Doing a twist/rope braid on yourself???

[Kat]

How on earth would one do this??

I just tried (I washed my hair today and I don't want to braid as usual because I don't want it wavy for tomorrow, but I can't sleep very well with my hair in a bun and of course can't leave it down, so I thought maybe one of these would put in less in the way of waves).

So I have to take these two halves and twist them...holding the twist in one while I twist the other but without them getting tangled up... then I have to try to twist them AROUND each other the other way, behind my head, figuring out which way that is backwards without being able to see it, and all that while keeping tension on and not letting the previous twist out of the two parts, and...

Yeah. I can't do that. Mind you, I'm a spinner, so I'm well aware of how this technique works... no doubt I could do it on someone else all day long...but on myself? No. No way. But I know some of you have done it! How???

[SoulOfTheSea]

move ur hair over to one shoulder and do it, trying to do it from behind is so hard lol, and i rope braid everyday

[QueenJoey]

Hmm, I honestly didn't know this was hard for some people to do on themselves. Well, I'm right handed, so if you're not, do this in the opposite direction:

I pull both strands over my left shoulder. I hold the strand closest to my neck in my right hand, and twist it counter-clockwise around the other strand, and grab it between my pointer finger and middle finger. (The other strand is already in my left fist, I forgot to mention.) So both strands are in my left hand at this point. I twist my left fist counter-clockwise, and repeat the process.

Hope that kinda made sense. It's actually more difficult to read than to actually do.

[SoulOfTheSea]

oh and a rope braid is loads easier to do when ur hair is a bit dirty, not freshly cleaned

[krissykins]

I really like this video tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImcPuruQMAw). It might help you as well.

[Quixii]

The first time I did it, I had to do it on someone else's hair. After that first time, I found it easy to do on my own hair. You just kinda get a feel for the tension and such. And after a few twists, you can bring it over your shoulder and it's even easier.

[knittingyogini]

I'm a spinner, too. So, as far as remembering which way to twist, I do it exactly like a 2-ply. Twisting each "single" clockwise, and "plying" counter clockwise. Figuring out how to actually make that happen was a trick though. It did help to watch a video.

Also for whatever reason, its easier for me to do if I have my hair tied in a pony tail with an elastic and then rope braid the tail (as opposed to just trying to do a rope braid down my back with an elastic at the end).

[hairwap]

It is a nice hair style

[Zesty]

Everyone else has given great advice (my strategy is just to bring it over my shoulder, lol... I find this braid fairly easy to do). I just wanted to say that rope braids might in fact give your hair more wave. Something like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4sgyOyBpbo&feature=channel_video_title) might give you better results if straight hair is what you're aiming for. I've found that rope braids give me pretty, even waves (as opposed to the sometimes wonky braid waves I get) and lots of volume, but definitely not anything like straight.

[Amelia]

I know that it's not that easy at first, but your hands and fingers will 'grow' a kind of movement memory. They will 'know' where to go. Practice, is all I can say. And more practice.

Maybe you could try to do two rope braids first, because those will be more towards the side of your head and you can see what you're doing better. Then try the single rope again.

Oh, in the beginning I throught it was more secure to first make a ponytail and then start to braid.

Don't despair- it will happen, just like magic! I was like that with the French rope and the lace rope braid. But all of the sudden i was just able to do it!:magic:

[luluj]

You may want to check out this site........;)

http://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/rope-braid-introduction/

[bunzfan]

I found this really helped me for a French rope braid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqqnYtkL26o and her video on rope braiding to i couldn't do it before i saw that.

[chahuahuas]

Are you doing this at the back of your head, or to one side? I do mine to the side, right behind one of my ears. I find that rope braids look prettier to one side, and they are easier to do that way, too. I still get confused, but they are so much easier to hold onto while I'm thinking about it, haha.


http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8220&pictureid=107276
Ignore the weird face I'm making, and you'll get the idea...


ETA: I just looked at that tutorial at rapunzel resource, and thats NOT how I do it. I twist both pieces all the way down to the bottom of the section first, then wrap the all-the-way twisted pieces all the way around each other. Not sure if it's easier, and I plan on trying out the rapunzel directions with the twist-wrap-twist-wrap-twist-wrap to see if it works alright for me.

[Alaia]

I can totally only do rope braids when I have a ponytail in.

Partially because I haven't tried to do them since I cut layers into my hair in 2009.

Now that I don't have layers any more I'll be trying again, so thanks for the links in this thread! :D

[Madora]

The rope twist braid goes something like this:

Detangle all hair thoroughly
separate into 2 sections
Take one section and TWIST it to the LEFT. Keep twisting to the left all the way down and secure (or pin it up on the scalp to get it out of the way
Take the other section of hair and do the same

Now take both twisted sections of hair in your hands.
Take ONE SECTION and bring it over the section..TO THE RIGHT.

Take the other section of haiur and take it over the other section--to the right.

To form the twisted effect you just reverse the direction in which the hair was originally twisted.

Hope this helps!