If you have always loved braiding, the french braid is one hairstyle you wouldn’t want to miss. Whether it’s to style your hair or to avoid it from getting tangled, learning how to french braid your hair can help you a lot.

What is a French braid?

A french braid can be made by dividing the hair into three sections. The left or right section is brought over the middle section at every step. The process is repeated until the very end and can vary in two styles: a side-braid on the shoulder or a simple straight one at the back.

Before getting started with the styling, make sure your hair is dry and clean. Making a french braid can damage your hair if it’s wet. If your hair feels too frizzy, you can use a serum or hairspray to tame your hair before braiding. It would also make handling the sections easier.

Simply follow the steps below to make your very own french braid easily!

How to French braid your hair?

1. Split your hair into three sections

Dividing your hair into sections is important with any type of braiding.

Take a big section of your hair from the front to the back. It would be similar to what you do for a ponytail, except that you wouldn’t be tying it up. Next, split this hair into three sections. Keep one section to the right, the other to the left, and one in between. The one in the middle would make the thickest hair part.

2. Arrange the hair sections in a criss-cross pattern

You will have to use multiple sections or parts of your hair in a criss-cross way.

Pick one section, either left or right. Before you begin styling your hair into a french braid, you must make a regular braid. This needs to be done in just the first step, not down. Due to the general braiding, the starting point would be thick and sturdy, making it easier for the rest of the french braid to follow.

3. Hold both the hair sections in one hand

Don’t let your hair go even a bit lose while you’re braiding!

Whichever hand is easier for you, take hold of both the right and left hair sections. But while you’re holding the hair sections, use your fingers to keep them separate. You need to let go of one strand as you continue the criss-cross step. If you’re finding it difficult to manage your hair, use two fingers to carefully handle the partings. Typically, the index finger and the thumb are the best to make the process faster and easier.

On the other hand, you can pin down the middle part of your hair. And again, take hold of the third section using one or two fingers.

4. Keep taking in more sections

The main idea is to overlap the middle section from both the left and the right.

Making sections is the step where you start with the french braid. First, take a portion of your hair either from the left or from the right. Suppose you’re taking it from the right hair section. So move that part over the middle where you need to continue the hairstyle. So doing this step, you would replace the middle hair section with the right one, and the right one would come in its place.

5. Repeat the process with the other side

It’s all about arranging the hair sections right till the very end.

Next, take hair from the left section. Move it over the middle one and repeat the same process, switching sides with every alternate step. When you’ve almost reached the end, hold on to the braid gently but firmly. 

Two styling options for the French Braid

So now that you know how to make a french braid let’s discuss the final look. 

The overall style of your french braid depends on how you want it to look. You can have many variations, for instance, you can put in clips and other accessories on your braid. But as far as the direction and orientation of the hairstyles go, there are two common french braid styles:

1. The flip-side french braid style

Do you prefer to keep your braid in the front?

Side styles are standard for any type of braid, and the same can be done with french braids. If you want the braid in the side style (on your shoulder), bring the hair in front when you’re almost done with it. Some unbraided hair should be left at the end to catch the direction in which it will be tended.

2. The laid back straight french braid style

Do you love keeping your braid straight and at the back?

And you can follow pretty much the same steps for the back. If it’s a straight classic braid you want, take hold of some unbraided hair at the end. Lift it in the direction of the ceiling and then carefully braid all the remaining sections. Using this technique, your french braid will be straight at your back and not lean toward either side of your shoulders.

If you have shorter hair, you can just skip the above styles altogether. There’s no need to follow extra steps to make your braid look better and more beautiful. You would simply need a small band or scrunchie to tie off the braid at the end for any of the styles.

Conclusion

So learning how to french braid your hair isn’t as hard as it may appear. Start by dividing your hair into three sections. Make one knot of a regular braid for the first step. Proceed by overlapping either the left or right area over the middle one. Keep repeating this, and you’ll see the sections getting thinner as you move downward. Seal your braid using a small hair tie or scrunchie.

The French braid requires moderately long hair to be able to pull off. Normally, hair will take weeks to grow. There are ways to grow your hair fast.