Knowing how to braid your own hair is such a helpful skill. Braids can take your entire look up a notch, completely elevating a simple look. Braiding your hair may seem hard to do, but once you learn the ropes, you’ll be able to create gorgeous braids any time you like. From French braids to Dutch braids to fishtail braids, and more, here are our best hacks for braiding hair, along with 5 tutorials to help you get the perfect braid every time.
How to Braid Your Own Hair: 7 Tips and Hacks
1. Don’t Rely On A Mirror
Relying on a mirror when you’re learning to braid your hair isn’t the best idea. It’s helpful to get a feel for how to braid without looking at what you’re doing in a mirror. Knowing where your hands should go is a crucial step to braiding, so once you know that, you can take your braids up a notch.
2. Detangling Is Key
Braiding your hair with tangles and knots is a recipe for disaster. Detangle your hair from your roots to the ends before braiding it with a product like Pantene Conditioning Mist Detangler. Clip away any sections you’re not using so they don’t get tangled midway through your braid.
3. Braid Your Hair Dry
Braid your hair when it’s dry, not when it’s wet. Wet hair is really heavy and expands at least 15 times more than when it’s dry. This can weaken or even break your hair, and it will also give you a different look than a dry braid.
4. Don’t Use Too Much Product
Using too much product will make your hair stiff. Braids are hairstyles you want to be more loose and natural than stiff and constructed. Braids require a lot of movement when creating them, and product will make it harder to put your fingers through your hair and get the look you want. It will be harder to separate each strand, so use minimal product before braiding. Once you’ve created your braid, you can use a light spritz of hairspray or texture spray to help hold it in place.
5. Your Part Counts
You may not think about it too much, but having a straight, even part is one of the most important aspects of a good braid. Use the long wire end of a rattail or pintail comb and section off the hair with clips. This will keep them from wandering back into your part and messing it up.
6. Think: Structure, Then Mess
Most braids look better when they’re a little messy, but you don’t want to try to make it messy from the start. Start by focusing on the structure of the braid. Once you’ve created a clean structured braid, you can pull and stretch your braid to get the messy look you desire. Loosen and rough it up a bit to give it texture and dimension.
7. Second Day Hair is Best, Or Add Texture with Dry Shampoo
Speaking of texture, braids always look better with more texture in them. Second, or even third day hair has much more texture than clean hair, making it easier to braid and also making the braid last longer. If you want to braid freshly washed hair, start by spraying your roots and ends with dry shampoo. This makes your hair easier to work with, as clean hair can be too sleek and slippery.
5 Step by Step Hair Braid Tutorials
How To: Basic French Braid | Luxy Hair
If you’re just learning how to braid, the French braid is the first one to master. Once you conquer the French braid, it will be much easier to do more intricate styles as well. There are a few other braids, such as the Dutch braid where the French braid is the foundation of the style, so once you’ve got it down, you’ll be good to go!
How to Dutch Braid Your Own Hair for Beginners | EverydayHairInspiration
The Dutch braid is a classic braided hairstyle. It’s done almost like the French braid, expect you cross the strands under instead of over. Follow this tutorial to learn how to create the perfect Dutch braid that you can wear out shopping, to a music festival or even to a more formal event. Some of her favourite products for braids are the Got 2B Hair Styling Powder and these clear hair ties.
How to Fishtail Braid: Beginner Friendly Hair Tutorial | Kayley Melissa
The fishtail braid is super easy to create once you learn the proper technique. It’s basically a two strand braid where you continue taking small sections of your hair and combine it with the opposite part all the way down. It’s a super pretty style that you can wear casual or dress up. Follow this step by step tutorial to learn exactly how to do it!
The Halo Braid Tutorial | Roxxsaurus
The halo braid is one of the most beautiful braided hairstyles. It’s a tiny bit more complicated than the others, but again, once you learn the technique and practice, you’ll be able to do it with ease! All you need are a few bobby pins to secure your hair, and voila, you’re all set with a gorgeous halo braid!
How To: Waterfall Braid Short Hair Tutorial | Milabu
Whether you have short hair, medium length hair, or long hair, this tutorial will work for you! The waterfall braid is such a romantic hairstyle and it’s quite easy to do! It’s braided tightly around the top of your head, adding a pretty, playful twist to your look.
Braiding your own hair isn’t as intimidating as it may seem! Our tips and tutorials will help you craft the perfect braided styles from here on out!
