Wow, is it time for another “How-To” already? Well anyway, happy Tuesday everyone!! 🙂
This is how I feel right now….
(Image)
Just barely though! Mondays and Wednesdays are really rough, I go from 9:40 am-9 pm on Mondays and 8 am-8 pm on Wednesdays…yeesh!!
Tuesdays and Thursdays are nice though, I only have 3 classes and I’m done by mid-afternoon! So on this happier note, let’s move forward with our “how-to” of the day shall we? FRENCH BRAIDING.
I’ve always ALWAYS wanted to learn how to French braid someone else’s hair, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to really learn how. (Sorry for my male readers of the blog, but if you have a significant other, this how-to might come in handy sometime…;))
The French braid is a beautiful and classic hairstyle. Although its intricate weave may appear complicated, I found that creating your own French braid is actually a fairly simple process. Alright ladies (and gents with long hair?) let’s walk through it step-by-step!
(Steps adapted from Real Simple)
- Prep Your Hair – Make sure that it is thoroughly brushed to remove all tangles and is soft. If you would like to have a single braid going down the center of your head, then all your hair should be brushed backwards away from your forehead. If you want to have your braid going to the side or you would like multiple braids, then part your hair and brush it into sections. You can braid your hair dry or wet. If you braid it wet and allow it to dry with the braid, your hair will have soft, pretty waves when you take it apart.
- Section your hair – Take a large chunk of hair from the top center of your head. The section of hair should be about 3-4 inches wide, and come from the same row of hair, not with some pieces from higher up or lower down. The section you begin will not be the actual size of the braid you end up with. You start with a small section, but through adding hair the braid will gradually get bigger.
- Separate the section into strands – For a French braid, the same as a regular braid, you will need three strands. Separate them by running your fingers through the chunk you are holding, and create three even strands. Make sure that none of the pieces is significantly larger or smaller than the other two.
- Begin to braid – Take your three sections so that two strands are held in one hand, and the third strand is held in your opposite hand. Create a few rows of a regular braid by taking the strand on the right and crossing it over the center. Then take the strand from the left and cross it over the center.
- Incorporate in new hair – Continue this pattern of crossing strands diagonally over the center strand, but gradually begin incorporating other pieces of hair. Before you cross a strand over to the other side, grab another strand of hair from the loose pieces on the same side and include it in the cross-over. Every time you cross over, grab another small piece of hair. It doesn’t matter the thickness of the new strands you pick up, but the smaller the pieces the more intricate the braid will look.
- Incorporate all of your hair into the braid – As you continue down your head, you will slowly notice the free-hanging strands of hair diminishing. By the time you reach the nape of your neck with the main braid, all of your extra hair should have been drawn into the braid.
- Finish the braid – When you have added in all your hair into the braid, continue it as a regular braid until you reach the ends of your strands. Then, secure the braid with a ponytail. Voila! 🙂
If you’re more of a visual learner like me, I found this awesome photo step-by-step!
(Image Credit)
Did you know that a French braid doesn’t have anything to do with “French” influences or history?
This article explains, “The place to start is North Africa. People have been wearing the three-strand gathered plait (braid) for thousands of years, and the earliest evidence of the style comes to us from the Tassili n’Ajjer mountain range in Algeria”.
Interesting!
We don’t know exactly why we label the braid as “French”, because this hair style has also been depicted in art from the early Greek and Celtic time periods, but it still looks impressive on your head!
I give so much credit to my friends who are able to tame my large mane into a compact hairstyle like a braid. And on that note, I think I’ll wear a French braid today!
Oh, and someone tell me why they’re called “French” fries?….
Have a terrific Tuesday everyone! 🙂
Question of the Day:
Do you know how to do cool hairstyles?