Braiding 101: Fishtail, French and Dutch Inside-Out Braids, Oh My!
Braids are still having a moment, and we’re totally into it. From waterfall braids to braided fauxhawks, we are all about braid innovation on the regular. But, not everyone knows the basics of braiding beyond the simple three strand situation. Before we get too carried away on the braid front, here are three basic braids to get you prepped and ready for all sorts of braided hairstyles.
Fishtail Braid
A fishtail braid is one of those braids that looks far more complicated than it is. You literally have two sections of hair and will be pulling small sections from the outside of each section and crossing it over into the opposite side. It’s that easy!
1. Comb all of your hair over to one side.
2. Split your hair into two even sections.
3. Pick up a small piece of hair from the outside of the section closest to your face and cross it over into the the other section furthest from your face.
4. Now pick up another small section of hair from the outside of the second section and cross it over into the section of hair closest to your face.
5. Now use your pointer finger to pick up another section of hair from the first section.
6. Use your opposite pointer finger to transfer the section over to the opposite side just like you did in step one.
7. At this point you should be back to two sections of hair.
8. Repeat the same process over and over back and forth until you get to the ends of your hair.
9. Once you are to the ends, use a small elastic to secure your braid.
To create a French braid, think of it as basically making a traditional braid starting at the top of your head, then working your way down while adding in pieces of hair.
French Braid
1. Begin by pulling up the front, top section of your hair. The width will be almost to the outside of your eyes.
2. Divide that section into three smaller sections and cross the outside piece over the center piece just as you would with a traditional braid.
3. Now cross the other section over the center section.
4. This takes a little practice, but you can do it! Hold all three sections of hair with the hand opposite of the side you are pulling the first section of hair up from. In this case, her left hand is holding all three braid strands and she is picking up a section of hair on the right with her right hand.
5. Place that section over the original outer strand of hair you first crossed over the center section with in step 2. See how you have three strands again?
6. Now it is time to reverse it. Go to the opposite side and repeat the process of pulling up a new section of hair that you will add to the second strand you crossed over from step 3.
7. Back to three strands.
8. Continue the steps as you shift your hands toward the back of your head. With practice you can do this without a mirror. If you need to see you may need to rig up a mirror on the wall across from a larger mirror slightly angled so you can see what you are doing.
9. Once you get to a point where there is no more hair to pull into your braid, you will simply braid the remaining hair in a traditional braid.
10. Once finished, secure with a small elastic.
The Dutch braid is basically an inside out French braid. The challenge of this braid is sort of like that game where you pat your head with one hand and try and make a circular movement on your tummy with the other hand. Your hands want to cross the hair over each other instead of under each other.
Dutch (Inside Out) Braid
1. Place a side part in your hair (unless you are married to your own part, which is totally fine).