herringbone braid

[Darkhorse1]

Hey gals---how many of you have mastered this braid? The herringbone or fishbone braid? I've attempted it, but my arms get REALLY tired. I love the look, but man, it's an exhausted style.

Anyone have any tips?
Thanks! :)

[eadwine]

Eresh mastered it to a t ;)

Hers is just stunning. I don't know if she has any special techniques though..

[Finoriel]

I can do it without problems :) but then I lately won a bet doing 30 push-ups. I guess that´s not representative.

If you have problems while braiding because of tired arms, try to sit at a table and rest your elbows on the table top while braiding. Or start to do push-ups in the morning :wink:

[Phalaenopsis]

I can do most braids, except that darned herringbonebraid! It never looks a bit decent, always uneven and such. This one really frustrates me!

[AprilElf]

It's hard on my arms until I get down far enough to pull it over my shoulder, then it's easier. Braiding practice does build up your stamina though, I've found. ;)
When you do pull a herringbone around to the front, don't braid too tightly, or it will pull the rest of the braid out of alignment. That particular style is a bit delicate that way ... :rolleyes:

[jojo]

Oh this is so easy to do, this is what I do;

1) split hair into 2 pieces
2) take a strand from the outside of left piece
3) place this strand to the centre of right piece
4) do the exact same but take from the right side

Repeat alternating sides, keep it nice and tight. Takes time, your arms will feel like there going to drop off but the result is worth it!

hope this all makes sense, Im not much cop at writing them!

eta- forgot to add the secret is to do this with damp hair!

[Darkhorse1]

If you go to youtube, you can find a few tips---I think it's easier if you do it when your hair is gathered into a pony tail. That worked much better for my arms, but I prefer the look when it's not in a ponytail.

I've mastered the art of that braid, but my arms get tired.

Anyone master the four braid?

[susiemw]

I find that when my arms get sore, just stopping and dropping them into a more comfortable position for a short time, is all it takes, and then i can resume braiding.

Susan

[Amara]

Yes, this one takes longer so the arms do get tired more. I also do pushups, so I think the secret to herringbone braids is pushups! :D

[harley mama]

I can do a pretty good looking HB braid. The problem is that it starts to look frazzled
fairly quickly. It's a lot of work for a short time of looking good.

[spidermom]

It's not so bad. If my arms get tired, I will rest one arm while I hold things in place with the other hand. It is a time-consuming braid, but it's worth it.

[jojo]

Its also a great braid for those of us with layers too. It might be easier too if you put your hair into a pony using a scrunchie and when you have finished, gently sliding the scruchie off!

[Gumball]

I get confounded by it sometimes, too. Sometimes it turns out okay, sometimes it looks like two armies of hair clashed in some sort of badly planned war in the middle. It's irritating because technically I know how to do it, but I guess my hands don't always comply.

[cheekytweety]

I can't my arms get too tired.

[Little_Bird]

I am wearing one right now!

My only problem with this braid (and maybe someone can help me on this one) is that the first sections always stay a little bit loose. Another big problem is when I pass my hair to the front, when I can't reach my back anymore. This seems a delicate step because most times my braid loops a littl ein the end..

How can this be solved?????

Anyways, I agree that it's time consuming, but it also depends on the size of the sections you are using, as you can use thicker sections. And yes, my arms do also get really tired hehe...

Here's a picture of an older herringbone braid of mine:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/LittleBirdLongHair/Site/10-HerringboneBraid-1.jpg

[Velvetine]

^^ try starting off with a 3-strand braid first for a few wraps then divide it into two.