How to French Braid Your Hair: Step-by-Step Tutorial
Nothing to See Here, Just a Pretty French-Braid Hairstyle That Is SO Easy to Do
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The moment you learn to tie your shoelaces, you're deemed fit by the all-holy hair gods to try a three-strand braid. (Them's the rules.) Then, the next level-up after that is equally classic, if not one degree trickier: the french braid.
This over-under plait has been woven throughout history — from ancient Sparta to Taylor Swift's Evermore album cover art — for good reason: DIYing the look is ridiculously simple, even for people with little to no hairstyling skills. All it takes is a little know-how — and that's where Jenny Strebe, hairstylist and founder of AIIR Professional, comes in.
Before you begin, though, there are a few micro-steps to keep in mind. First, know that most braids work best on relatively dirty hair (that extra grit means more texture but less slip). Then, using a wide-tooth comb, you'll want to brush out any tangles or knots to make for easy weaving. "This will prevent hair from getting tangled up in your fingers as well as help create clean-looking sections," Strebe said. She also suggests running a smoothing cream or paste through hair to create a more polished look and to keep any flyaways at bay.
Now on your mark, get set, go ahead to the full step-by-step to creating an effortlessly cool french braid at home. It's not as easy as lacing up your kicks, but yeah, it's way more fun.
Step 1: Brush, Then Bend
Once your tangles are brushed out and your smoothing cream applied, next, you'll want to add a slight bend to the hair with a curling iron to lend a little texture. "When your hair has some wave or curl to it, the hair in the sections of the braid will bend into your braid, and it will prevent your hair from sticking out of the braid," Strebe said.
(This tip, of course, applies only to people with straighter hair types; anyone with curls can skip this step.) Now, you're ready to begin braiding.
Step 2: Section Your Hair
Step 3: Separate Into 3 Pieces
Step 4: Crisscross the Sections
Start your braid in the classic way you normally would, by crisscrossing the strands of hair. "You want to always keep in mind to cross your sections overhand by taking the section to the right and crossing it over the middle, then taking the section from the left and crossing it over the top into the middle," Strebe said.
