The French braid is a simple and elegant hairstyle. Once you've mastered the single French braid technique, you can start using the double French braid as a base for many hairstyles. The double French braid can be an original variant for many hairstyles: from ponytails to pigtails, from half ponytails to chignon.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: French Braided Pigtails
Step 1. Part your hair with the parting in the middle
Start by combing your hair and then part the middle. Make sure the parting goes from the hairline to the nape of the neck. Lay the two strands of hair over your shoulders, as if you want to tie them to make pigtails.
The parting in the hair does not necessarily have to be perfectly straight. You can make the parting messy and uneven for an elegant bohemian look. Or a zigzag line to add a touch of style to your hairstyle
Step 2. Make the base of the braid
Choose a side to start with. Take a small section of hair (about 1.5cm) along the parting from the hairline towards the center of the head. Separate it from the rest of the hair using your fingers. Divide it into three sections. Create the base of the hairstyle from a classic braid. Take the right section and slide it over the middle section. Next, repeat the operation with the left strand.
- It is recommended to tie the hair on the other side with an elastic, so as to avoid accidentally inserting it into the weave.
- This basic braid will sit on one side of the garment. Since these are French braided pigtails, you should braid your hair from top to bottom on both sides of the head. The braids will be placed right between the ears and the parting.
- If you want less dense braids, you can start with a larger section;
- If you have very thick hair, it's best to work with wider sections.
Step 3. Begin the French braid
Add a small piece of loose hair to the right section. Slide the right section over the middle section while pushing the middle section to the right. Add a small piece of hair to the left section. Slide the left section over the middle section while pushing the middle section to the left.
- Keep your hands close to your head so the braid stays secure.
- Make sure you add the same amount of hair each time you insert more into the braid. This will allow you to get neat and even braids.
Step 4. Continue braiding your hair
Continue braiding from top to bottom according to the French braid method. You will take the hair starting from the hairline at the level of the face and continuing along the line to the nape of the neck. Whenever you need to add more hair to the weave, divide the strands you need to add from the rest of the hair with a horizontal line from the hairline.
- Once all the hair is added, continue braiding like in a regular braid.
- Make sure you keep the braid tight as you work it. You can achieve this by pulling back the locks and separating them from each other.
Step 5. Tie your hair
Once you have reached the desired length, tie the braid with rubber bands. You can add hair clips, ribbon or other accessories.
Step 6. Repeat on the other side
Repeat steps 2 to 5 on the other side of the garment; the braids should be identical. Make sure to tie them at the same height and try using rubber bands of the same color on both sides.
- If you want a variation of this hairstyle, stop at the nape of the neck instead of braiding the pigtail to the end. Next, tie the braid with a rubber band. The hair that falls to the shoulders will stay loose and you can straighten or curl it.
- An alternative to pigtails is the chignon. Once you've finished your French braids, make a bun behind your head by wrapping the braid around the base. Secure the bun with bobby pins. Repeat on the other side, making a bun with the other braid. Use as many bobby pins as you want to hold the bun in place.
Method 2 of 3: Two Side French Braids
Step 1. Part your hair
Once you've combed your hair, part your hair in the middle. It is enough for the line to go from the hairline to the center of the head.
Step 2. Make the base of the braid
Choose which side to start on. Take a small section near the face and separate it from the rest of the hair. Divide it into three strands of the same size. Make the base of the braid in the traditional way (pass the right strand over the middle one, then the left one).
- These braids will be thin and will describe a curve around the head to rejoin behind the center. You won't have to braid all your hair.
- It is possible to do the same hairstyle with thicker braids. This way, you will give a slightly different look to the hairstyle. Follow the same process, but using more hair. Thicker braids are heavier than thin ones, so the point where they will meet will be lower, just below the head circumference.
- When you start braiding your hair, work your way from the face towards the back of the head. Don't point down.
Step 3. Start the French braid
Add a small section of hair to the right section and slide this section, now thicker, over the middle section. Add a small section of hair to the left section and pass this section, now thicker, over the middle one. Continue like this following the curve of the head.
Once you have reached the center of the garment, stop the operation. Hold the braid in place with a hair clip or rubber band
Step 4. Repeat on the other side
Repeat steps 2 and 3 on the other side. The two strands should meet at the center of the nape. They should be approximately the same size.
The braids will form a braided half ponytail, while much of your hair will remain loose
Step 5. Join the two braids
Take both braids at the height of the hair clip or rubber bands, and join the two braids.
Step 6. Style your hair to your liking
With the two French braids along the head, you can complete the hairstyle however you like. You can stop the half ponytail with a hair clip or a rubber band to make it look stylish. You can also tie your hair into a ponytail. If you want to add a touch of class, wrap the ponytail into a bun and secure it with bobby pins.
- If you are making a ponytail or bun, the two French braids will sit on top of these.
- You can also combine the two braids into a classic one that goes down to the shoulders. To make such a hairstyle, combine the left and center sections of the left braid into a single left section; combine the right section of the left braid and the left section of the right braid into one center section and finally the center and right sections of your right braid into one right section. At this point, continue to weave in the classic way with the newly created sections.
Method 3 of 3: French Braid Crown
Step 1. Part your hair
Comb your hair, then part the middle. The line must run from the hairline to the base of the nape.
- Secure one side with a rubber band and work on the other side.
- An alternative is to not split the hair. If you opt for this, follow the same process. The hair may intertwine, so use a hair clip to keep it separate and tidy.
Step 2. Make the base of the braid
Gather the hair at the base of the neck. Divide your hair into three parts. Pass the right strand under the central one, then repeat the operation with the left strand. This braid will follow the perimeter of the garment.
As an alternative, you can create a crown by simply French braiding some pigtails, and then weaving each braid around your head. Fold the ends inward and secure the braid on the scalp
Step 3. Make a Dutch braid
Add a small section of hair to the right section and slide it under the middle section. Add a small piece of hair to the left section and slide it under the middle section. You should work from bottom to top along the head.
- A Dutch braid is also called a "reverse French braid". The strands of hair are braided one under the other rather than one on top of the other like in a normal French braid.
- This braid is made from bottom to top along the head, rather than top to bottom.
- It is advisable to comb the hair from the bottom up before starting, so that it is already in the right direction.
Step 4. Continue braiding the hair following the contour of the head
This is a crown braid, so it should follow the curve of the head. Continue the Dutch braid by adding hair to the outer strands by pulling them one under the other.
Make sure that the amount of hair you add to the strands is always the same. This way, the braid will be uniform and not uneven
Step 5. Weave in the classic way once you reach the center of the head
The middle part at the forehead will be where you stop adding hair from that side. At this point, stop weaving in the Dutch way and switch to the classic way. This is a simple braid to complete the side.
If your hair "ends up" right there, simply tie it up. Since this hairstyle works best with long hair, it is very likely that the braid will end somewhere beyond the forehead
Step 6. Tie the braid
When you are done, tie the braid with a special rubber band. Use one covered in fabric to minimize the risk of damaging your hair. Choose a color that matches that of your hair so that it fits perfectly.
Step 7. Secure the hair following the curvature of the head
Wrap the braid around your head to its full length. Use the clips to secure the braid as you wrap it around your head. When you reach the end, twist the end into the hair and pin it down.
- Try to hide the tail behind the ear;
- If you have long hair, you may need to wrap it all the way around your head, ending up behind your neck.
Step 8. Make the braid on the other side
This time, you will need to work the braid from top to bottom. Starting at the parting line of the hair, repeat steps 2 to 5 as you do the Dutch braid along this side of the garment. Just like the braid on the other side, this too will describe a curve along the head.
Step 9. Wrap the braid around the head
Once you've made the reverse French braid on both sides, wrap the two braids around your head, then secure them with bobby pins. Insert the ends of the two braids underneath the braids themselves and secure these with bobby pins as well.
Step 10. Finished
Advice
- If your hair is too oily, the result may not be satisfactory.
- Don't pull your hair too hard - you may get a headache.
- If you make a braid that is too loose, the hair may come out.
- If you've never done this before, you should practice someone else's hair first. However, some people find it easier to do a French braid on their own head than on another person's.
- If you want your hair to be wavy when you undo your braids, don't undo them if you just got out of the shower.
