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Peanutter
May 10th, 2011, 06:48 PM
The only braid I can do is the standard 3 strand. I've never even learned how to french braid! I understand the concept, but my fingers feel so clumsy and my arms get tired cuz it takes me so long! My hair is only to my collar bones, so I can't do much to it, but I want to start learning so when my hair is long ;) I can do some of the gorgeous intricate hair styles I see on this site.
Any tips for an eager student? Has anyone else started braiding as an adult?

staryfox6
May 10th, 2011, 06:51 PM
I have no advice for you, but I had to comment.
Uber noob= WIN!:D:D

chenille
May 10th, 2011, 07:03 PM
My tip is...keep trying! :D Seriously, I learned a couple of years ago and I did it by trying over and over until I got the hang of it. Your arms will hurt when you are learning, so take a break, watch a couple of YouTube tutorials, and then try again.

Oh, and I guess here's another idea...it's silly but it worked for me. :o When I was learning the French braid, I lay down on my bed, on my back, with my hair hanging over the edge. So I wasn't having to hold my hair "up", see? It was all hanging the way I wanted it to go, more or less, and I tried the braid about three times and that's when I finally got the hang of it.

MissManda
May 10th, 2011, 07:15 PM
You may want to check out these very helpful articles on braiding. :flower:

Ursula's Braid 911 (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=59)
Making Smooth Braids from Dreamweaver Braiding (http://www.dreamweaverbraiding.com/braids/Smoothbraids.htm)

celebriangel
May 10th, 2011, 07:16 PM
Torrin paige does a great video on youtube. It's here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/torrinpaige#p/search/16/YC_unKDz_JA

Er. I hope that's it anyway.

The key, for me, was to learn how to hold all 3 strands of the braid in a single hand, so you can use your other hand for adding the sections. Using my left hand, I will hold the leftmost strand between my pinky and ring finger, the middle one between my middle and ring finger, and the rightmost strand between my middle and index fingers.

Arya
May 10th, 2011, 07:20 PM
bug your friends/siblings/mum to let you try on their hair. Try it on barbies/dollies! braid everything you can find. Worry first about learning the rhythm, as opposed to finger placement or getting it to look nice. Once your french/dutch brainds are correct (you remembered to grab from the correct sides the whole way down) then you can worry about making them look good.

(only worry about the following stuff after you're in the groove of the braiding rhythm!)

Making them look good: aim the strands in the direction you want the braid to go. Otherwise, it'll get bumpy/not hang nicely.

Keep tension even, if you can. Cross the strands up as high as they can go, instead of pulling it tighter after you made the crossing. That makes fuzzies and teased knots.

Try and make the strands you add in about the same size.

don't give up! It takes a little time to learn, but you can do it. ^____^

Peanutter
May 10th, 2011, 07:23 PM
Thanks for the tips ladies! Chenille, thats the kind of silly thing that might help! I gotta check out those links, I keep looking at vids and getting confused at the hands thing

The key, for me, was to learn how to hold all 3 strands of the braid in a single hand, so you can use your other hand for adding the sections. Using my left hand, I will hold the leftmost strand between my pinky and ring finger, the middle one between my middle and ring finger, and the rightmost strand between my middle and index fingers.
I think that makes more sense, the video tute I was looking at had you holding and adding with the same hand. I don't think I'm that coordinated yet!

racrane
May 10th, 2011, 08:01 PM
I actually can't braid well but I keep practicing. One day I'll get it! Sounds silly, but I started on my american girl doll. It helped. :)

summerjade
May 10th, 2011, 08:16 PM
I agree with Arya. I was going to say the same thing she said ( but she said it better) Ha Ha!
Braid everyone's hair that you can get to let you!! Practice, practice, practice!! Practice on dolls. I even practiced on my husband, doing the french braid from the top the the nape. You can do it, just don't give up.

spidermom
May 10th, 2011, 08:18 PM
I found it easier to braid down the side (one-half of twin braids) than down the back, so try that first. Do it while you're watching TV or something - no pressure. You're just practicing.

You know the part where you are adding extra sections to the braid? You can do that in two steps. For instance, cross the right strand over the center strand, just like when you are doing a regular 3-strand braid. Then go to the outer edge of the hair on the right side and bring in a horizontal stripe of new hair toward the braid and cross it over center. Same on the left.

What I mean by "horizontal stripe of new hair" is that you want to work your way down in even sections. To do one-half of a twin braid, for example, you want to go all the way out to the part down the middle of your head on one side to pick up hair and bring it toward the braid, and all the way out to your face or neck on the other side. --->|||<---

Pierre
May 10th, 2011, 08:52 PM
I found it easier to braid down the side (one-half of twin braids) than down the back, so try that first. Do it while you're watching TV or something - no pressure. You're just practicing.
Me too. I wear two braids all the time. Here's how I do it:
Start with two bundles in the left hand, in slots 1 and 2, and one in slot 1 of the right hand, on the left side of the head. Both hands are facing down. (Slot 1 is between the thumb and index.)
Grab the bundle in slot 1 of the left hand with slot 2 of the right hand.
Move the bundle in slot 2L to slot 1L.
Grab the bundle in slot 1R with 2L.
Move the bundle in slot 2R to slot 1R.
If you are not within 5 cm of the bottom of the hair, go back to step 2.

Joribear
May 10th, 2011, 08:54 PM
My best braiding advice for you is to avoid mirrors. If I try to braid my hair while looking in a mirror, I get so confused (given, that's not like it's difficult to do, but still...), my hair almost ends up in knots!

sarahbrownie
May 10th, 2011, 10:13 PM
I didn't know how to braid my hair until I was in high school, then I could only do a dutch braid (when the braid looks inside out). It took a long time, a lot of youtube videos, and just practice to do other types of braids. Just get comfortable with the hand movements, that helps until you get the other theories. Keep concious of your hand movements, sometimes I ended up with crooked braids because I wasn't careful at keeping them straight. Then once I get to my nape I kind of pull the braid upwards as I braid to keep the tightness, sometimes if I didn't do this the braid ended up all crinkly (?) and didn't lay straight. You'll get it!

krissykins
May 10th, 2011, 10:27 PM
Practice, practice, practice. Try misting your hair and see if that helps it look less messy. And keep practicing.

Nastasia
May 10th, 2011, 11:04 PM
I only learned a few months ago. I watched a bunch of youtube videos, and picked a method that worked for me. It can be done!

caiti42
May 11th, 2011, 01:32 AM
I just sat there and did it over and over again until I learned. When the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movie "New York Minute" came out I became obsessed with braid waves! Took me about 3 solid hours to learn and I could only do my own hair and without a mirror. Took a few years before I learned to do braids on other people and using a mirror!

Frustrating but you will get there!

Calanthe
May 11th, 2011, 01:53 AM
Practice, practice, practice and more practice. I could braid for years - on other people's heads and on horses. On my own head I could just do a simple boring braid.

I usually braid my hair while watching tv or listening to some music...something, so my brain is somewhere else. The moment I start picturing or thinking about what I'm doing on my head it goes totally wrong.

By now I can do a french braid, and lace braids. At least 6 times out of 10 which is kind of whoa! for me. Oh, and I need time for that - braids is not a style to try early in the morning when I need to catch my bus or have an appointment.

Besides, I don't wear a braid hanging down my back - my hair is so fine it looks pathetic. I just like the way lace or french braids make the back of my head look less boring.

If I could learn it, you can learn it, too!

Peanutter
May 11th, 2011, 08:06 AM
Thanks again ladies! I am going to try braiding my hair at least once a day for a month. It'll be hard to get discouraged if I know I "have" to do it for a month. Hopefully I'll do it more than once a day, and maybe even a little bit of practice will mean that by the end of the month I can actually make something wearable, which will be all the encouragement I need :) Also, with that many days I can try all the different techniques and see what works.
Yay! I want to start playing now, but I'm at work, and I think braiding might make it hard to answer the phone! lol

Madora
May 11th, 2011, 08:47 AM
Since I'm not supple in the shoulders/upper arms, I Lace French braid while bent at the waist.

I bring all hair in front of me - like a curtain, and detangle it throughly.

Then I take a small section of hair right next to my right ear, and braid it.

Then I take a very small section of hair to the LEFT of the braid I created and add it to the LEFT strand that formed the braid.

Braid the 3 strands together.

Take a section of hair to the LEFT, add it to the LEFT portion of the braid. Braid 3 strands together.

When I get to the back of the LEFT ear, I stand erect and change hands (working behind my head - kinda tricky), then resume with the lace braiding, all around my head until there is no hair left to add in. Any hair left over is simply braided and tied off with a hair elastic.

SPECIAL NOTE: DETANGLE with every braid or "ADD IN" you make. Hair has a tendency to tangle when you're braiding it. Be sure and detangle to prevent this. If your hair becomes tangled, your braiding will fail.

TENSION - Successful braiding of any kind depends on the tension (how tightly/loosely you hold the braid strands) and

THE ANGLE -- The angle you hold the strands will determine the direction of the braid. If you hold it too close to your face..the braid will be nearer the forehead.

If you angle the braid -- UP and BACK SLIGHTLY, it has a tendency to follow the curve of your head.

It took me one month of practicing, practicing and a lot of purple language before I mastered the Lace "French" versions of the English Braid and the Dutch braid.

When you do these braids in the bent at the waist position you also have to be careful that the hair that is brushed forward (that is, the hair at the back of your head when you are bending forward) is SLEEK and SMOOTH. Keep touching this area of hair to be sure that as you braid, the back area remains smooth.

I adored the beautiful crown braid of the Russian lady, Yulia Temchenko (sp?)..but I could only do a "faux" version via the Lace French "Dutch" braid. It really worked out well,all things considered! I was one happy camper. There's a picture of it in my hair album!

baaaad_kitty
May 11th, 2011, 08:57 AM
I only learned how to french braid neatly when I joined this site. My arms burned after trying countless times, but it was worth it! i found that practicing without a mirror was better for me than using a mirror to look at what I was doing behind my head

Sweet Beat
May 11th, 2011, 09:36 AM
I suggest you to start try making french braids :) When you're good at that, it's a lot easier to make others. You can also find good "How to"-videos on youtube about different kind of braids, I've learnt a lot from that!