myself while braiding such as "3 small sections, start at crown, middle to right, add, middle to left, add, middle to right, add, etc...". It can be hard to get used to the way you hold your hands but with some practice it starts to come naturally. Once you've got the basic techniques down, it isn't hard to start making more intricate braids and braided 'dos.

elbow chic
March 22nd, 2011, 12:40 PM
Dreamweaver's site. I am very verbal and do better with written instructions than with videos or pictures.

But I had never braided my hair in my life till I was 28 and now I can french-braid it in about three minutes without having to think about it.

There are still a lot of braids I don't know how to do but it's just a matter of practice.

kyandii
March 22nd, 2011, 12:41 PM
My grandma taught me when I was about 10 because my friends picked on me because I couldn't braid.

dmitri
March 22nd, 2011, 12:41 PM
My memama (what I called my dad's mom) taught me to braid with cord when I was about 6 or 7. As for braiding my own hair (which really is different), I taught myself fairly recently.

eicamawa
March 22nd, 2011, 12:50 PM
I can't remember not being able to braid. I've been doing it since I was small, mostly on my dolls. I've always loved playing with hair, putting it up in different updoes and so on.

ladydiane818
March 22nd, 2011, 12:54 PM
When I was a child, I learned to do a basic French braid from a friend who was older. She taught me how by showing me on my Golden Dream Barbie head! That was before I cut Barbie's hair and dyed it red, LOL!

Animae
March 22nd, 2011, 12:57 PM
I think I learned when I was five or six... I got a how to braid book from Klutz for my birthday, and i was off and running. I used to practice on my Samantha doll.

ElusiveMuse
March 22nd, 2011, 01:00 PM
I think I learned when I was five or six... I got a how to braid book from Klutz for my birthday, and i was off and running. I used to practice on my Samantha doll.

Do you still have your Samantha doll? I just found out she's been discontinued! :(

annieangel149
March 22nd, 2011, 01:01 PM
lol! i havent read the replies to this thread but im betting that a load of peeps like me practiced on their barbie dolls! i personally loved braiding my stash of 'my little pony's'!! ooooohhh i loved them :D

Anlbe
March 22nd, 2011, 01:07 PM
I honestly don't remember learning to braid, it was something I always knew how to do. As I had very short hair as a child I must have practiced on my friends and my doll - I had a rag doll with long wool yarn hair. But I alway knew how to rope braid, english braid and herringbone. Thinking about it I also might have learned from messing about with ropes in boats, we lived on an island so boats were just part of life.

I learned how to french braid, rope twist, herringbone from a klutz book called 'Hair: A Book of Braiding and Styles' which I bought when I was started rowing and decided I needed to know how to french braid.

Carolyn
March 22nd, 2011, 01:07 PM
My mom made me a thing with some lengths of scrap ribbon. It went around a table leg. I sat on the floor and braided, unbraided and rebraided until I learned. Then I braided my doll's hair. But the time I was 4th grade I could braid my hair but my mom always redid it because it was kind of messy. She wouldn't let me go to school with frayed braids. I didn't have braids after 4th grade until I started growing out my hair in high school.

ETA: I used to do a kind of neat little braided headband thing. I took one length of round brown velvet ribbon and braided it together with 2 small sections of my hair. Then I would pin the braid up and over the bangs area and off to the other side.

pinkbunny
March 22nd, 2011, 01:08 PM
I think my mother taught me basic braiding when I was little, and I would practice on my dolls. My own hair didn't get long enough to braid til I was a teenager, but I didn't have much interest in braiding until about 13 or 14 when my hair was getting past shoulder length and I had to learn to put it up while I was competing in horse shows. Somehow I learned French braiding in the process, then figured out Dutch by reversing it...

spidermom
March 22nd, 2011, 01:10 PM
I'm not sure about regular plaiting, but I learned how to french braid and dutch braid at age 25 from a magazine article, practicing on my roommate and anybody else I could get to sit still long enough (including myself).

ooo
March 22nd, 2011, 01:16 PM
by watching lots and lots of youtube videos.

bte
March 22nd, 2011, 01:21 PM
I was in my mid 30s before I had enough hair to braid, and I am entirely self taught by observing others. That was before youtube or the internet.
Probably explains why I'm still not very good at it.

torrilin
March 22nd, 2011, 01:36 PM
Basic English braids I probably learned by age 4. I couldn't do them on myself until I was probably 17 or 18. I figured out French braids on dolls or my sister by 9 or 10, but again, I couldn't do them on myself. Sometime in my mid-twenties, somehow French braiding clicked.

Figuring out how to work behind your head is awfully tricky, particularly if you've got issues with spatial stuff, or if you're trying to work in a mirror and get confused.

Depending on how you learn, You-Tube videos or tutorials with pictures or verbal directions may work better. But it is ok if it takes literally years for you to learn a skill. Some skills are harder than others, and hard skills take time.

luxepiggy
March 22nd, 2011, 01:38 PM
I actually learned on LHC (^(oo)^)

Aud200
March 22nd, 2011, 01:44 PM
I think I learned when I was five or six... I got a how to braid book from Klutz for my birthday, and i was off and running.

I had the same book! But my mom helped teach me, too. Probably before that, but not really sure..

MissManda
March 22nd, 2011, 01:49 PM
No one in my family really bothered to teach me how to braid my hair, so I didn't learn until my friend taught me when I was about 17. :o After that, I learned the more "advanced" braids from Dreamweaver Braiding and YouTube.:bull:

Nevvie
March 22nd, 2011, 01:58 PM
I can't even remember learning to braid. It was when I was very small on toys and dolls. I'm sure my older sisters taught me but I don't remember. Then when I was about 10 or so I started helping with one of my niece's hair (which was about tailbone length and very fun to play with :P) and I think that was the first time I'd really started braiding people's hair. I got really into it and started doing my sisters/friends/neighbors hair. I don't think I ever braided my own hair until I was 11-12 or so though. I always had an older sister, my Mom, Aunts, cousins, friends or some other person around to do it for me.

Even with all the hair I played with as a child/teenager though, I didn't understand how to french braid until recently. I'd try and try but it never came out right. Somehow now that I have no one's hair to play with but my own, I get it. Strange how that works.

Hiriel
March 22nd, 2011, 02:03 PM
I have no memory of learning to braid, or not being able to. I had moderately long hair for long periods when I was little, and I assume my mother taught me to braid when I was quite young, since I can't remember it.

Delila
March 22nd, 2011, 02:06 PM
Karen Ribble's books and dvd (http://www.braidedimage.com/Braided_Image_Hair_Braiding/Instructions.html).

Basically for me, it's mostly about doing the work by touch, not by looking.

pepperminttea
March 22nd, 2011, 02:06 PM
I learnt to braid on the tassels of one of my grandmother's blankets when I was eight or so. I didn't transfer the skill to the back of my head until a couple of years ago though. :)

BrightEyes7
March 22nd, 2011, 02:14 PM
I taught myself but not until I was in highschool... I always pretty much knew how to do regular braids though...

So I think you still have hope. Youtube is your friend.

enfys
March 22nd, 2011, 02:17 PM
I don't remember learning to English braid.

I learnt to French braid on tassels and beaded curtains but only started doing it on my hair about two years ago, very infrequently.

I accidentally did a few rope braids but they can be practiced on string or...I don't know jumper sleeves. Whatever.

Dutch, lace, and fourstrand I've learnt in the past year or so on my head alone, and I understood the principle from photo step by step guides. The fingering I figured out by myself as I think everyone has their own version.

Naphthylamine
March 22nd, 2011, 02:21 PM
I learned how to braid when I was 9, on a summer camp where I was parted from my parents for the first time. My mother used to braid my hair back then. But when I was alone there, I taught myself in front of a mirror. And because I didn't have anyone else (and still don't have) to braid their hair, I still suck at braiding other people's hair; all my English braids on them turn out as Dutch braids :D

Amraann
March 22nd, 2011, 02:24 PM
Good Morning,
How did you learn how to braid your hair? I always had short hair as a girl and never really learned to braid. I do two little "Swiss Miss" braids the night before I wash, but no others.

Is this something that you need to learn as a child then build on the skill?

Have a great day,
Shannon

Without reading other replies .. just answering your question...
My grandmother owned a salon I was literally in there at 2 weeks old.
My mother and my aunt were/are both hairdressers.
So I was raised in a salon. I guess I started playing with my hair when I was about six.
I am sure someone (I think my grams) showed me how to braid. Maybe one of her clients who liked playing with my long hair?
I do not however think that you have to learn as a child.
I think that you can learn now just as easily. Just takes practice!

Malibu Barbie
March 22nd, 2011, 02:28 PM
My grandma showed me on my barbie's. My hair was always short. She thought I should learn how just in case I wanted long hair one day.

slz
March 22nd, 2011, 02:38 PM
Can't remember when, growing up in a long hair family, learning to braid was part of the basics, like learning to comb, pony, generally take care of your hair ...

Slinks
March 22nd, 2011, 03:11 PM
I have always wanted to do french braiding and always wondered "how do they get all that hair in there !! :-) :lol: then about 10 years ago when my daughter was 9 or so I was flipping thru an avon book and they had this braiding gadget-what a peice of s**t that was-I was complaining to my neighbour about it and she taught me, she thought everyone knew how to braid, unfortunately my daughter didn't like me braiding her hair-and I did some fancy dos on her-I only got about 6 months or less out of that experience .. then my hair grew long-ish and I can do my own hair from time to time .. :-)

AndreaPetrea
March 22nd, 2011, 05:22 PM
I remember that my grandmother taught me the basics of braiding when I was very young. I braided a lot of yarn :D But it was not until I was 15 and my friend braided my hair before a concert I had to play that I thought it would be nice to be able to braid my own hair. So she taught me how to do a french braid.

Someone mentioned Dreamweaver Braiding - thank you so much! I couldn't remember the name of that site.

christine1989
March 22nd, 2011, 05:24 PM
I had a book of different types of simple braids (English, French, fishtail....) and being pretty good at following the directions was able to practice on barbies and master each one.

TheMechaGinger
March 22nd, 2011, 05:25 PM
I learned how to braid around the age of five or six because I spent a lot of time at a day care. Me and the other girls would take turns braiding each others hair pretty regularly, it was a lot of fun. My mom always braided my hair toe. Sometimes she'd put it in a braided bun or she'd put it in a bunch of microbraids so I could have waves later.

1nuitblanche
March 22nd, 2011, 05:27 PM
I learned how to braid when I was 4. My mother showed me how on my first "my little pony". And I practised over and over and over again on that little toy's tail.

FlowerTwin
March 22nd, 2011, 05:42 PM
I don't remember how I learned to braid, but I know I could braid when i was about 9-10. Then in my late teens I learned how to do a (an?) english braid on myself by accidentaly seeing a classmate braid her hair. Since joining here last summer I've learnt to do herringbone, rope, french and dutch braids on myself. :) I'd really like to learn to do nice lace braids but that isn't working out for me. Yet.

I think you can still learn to braid as an adult.

Rivanariko
March 22nd, 2011, 07:15 PM
I don't remember learning how to braid, but I was in college before I could braid my own hair. I do remember sitting during story time in 3rd grade with my long-haired friends and braiding each others hair. When I got to college I decided that I needed to learn so that I could keep it neater while riding or teaching. The english braid didn't take too long, but the french braid... probably a good year. I'd get up in the morning, braid my hair, sigh that it looked lumpy and dumb, take it out, pony it and go about my day.

bumblebums
March 22nd, 2011, 07:17 PM
I learned to braid as a little girl playing with other girls. I kind of assumed it was a normal part of a girl's growing up. It wasn't until I started hanging out at LHC that I realized this isn't typical.

lpsqt60
March 22nd, 2011, 07:30 PM
OMG, this is kind of sad but I didn't learn until I was 18 or 19, my mother was totally clueless and my grandmother was the same. I picked up a book with my first couple of checks from my new job it was the Klutz's book of hairstyles and I still have it to this day. When I graduated from that book I went onto the Dreamweaver's site and she is a braiding goddess now though I can say that I am really darn good at braiding and I'm really proud of myself!

littlenvy
March 22nd, 2011, 07:48 PM
*sigh*

:(I'm hopeless at braiding. I can do a simple braid (sometimes) but most of the time they end up being loopsided or something coming out where its not supposed to or the braid is not even no matter how I try to make sure its all equal. :doh:
At almost 40 I fear its too late for me too learn.

Mesmerise
March 22nd, 2011, 07:52 PM
I get a bit confused by the definitions here lol. When I was little I learned to do a plait (which I think you call an English braid???) and when I was in third grade I studied someone who had a French braid, and figured out how to do it all on my own lol...although my first attempts weren't very good! (I used to manage to do a small one on myself though). I still can't get my fingers around a Dutch braid, or anything more complex than a really basic French braid.

I must say, when I was in primary school, I used to try many more hairstyles on myself, and practiced a lot more... Now I only usually do really basic stuff.

RecklessCharlie
March 22nd, 2011, 08:00 PM
For the flailing life of me I cannot remember! I had very long hair at a young age so I think I must have learned quite young. There are a myriad of braids that I haven't learned yet that I want to!

jasper
March 22nd, 2011, 08:03 PM
I learned how to do English 3 strand braids as a kid using yarn. I learned how to do other braids as an adult from a children's book about braiding, and later from online tutorials and videos.

I know "how" to do things like French or Dutch braids and lace braids, but my results arer still very hit or miss. I need more practice. However, practicing seems hard on my hair, so I don't do it often.

My mother wore French braids constantly as a child, but she never learned to do them herself. My grandmother braided her hair. I remember being miffed, when I saw her girlhood pictures, that she couldn't fix my hair like that.

Immera
March 22nd, 2011, 08:07 PM
I learned how to english braid at age 12 on a barbie doll. At 13 I learned how to french braid from a book borrowed from the library.

I learned how to rope braid, dutch braid and a four-strand braid recently from youtube.

Zéphine
March 22nd, 2011, 08:13 PM
My hair is kind of fine, so I could braid doll hair and other people's hair long before I could make a neat braid on myself. English braids mostly took practice, but I think I had to look at a few online tutorials and diagrams to figure out that French braids need diagonal sections, not vertical. I just figured out how to do a crown braid on myself after attempting the Micronesian spiral braid a few times. The spirals kept coming out messy, but they helped me learn how to cross hands when the braid curves around my head.

Animae
March 22nd, 2011, 08:26 PM
Do you still have your Samantha doll? I just found out she's been discontinued! :(

What?!? that stinks!!! I still have it, its all boxed up nicely with all of her clothing and her bed up in my parents attic.

Earelia
March 22nd, 2011, 08:37 PM
My mommy of course. :p

I learned pretty young but I didn't learn to do herringbone braid 'til I was a teenager and I learned to do braid with more than three strands online recently.

danacc
March 22nd, 2011, 09:05 PM
I get a bit confused by the definitions here lol. When I was little I learned to do a plait (which I think you call an English braid???) and when I was in third grade I studied someone who had a French braid, and figured out how to do it all on my own lol...although my first attempts weren't very good! (I used to manage to do a small one on myself though). I still can't get my fingers around a Dutch braid, or anything more complex than a really basic French braid.

I must say, when I was in primary school, I used to try many more hairstyles on myself, and practiced a lot more... Now I only usually do really basic stuff.

I use plait and English braid interchangeably; I think they are the same thing.

I learned English braiding on rope that had come unraveled and was hanging on a tree-branch swing. I was a young child (8-10 maybe?). My mother taught me how. After that, I braided anything for practice--yarn, doll's hair, more rope, my own hair.

I don't remember who told me how to french braid. I learned to do it on myself first. I am impressed that you figured out how to do this on your own!

You can absolutely learn as an adult; it just takes practice.

littlestarface
March 22nd, 2011, 09:34 PM
I learned when I was very young on my barbies and my little ponies I think I was 7,then I would practise on braiding little braids on myself on the front hairs.

Runzel
March 22nd, 2011, 10:15 PM
I learned by watching other people braid things and then getting 3 strands of yarn, tieing it off to a table leg and then braiding them together. When I was about 7 I went through a phase where I'd be content to do that for hours and hours.

I learned to French Braid by watching and visualizing the concept, and then practicing on some very patient volunteers when I was about 12.

One day when I was about 14 I decided to attempt my own hair. It took a mirror, a lot of sore arms and frustrated sighs, but it was just a matter of my brain teaching my muscles the right rythm, once it became muscle memory then it became easy.

I was delighted the day I discovered how Dutch braids worked (I learned them as "inside out French braids") and learning to do them on myself was almost as difficult as learning the French braids on msyelf, but again once learned never forgotten and it becomes easy.

I haven't yet got the hang of rope braids, but I'm confident that as soon as I apply myself to it I will. Thanks to a link I followed from LHC a while back I understand how it works, and I'm pretty sure even without further info I could learn to do them well with enough practice.

"Fishtail" or "Herringbone" braiding is one I haven't yet grasped the concept of let alone attempted, but I plan to someday.

I find it quite enjoyable that braiding is something that can be simple or complex, and you can build on the skills you have already gained from it.

BritishBraider
March 23rd, 2011, 08:44 AM
I've always been able to braid, I vaguely remember my mum teaching me with ribbons (there are a lot of ribbons in my life) when I was small, but I've just always done it....

Vervaine
March 23rd, 2011, 09:33 AM
I think I was 7 or 8, and I remember it being an infuriating exercise in girl scouts. I say infuriating because my troop was all about teaching us girly things like etiquette and fashion, and I was all about wilderness survival and equality. I was a serious tomboy.

I learned how to fishtail braid a week ago from a friend of mine ON another friend of mine (with the most gorgeous, thick, shiny, awe-inspring virgin hair I have ever seen). I look forward to learning more types of braids. :D

telegraph64
March 23rd, 2011, 09:36 AM
My mother taught me as a young child, however I forgot for several years, and only over the past year or so have I learned how to do all the different kinds of braids. I taught myself.

Rennire
March 23rd, 2011, 09:42 AM
When I was still very little my next door neighbour taught me how to do a three strand braid on her My Little Pony tails. When I showed my mom she was very impressed! I learned how to French braid (but wasn't any good at it!) when I was 9 or 10 and how to do a fishtail when I was in high school. All the other braids I learned when I joined the LHC =)

Sunshineliz
March 23rd, 2011, 09:53 AM
:laugh:Actually Grandpa taught me LOL. :D He showed me on my My Little Pony's tail and after that I kept practicing on that and dolls. Grandpa was a bit unusual that way as he also showed me how to knit (he was from a small island off Norway and said ALL the kids there were taught to do those things, at least around the beginning of the 20th century). My big sister taught me French braiding. I figured out how to do it on myself only after I became an adult and had no one to do it for me.

wandlimb
March 23rd, 2011, 10:44 AM
I could never manage braiding when I was a kid. I eventually learnt in a cookery class of all places - we were making bread and plaiting the pieces of dough!

Phexlyn
March 23rd, 2011, 11:28 AM
My mum taught me how to braid (English braid) at a young age, around 6 maybe? I could do braids with more strands, including 4-strand braids at about age 10 on ribbons or yarn.
Learning how to French and Dutch braid my hair only happened when I was around 20. I can do most techniques now, but they often do not turn out as neat and symmetrical as I'd like them, especially with classics - and don't get me started on doing a crown braid on myself, it's slightly short of impossible ;)

Braidy
March 23rd, 2011, 02:41 PM
I actually don't remember when exactly I learned nor do I remember who taught me. I think I just learned by watching my mum doing it. I used to braid the hair of my barbie dolls so I guess that's how I learned. Braiding on myself came only recently. Apart from the pain in my arms, I found French and Dutch braiding rather easy to learn. It all makes perfect sense.

RitaPG
March 23rd, 2011, 04:14 PM
I only started learning after I was 13 or 14, since I used to have short hair as a child. It's definitely not something you need to learn as a child. :)
The regular 3 strand braid I learned to do on my own actually. All others (french, crown, dutch, 4 strand, bunned braids) I learned less than a year ago, from watching youtube videos and tutorials.

selderon
March 23rd, 2011, 04:22 PM
I learned my first braids about the same age as Rita: about 12 or 13. Mom, even though she used to have beautiful long hair, didn't know how. Some friends showed her how. She got us books (I still have the Anne Johnson one) so we could learn new braids.

She still does the basic English braid using both hands and her teeth, and with enough tension to lift a medium dog off the ground. I'm finding my skills are a little rusty, but it's coming back to me.

patienceneeded
March 23rd, 2011, 04:37 PM
I don't know when I learned to basic braid (English) but when I was about 12 I got a book that went through simple braids and techniques. English, French, Dutch, Lace, and how you could use those simple braid techniques to create more elaborate looks. I think I practiced nightly...I was a bit obsessed. ;) It's only recently that I figured out how to braid (french, lace, etc) on someone else's head. I still find it easier to braid/style my own hair, instead of another person's. I'm working on it though...DD4 wants long hair too!

estherbeth
March 23rd, 2011, 05:11 PM
I learned to braid on my dolls when I was five or six, I guess. I got tired of taking them to my mom to braid, so I started paying attention so I could do it myself. :laugh:

PineappleJello
March 23rd, 2011, 05:22 PM
I use to take shoelace licorice and braid it to my cowboy hat (it was a stylish holy looking rocker style, and I was 7).

Anyways, I'd braid it from my hat, then I always use to braid bale twine together. I also would watch my mum braid my sister's equally long hair.

curlychica702
March 23rd, 2011, 07:39 PM
my mom showed me how when i was little...like 4?, im not sure but as long as i can remmeber iv always been able to french braid, cornrow, and regular braid.(^_^).
but im not that good at braiding straight hair!, curly is waaaaaay easyer.

Nae
March 23rd, 2011, 08:10 PM
It is funny but a boy named Ritchie taught me how to braid when we were in 3rd grade. I don't know why I never learned before hand, I guess mom just overlooked that little interesting tidbit. At any rate Ritchie and I were partners for something involving yarn and he started to braid it and I was fascinated. So he showed me how. He told me very proudly, that he learned it in Boy Scouts.

That is probably my clearest memory from third grade. (No big shocker there since I now spend so much of my time on a hair forum lol.)

P.S. Ritchie doesn't remember this, we are still friends to this day. I told him that story and though his wife thought it was adorable Ritchie had no memory of it. And here he had taught me something mind-blowing!

dazeydayze
March 23rd, 2011, 08:25 PM
Learned from my baby-sitter as a girl :)

Her, my sister, and I would have braid trains. They were so patient with teaching me!

raychelnorberg
March 27th, 2011, 06:01 PM
I learned regular braiding on my barbie doll. Then in High school choir class I watched the girl in front of me braid and unbraid her hair all hour. I started copying her movements on my own head and I learned how to french braid.

Arctic_Mama
March 27th, 2011, 06:18 PM
Karen Ribble's books and dvd (http://www.braidedimage.com/Braided_Image_Hair_Braiding/Instructions.html).

Basically for me, it's mostly about doing the work by touch, not by looking.

This! Her book is wonderful! I learned as a child on doll hair and used the Klutz book as well, but I am reteaching myself with Karen's method to be able to do more complicated braids like full lace braids and crown braids on myself. Her instructions are much easier for me to follow than Dreamweaver. Less words, easy slots to remember, all and all a wonderful and inexpensive braiding investment.

Adamia
March 27th, 2011, 06:35 PM
I learned to braid on a doll when I was 4. It was complete accident. I knew you needed three strands. So I grabbed three junks and twisted them into something that might have a cousin of a braid. I remember being able to comfortably braid my own hair by the time I was 7 or 8.

MandyBeth
March 27th, 2011, 07:50 PM
I grew up with horses, so learned young with them. I can braid DH hair easy as he has C hair. My annoying F hair is still a pain to braid neatly.

AnqeIicDemise
March 27th, 2011, 08:48 PM
I was five or six. Mom had my hair in French braid pigtails that I liked tossing all over the place because they were heavy and I thought it was fun to smack my cousin with. O.o; (I was a violent little child, I guess.)

Anyhow, I'd gotten in trouble because I had smacked said cousin in the eye so I was forced to sit on the couch and be a good girl. With nothing to do I sat there, playing with the ends of my hair and it just.. happened. I was super excited and got to tell my mom but wound up getting in trouble for moving out of my spot. XD

I was able to braid my own hair by the time I was seven.

littlemiss
March 27th, 2011, 09:07 PM
I find practice pratice and more practice then one day someone says WoW your braid looks great and you think finally I can do it!! thats what happen with me anyway.

varintalonguard
March 28th, 2011, 12:06 AM
I watched my sister and taught myself since my mom is bad at...girl things. I only started a few years ago...

AnqeIicDemise
March 28th, 2011, 12:32 AM
I watched my sister and taught myself since my mom is bad at...girl things. I only started a few years ago...

This made me giggle. :D I was bad at girl things until recently too.

lilravendark
March 28th, 2011, 01:20 AM
http://dreamweaverbraiding.com/
I learned how to braid from there as well when I was 17 and on school holidays lots of free time hehe My mum doesnt know how to braid she only knew how to plait so I just though its easier for me to learn then I can just do it myself :cheese: Dreamweaver is the best site great instructions

darklion
March 28th, 2011, 02:13 AM
I learned how to braid by braiding my barbie dolls hair. I'd practice on her and then try it on myself. I got really good at multistrand braiding by braiding big fat bread loaves!!! See it's a practical skill!

Lippytoes
March 28th, 2011, 03:04 AM
I learnt to English braid when I was eight or something, by fiddling around with the tassel of a winter hat I used to have. I can't remember when I actually learnt to braid my own hair, but that wasn't till I was over 10 or so.

French braiding, rope braiding and so on are skills I've only learnt during the past couple of years, when growing my hair out again. Youtube videos are amazing for learning braids: in this, at least, I learn best by audiovisual means.

Purdy Bear
March 28th, 2011, 03:12 AM
My darling Grandmother taught me originally to English plait/braid when I was about 7. She lived 400 miles away and I was staying with her over the school holidays. She had long hair for years, but when she got to a certain age decided to chop it. She had her hair in a bunch for years in a drawer, I think my aunt may still have it.

Recently Iv used a set of string bits tide at one end to do a lot of the new ones Id never heard of, and then I got my hair dressers styling head which has 18 inch hair.

Eolan
March 28th, 2011, 03:29 AM
Since childhood I knew how to English braid. All the other variations I have learned within the last two years or so. There was Youtube. And alot of practise. And also sore arm muscles. Wich I still get sometimes. :D

Calanthe
March 28th, 2011, 03:46 AM
Gran taught a lot. And I practised on...horses :D. But to this day I can't do a french braid on my own head.

Tookii
March 28th, 2011, 08:48 AM
My grandmother and I had long hair so she would often braid my hair. One day I asked her if I could braid hers and she taught me while I was *trying* braiding it.

letterstodes
March 28th, 2011, 07:27 PM
I`ve pretty much known how to do English braids since I was little. I`m just now learning to do French, Dutch, and Fishtail braids. Did my first successful French braid today. Thanks youtube!!

joyfulheart18
March 31st, 2011, 10:43 AM
I'm just learning to braid my own hair now. Otherwise, I learned to braid on horses when I was younger. :0

Yasmine91
March 31st, 2011, 03:49 PM
I learnt to braid at the age of 6 or 7, practised on a My Little Pony doll :)

RitaCeleste
March 31st, 2011, 03:56 PM
My Grandfather taught me to braid pinestraw with three peices attatched. I worked my way up to dolls. I never learned to do any other braids. I always wanted to learn to french braid but books have never even helped. I color my hair too much. Someone suggested braids to change things up without the color so I might have to give it another go.

LovingLongHair
March 31st, 2011, 04:07 PM
I originally learned how to brad at around 6 years old. I learned by my grandmother showing me how on my Barbie dolls, LOL! :D But, I eventually got better and now I know how to english braid, and french braid.