Being able to braid is very easy and is a nice braid hairstyle to be able to make on yourself or someone else. But how do you start such a braid or French braid? It is not so easy to do on yourself, so we would like to give you all kinds of tips to get the hang of these braids!
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How should you braid in or make a French braid? The basics:
First things first: how to make a braid or French braid? The basic technique: usually – while braiding – you also take along a few strands of hair that are not yet in your separate braid strands. So you take extra hair at the sides of your braid (the left and right ones) and thus braid your hair IN your other hair. Depending on what type of French braid you want to make, the technique is slightly different.
There are also a lot of different types of braids, which we are of course going to discuss all of them and show useful tutorials of them: so you can decide which braid to make on yourself or on someone else! These hairstyles are also ideal for girls or boys who like their hair braided, but they are also great women’s hairstyles and men’s hairstyles!
How to prepare your hair
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As with all hairstyles you create, you better prepare your hair well! Does your braid hairstyle need to stay in place all day? Then you might want to work with a little hair mousse or hairspray. Want a really shiny finish? Then hair serums and hair oils are your best friend.
In any case, make sure you no longer have knots in your hair, a Tangle Teezer is ideal for this. It is very painful and awkward when you have to braid hair that is still tangled, ouch!
A few other handy things to make the braiding go much smoother: a comb with point, a small spray bottle with water and some rubber bands (preferably not real rubber bands, they pinch and hurt too much when you have to take them out of your hair) and clips and some larger clips. Have them ready, because once you need them, it’s very inconvenient to have to find them! *Yup, I’m obviously speaking from experience here!
What types of braids exist?
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<Cornrows
- Braided herringbone
- Dutch braid (this is actually a French braid that you make in the opposite direction): also called the opbraid
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- Ladder braids
- diagonal braid or diagonal braid (or, since Frozen, the Elsa braid very popular by now, or what did you think?)
- heart diadem braid
- a princess braid
- mermaid braid or mermaid braid
- …
Scroll down, I explain all types of braids how you can make them and there is every time a useful Youtube tutorial and a step-by-step plan below the video.
In braid examples of celebrities and hairstyle inspiration
The classic braid (the French braid)
The classic braid, that’s the French braid. This is also the braid that most people know (and can make, sometimes). Yet I must admit that I had some trouble with this braid myself, you see! I clearly don’t have such handy and flexible fingers, haha. By the way, if you find it difficult to make a good, tight braid and your hair slips out of your fingers a little too quickly, just use your spray bottle with water to make your hair a little damp. Then you have just a little more grip.
How to make a classic braid?
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Conveniently, here in this tutorial you’ll suddenly see how to do an in braid on yourself.
How do you get started with a French braid or braid-in?
Step 1: completely detangle your hair with a comb or tangle teezer, remove all the knots from your hair
Step 5: The right tuft of hair has now become the middle tuft.
Step 6: Braid the left-hand tuft over the tuft you now have in the middle.
Step 7: Grab a little extra hair to add to your braid on the right tuft.
Step 10: repeat, repeat, repeat 🙂
The waterfall braid
Above you could see how to make a classic braid. Have you mastered this one? Then this is also a super fun variation to try: the waterfall braid:
How to make a waterfall braid?
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How to make a waterfall braid?
Step 1: detangle your hair completely with a comb or tangle teezer, removing all knots from your hair
Step 5: The left tuft of hair (in this case, you can also do it on the other side of your head, and take the right tuft), take some extra hair each time (by doing this, you are going to braid the hairstyle)
Step 6: The right tuft is replaced with a different tuft of hair each time (by doing this, you are going to get the waterfall effect)
Step 7: repeat, repeat, repeat 🙂
Step 8: Have you done almost the entire circumference of your head? Then it’s time to braid
Cornrows braid
How to make cornrows?
How should you make cornrows? This tutorial explains it very conveniently and shows you how to make basic cornrows. Especially if you want to make cornrows in natural hair, you will need some extra care products to protect your hair and make it look good.
Step 1: fully detangle your hair with a comb or tangle teezer, remove all the knots from your hair
Step 6: Watch the movie very carefully from 2:43 to see exactly how to hold your tufts of hair, it’s very important when making cornrows!
Step 10: this is how you continue from left to right.
The first few times it won’t look perfect, but it is important that you get the hang of this – rather difficult – technique, literally. Especially if you want to make this braid hairstyle on yourself!
Dutch braid
How to make a dutch braid or Dutch braid?
Step 6: repeat,…
Reverse braid
How to make an inverted braid
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A reverse braid is – the name says it all – a braid where you braid in upside down. From bottom to top, in other words. Afterwards, you can twist the braid into buns or space buns if you like. .
Step 5: Finish your braid hairstyle with some hairspray or a shine spray
Ladder braid
How to make a ladder braid?
A ladder braid is also a type of French braid, but with strands in between. Let’s go over how to make this braid step by step:
Step 1: make sure your hair is out of knots and unraveled (with a tangle teezer or comb): your hair is best as smooth as possible for braiding
Step 4: Take those strands and move them out of the way.
Step 6: Finish the hairstyle with some hair serum and done!
Skew braid / Elsa braid
How to make an angled braid or Elsa braid
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Step 1: make sure your hair is untangled and unraveled (with a tangle teezer or comb): it’s best to have your hair as smooth as possible for braiding
Step 4: Did you braid up to your neck? Then take back the rest of your hair (that you put in a bun).
Step 5: Now braid further with this hair.
Step 6: Finish the hairstyle with some hair serum and you’re done!
Heart braid
How to make a heart braid
Step 1:make sure your hair is untangled and unraveled (with a tangle teezer or comb): it’s best to make your hair as smooth as possible for braiding.
Step 6: Finish the hairstyle with some hair serum and you’re done!
Diadem braid
How to make a diadem braid?”
A diadem braid is a braided-in braid, but as if you were wearing a diadem. It’s a bit more difficult than a normal braid, but I’m sure you can master this braid as well!
A hair elastic, sliding pins, a comb with a point
Step 1: completely detangle your hair with a comb or tangle teezer, get all the knots out of your hair
Step 5: Start with three small tufts of hair at the top of the tuft of hair you kept separate.
Mermaid braids
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How to make a mermaid braid or mermaid braid
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Step 1: detangle your hair completely with a comb or tangle teezer, removing all the knots from your hair
Zipper braid/ the zipper braid
How to make a zipper braid or zipper braid
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Step 1: completely detangle your hair with a comb or tangle teezer, removing all the knots from your hair
Step 7: Braid this tuft all the way to the right. Also take the piece of hair that you kept to one side.
Step 8: That side-strapped strand of hair, you’re now going to braid under your current right-hand tuft.
Step 9: the ‘previous’ right strand of hair, bring it to the side again, but do not braid it.
Step 14:Have you reached the neck? Then make a ponytail and wrap a strand of hair around it. Your hairstyle is ready!
Decorating braids
Would you like to decorate the braids? Of course you can and you can go as far as you want! Maybe you want to put a flower in your hair, or hair jewelry, or a fun diadem / hairband or finish your look with a fun scrunchie? Glitter hairspray is also a fun one!
How to make your braid last long and keep it looking good?
But, you’ve now done all that work to make your braids beautiful…. how do you make sure your braids stay beautiful for a long time and keep them looking good? Of course we have some super handy tips for that too, it would be a shame if your braids quickly become fluffy again!
- Tip 1: sleep on a satin pillow
- Tip 2: use a little serum
- Tip 3: make your braids a little wet again and ‘model’ them a little
Tip: take care of your scalp!
With some of these braid hairstyles, your scalp looks off and becomes very visible. Do you suffer from dandruff or flakes on your scalp? Then there are also products for that to make that less. Not even necessarily because it’s not such a pretty sight, but also just for the health of your scalp!
READ ALSO: how to make a herringbone braid?
