How to do French braids

French braid is a beautiful and classic hairstyle. Although fancy braids look complicated, the process of braiding is very simple. The trick here is to just add a little more hair to each section before braiding. Once you know the basic rules of traditional French braids, you can try French bangs for a more voluminous look.

Table of Contents

Classic French braids

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Prepare. Comb your hair, remove all tangles, and straighten your hair in preparation for braiding. To braid a braid at the back of your head, you’ll comb all the hair from the forehead to the back.

You want to braid your hair in a side or braid many braids. In that case, just comb the hair in the direction you want and divide it into sections.
You can braid when your hair is dry or wet. However, wet braiding will give you soft, beautiful wavy curls when you remove your hair.

Split hair. ^{[1] X Research Source} Start by taking a large section of hair (about 8-10cm wide) in the center of the crown. All hair in this section should be in the same “row”. You should not take the hair staggered high and low.

If you have bangs, you can gather them to braid or let them down. Choose the style that makes you look best. To braid your hair, you will need to take the hair at the top of your head, just above your forehead.
The portion of hair that you take now has no effect on the size of the braid. You start with a small section of hair but the braid will get thicker as you add more hair.

Divide this first section of hair into 3 small sections. Similar to traditional braids, French braids also use 3 sections of hair to braid. Part your hair by inserting your finger into the section of hair you’re holding to create 3 equal sections. Make sure no section of hair is smaller or larger than the other two.

Start with a traditional braid. First, you need to keep your hands in place: hold two sections of hair in one hand and hold a third section in the other. Make a traditional braid by bringing the “right” section of hair to the middle. Then, bring the “left” section of hair to the middle section. Repeat the process until you have several rows of traditional braids.

Add hair. ^{[2] X Research Source} Continue to braid hair in the traditional style but add a different section of hair. Before putting your hair in the center, take a small amount of hair from each side and combine it with the section of hair that you will be putting in the center.

Each time you put the sides of your hair in the middle, you will get a little more hair. It doesn’t matter how much hair you take, but the less hair you take, the more elaborate the braid will be.
For the best French braids, get your hair close to your face and neck. If you only take the hair from the center (near the main part) the braid will be hidden by the outer hair.

French braided bangs

Prepare. Similar to the traditional French braid, you still comb your hair straight and smooth, removing all tangles. The French braid can be done on one or both sides of the head, so you will need to part your hair. Braid from the middle hair or the side hair depending on the style you want.

Start with a small section of hair. ^{[5] X Research Source} Take the side section of hair you want, close to the parting line. The size of this section of hair is very important as it determines the thickness of the braid. For big braids, you’ll need a lot of hair, and for small braids, you’ll need only a small amount of hair. In general, you should only take about 2.5cm of hair.

Divide the hair you just took into 3 parts. As with regular French braids, you need to divide the first section of hair into 3 equal sections. Tilt sections of hair down your face instead of pulling it all the way to the back of your head. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Tet begins. First, also start braiding French bangs with traditional braids. Bring the “right” section of hair to the middle section, then bring the “left” section of hair to the middle section.

Get more hair. With the traditional French braid, you’ll get extra hair from both sides of your head. However, with the bangs braid, you only get hair on one side of the braid. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

It doesn’t matter which side you get your hair from. You just need to take the hair from the same side of the braid.

Continue braiding around the head. As you continue to braid, the braid will form a wreath-like shape around the head. You can choose to continue braiding above or below the ears.

If you only have one braid, wrap the braid around your head. You may run out of hair when you pull it closer to the other ear.
If braiding two braids, stop when braiding to the nape. Secure the first braid with an elastic and repeat the same process to braid the rest of your hair.

Finish the braid. You will run out of hair to braid into a braid. At this point, continue with the traditional braid to the ends. Finally, use a hair tie to secure the braided braid.

Advice

Remove tangles and don’t braid your hair too tightly.
Braid your hair in front of the mirror to see what you’re doing.
Look in the mirror the first time you braid your own hair.
Wet hair is easier to braid because it will curl as you want.
Take the same amount of hair each time you add to the braid as changing the thickness can cause the braid to become skewed. The thickness of the hair section also affects the style of the braid. Thin sections of hair will make braids more sophisticated, thick hair will make braids look simple.
Keep the braid neat but don’t braid it too tight on the head while doing it. Loose braids look unsightly and your hair will fall out throughout the day.
Concentrate when braiding so that you don’t braid it wrong.
This hairstyle is suitable for activities such as dancing or cheering. However, you need to start braiding your hair from the top and keep it in place with bobby pins.
Try braiding your hair into a bun or ponytail instead of braiding the whole braid.
Get a full section of hair to braid, so you won’t run out of hair while braiding.
Don’t forget to use hairspray! It will keep the hair neat and tidy.
Use extra hairspray if you have thin hair.
Use a small hair band to help you hold the center section of hair in place.

Warning

Your hands will get tired while braiding your hair. Bend your arms to relieve pressure, or rest your hands on a surface behind you (such as the headboard or the back of a chair).
Be careful not to let go of your hair during the French braid as you may end up having to start all over again!

Steps

Classic French braids

French braided bangs

Advice

Warning

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