Hair Braiding Instructions

Hair braiding is one of the ancient arts still cherished by women throughout the world. Many of these hair braids are not only simple to create, but they are also a type of low maintenance hairstyles. Some of the most popular hair braids are English braids, French braids, and the trendy black braids. Beginners may go through a few difficulties while making these braids, which will eventually disappear with regular practice. Here are some simple instructions for braid hairstyles to help you out in this process.

Hair Braiding Styles

The first essential requirement for hair braiding is that the hair should be clean and smooth. So, make sure that your hair is clean and also free of tangles. For simple English braids, use a wide tooth comb for untangling your hair. But for French braids, you may require a fine tooth comb. If you have curly or wavy hair, then you may need to dampen your hair with water. Otherwise, you can use hair care products like hairspray or gel to dampen it. For removing the tangles, gently comb your hair and if necessary, use a conditioner to remove tangles and make it smooth and manageable.

Basic English Braiding
Once you have properly combed and removed all tangles, you can start braiding your hair by dividing your hair into three equal and even sections or strands. Again comb each section separately to make them smoother. Then take the section of hair on the right hand strand and cross it over the middle section, so that now the right hand section becomes the middle section. Now shift this strand to the opposite hand, i.e. to the left hand. Now, it is the turn of the left hand section of hair. Cross this section over the middle section and then shift it to the right hand. Now, repeat the same process for the right hand section of the hair. In this way continue the process, until you achieve the desired length for your braid and then tie the end with a ponytail holder.

French Braiding
It can be a bit complicated for beginners and so, you will need a lot of patience. But once you completely understand the process for the French braiding hair instructions, it would be a bit easier. There are basically two types of French braids, known as over braid and under braid or inverted braid. The inverted French braid is also known as Dutch braid, that gives a look of a braided rope sitting on the top of the hair.

For French braiding, begin by taking a small section of hair on the crown of your head. Then divide this small section into three equal parts or sections. Cross the section on the right hand side to the middle, after which cross the left hand section to the middle. Now, take a small section of hair on the right hand side and add this new section to the original right hand section and cross it over the middle section. Now repeat the same procedure for the left hand side. Continue the process until your hair braid achieves the desired length. For the inverted or Dutch braid, follow the same procedure, but cross the hair strands under the middle section, instead of crossing over it.

Black Hair Braiding
It can have different styles and hence, different instructions. However, the basic steps for braiding black hair involves parting the hair into two equal parts. Then section off the entire hair into several parts, where the hair braids are to be created. Now, each part has to be divided into three even sections to make several braids. The instructions for making each braid is similar to that of the basic English hair braiding.

Creating hair braids is one of the effective ways to maintain hair and give it a clean and tidy look. If you find hair braiding a bit confusing and difficult, you can practice on a string or rope before doing it on your hair.