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View Full Version : Does a Dutch braid hold better than a French braid?



archel
September 5th, 2011, 10:57 AM
For months now, I've been sleeping in a French braid. Most mornings, I wake up and some of it has been pulled out. However, I put my hair in a Dutch braid Saturday and went to a big festival, came home and took a nap, wallowed in bed (watching Game of Thrones on the projector!!), and then slept a good 9 hours. I woke up and my Dutch braid was perfectly intact except for a little bit of a halo of fuzz (note to self, get silk pillowcase for boyfriend's house).

So, does the structure of a Dutch braid make it hold better? I figured the French braid would be the best protective braid because it's all inside, but not if it won't stay up as well, I suppose.

What say ye Long Haired Knights? :pumpkin:

CariadA
September 5th, 2011, 11:12 AM
Dutch braids always hold better on me than french. They keep the hair on my crown from loosening in the braid. I don't know why, though.

archel
September 5th, 2011, 11:18 AM
Yeah, I'm not sure why this is, but I'm pretty sure this is what I experienced. I keep trying to wrap my head (haha) around the mechanics of it, and I just don't get it. I would think the hair being tucked *in* would be more secure, but it seems to be the opposite. Weird!

Madora
September 5th, 2011, 11:25 AM
Since hair is added from both sides for the French braid technique, it would seem that it would hold the hair securely in most situations.

The Dutch braid holds securely also but can have little hairs sticking out all over after several hours of sleep.

From personal experience I found sleeping with two braids at night resulted in some frizz and a few tangles. I eliminated almost 99% of the tangles when I switched to wearing a loose bun braid pinned on top of my head.

MsBubbles
September 5th, 2011, 11:33 AM
With my fine, slippery hair and butter-fingers, I find Dutch braids the only braids not to come loose at all throughout the day, and sometimes even through the night.

French braids come loose on me after an hour or so. I attribute this to the slightly further distance the strands have to reach to be 'tucked' in to ensemble (they have to go up and over the braid bump), whereas the Dutch braid sections tuck directly under the braid, anchoring more of that section than would have been in the French. If that makes any sense?! Either way, it's Dutch braids for me now, every time. Aloe gel helps too.

MandyBeth
September 5th, 2011, 11:43 AM
On my cat fine hair, Dutch holds far better. When braiding, it goes under center, then in effect over the far side, so it "locks" the shorter bits under, so they don't slip, vs over, so they get rubbed and slip free.

spidermom
September 5th, 2011, 12:34 PM
Dutch braid (also known as underhand projected) holds better for me, too.

seaj
September 5th, 2011, 12:44 PM
French braids and Dutch braids aren't very different at all. A dutch braids simply exposes the braid contained in a french braid. Dutch braids probably do hold better because as the hairs are pulled into the braid, they lay against the scalp. I also Agree with what MsBubbles said. For me dutch braids hold better than french braids especially because I'm much better at doing dutch braids on myself which is funny because I'm at expert at french braids when doing them on other people.

If you are having issues with your hair falling out of the braid while you sleep, try doing multiple braids instead of just one. I sleep in two dutch braids which trail right behind my ears so they don't get in the way while I sleep on my back. If the braids are place properly, your pillow can sort of grip the dutch braids and put unnecessary tension on the part down the back part of your head. I like to do a zig-zap part down the middle so that my part is never the same. Most days the braids last through the following day so that always a plus if you like to go out with your hair like that.

oktobergoud
September 5th, 2011, 12:58 PM
Is it me, or is Dutch braiding also a lot easier to do? I have short hair and very very short layers, so that's always a difference of course. Still, I find the way you hold the strands of hair while Dutch braiding soo much easier! Or maybe I just need to practice more since I just made french braid (very short one) and haven't made one for years :P

oktobergoud
September 5th, 2011, 01:01 PM
For me dutch braids hold better than french braids especially because I'm much better at doing dutch braids on myself which is funny because I'm at expert at french braids when doing them on other people.


I just thought about this a few minutes ago! I find Dutch braiding easier on myself, while French braiding is easier to do on others! I think it's both a reversed version.. as in, when you do the dutch braiding on yourself, your hands are coming from under the braid, while the braid is 'above' (that sounds vague, I know, but you know what I mean :P).
When you're braiding someone else's hair, you're most likely to stand behind/above them so your hands will be ABOVE the braid, while the braid will be underneath... Like it's harder to it when, for instance, both your hands and the braid need to 'underneath'.

That sounds weird but I hope it makes sense. It's probably nonsense but I just saw that little link hehe :P

MissManda
September 5th, 2011, 01:04 PM
Yes, Dutch braids held much better than French braids did when I had lots of layers. Now that my hair is longer, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference, but then again, I tend to braid very snugly.

Toiréasa
September 5th, 2011, 03:40 PM
Dutch braids hold much better for me too,I tend to make my dutch much tighter than my french though so that my be why,I just can't get the french as tight.

seaj
September 5th, 2011, 08:41 PM
I just thought about this a few minutes ago! I find Dutch braiding easier on myself, while French braiding is easier to do on others! I think it's both a reversed version.. as in, when you do the dutch braiding on yourself, your hands are coming from under the braid, while the braid is 'above' (that sounds vague, I know, but you know what I mean :P).
When you're braiding someone else's hair, you're most likely to stand behind/above them so your hands will be ABOVE the braid, while the braid will be underneath... Like it's harder to it when, for instance, both your hands and the braid need to 'underneath'.

That sounds weird but I hope it makes sense. It's probably nonsense but I just saw that little link hehe :P

Yes I understand what you're saying. I'm glad I'm not the only one who braids this way!

Lianna
September 5th, 2011, 08:46 PM
With my layered hair, french holds better. There's no sticking out pieces like with dutch.

ttverdy
September 5th, 2011, 08:51 PM
I find that Dutch braids tend to stay better in my BSL-length hair, but I find them harder to do! I learned to French braid on my own head, so the motion seems a lot more natural to me than the dang Dutch braid does. It took a few tries before I could make a decent Dutch braid for the first time. :)

swetiepeti
September 5th, 2011, 08:52 PM
although my head knows the difference and technically how to do a Dutch instead of a french braid my hands muscle memory keep French braiding

MandyBeth
September 5th, 2011, 09:12 PM
I'm wondering if the difference isn't the braid, as I think Lianna and I have similar hair, but what you are used to. I Dutch my hair as it's easier to keep one hand free, and how I taught myself, so a Dutch braid is tighter than a French.

sun-kissed
September 5th, 2011, 11:09 PM
I just thought about this a few minutes ago! I find Dutch braiding easier on myself, while French braiding is easier to do on others! I think it's both a reversed version.. as in, when you do the dutch braiding on yourself, your hands are coming from under the braid, while the braid is 'above' (that sounds vague, I know, but you know what I mean :P).
When you're braiding someone else's hair, you're most likely to stand behind/above them so your hands will be ABOVE the braid, while the braid will be underneath... Like it's harder to it when, for instance, both your hands and the braid need to 'underneath'.

That sounds weird but I hope it makes sense. It's probably nonsense but I just saw that little link hehe :P
I'm exactly the opposit, but I sure get what you mean! When I'm braiding on myself, French is easier; while braiding on someone else, dutch is best. I hadn't really thought of that before, lol.

florenonite
September 6th, 2011, 02:10 AM
I find French braids hold much better than Dutch braids for me. I prefer the look of French braids, so I do them more often, and that probably contributes.


I just thought about this a few minutes ago! I find Dutch braiding easier on myself, while French braiding is easier to do on others! I think it's both a reversed version.. as in, when you do the dutch braiding on yourself, your hands are coming from under the braid, while the braid is 'above' (that sounds vague, I know, but you know what I mean :P).
When you're braiding someone else's hair, you're most likely to stand behind/above them so your hands will be ABOVE the braid, while the braid will be underneath... Like it's harder to it when, for instance, both your hands and the braid need to 'underneath'.

That sounds weird but I hope it makes sense. It's probably nonsense but I just saw that little link hehe :P

I was like this until I was 13 or 14. Then I think I must have practised doing French braids on myself as they're now what comes naturally.

Lianna
September 6th, 2011, 09:32 AM
I'm wondering if the difference isn't the braid, as I think Lianna and I have similar hair, but what you are used to. I Dutch my hair as it's easier to keep one hand free, and how I taught myself, so a Dutch braid is tighter than a French.

I agree, I'm used to french braiding since I was a little girl. Found "dutch braids" here, which I don't even know the word for it in my own language, that's how uncommon they are here. I find the dutchies prettier, someday I'll be good at it. I'll just wait my hair grow longer because for now it's a lot of work for me (to keep the layers in).

Ermine
September 6th, 2011, 09:53 AM
Is it me, or is Dutch braiding also a lot easier to do? I have short hair and very very short layers, so that's always a difference of course. Still, I find the way you hold the strands of hair while Dutch braiding soo much easier! Or maybe I just need to practice more since I just made french braid (very short one) and haven't made one for years :P

I'd say so. At least for attempting to braid short hair. Today I tried dutch braiding my bangs out of the way, and it's working a lot better than the french braid I tried a while back. It holds down all the shorter layers and looks a lot cleaner. And my bangs are not in my eyes. :)

archel
September 6th, 2011, 10:14 AM
Well, if my hair was long enough to bun, I'd probably do a bun on top of my head and be done with it! But right now the French and Dutch are all I can do for sleeping, really. I actually find the French braid easier to do, but that's because I've had WAY more practice on that one.

I sleep on my sides, so a single braid is better for me than two. I don't ever sleep on my back (which will be evident when I'm old, sigh)

Anyway, I tested it last night and the Dutch did stay in better, so I guess that's what I do while I'm at this awkward length!

Oh and I just wanted to say that I LOVE wearing Dutch braids out and about since NOBODY around here does them. I occasionally (like a few times a year) will see a French, but never a Dutch. Makes people stare and I can just see them wanting to ask, "how did you DO that?"

seaj
September 6th, 2011, 02:09 PM
Oh and I just wanted to say that I LOVE wearing Dutch braids out and about since NOBODY around here does them. I occasionally (like a few times a year) will see a French, but never a Dutch. Makes people stare and I can just see them wanting to ask, "how did you DO that?"

I got my first hair compliment from a stranger while I was wearing two dutch braids a few days ago! I've been wearing a hood for the last year or so whenever I leave the house. I see dutch braids every once and a while over here.