How to do a French Braid
An elegant time-saver, the French braid combines a great look with an easy method. Find out how to do one here.
Known as both a French braid and French plait, this hairstyle brings a sleeker look than the stand-out Dutch braid.
Despite its sophisticated looks, however, it’s quite simple to pull off.
Like any hairstyle, however, French braids need a good foundation to work; keep your hair healthy and braid-ready by using a nourishing shampoo that will look after both your hair and scalp.
You’ll also want your hair to be dry when you start. Wet hair is particularly vulnerable to damage, and you don’t want your new hairstyle to lead to broken strands.
The French braid
A French braid is essentially a normal braid where you start with a small section of hair and add in more hair to the braid as you go.
To start the French braid, take a section of hair from where you’d like the braid to start – usually right at your fringe.
Now you’re ready to start the braid:
- Split the section of hair into left, center and right sections
- Cross the right strand over the center
- Now, cross the left over the strand that’s in the middle (the right strand that you’ve already crossed over)
- Take the strand that started in the center (it should be hanging on the right), gather some of the underlying hair into it, and cross it back over to the center
Continue in this vein, adding hair as you go – once you’ve reached the nape of your neck, you can braid the hair down to its ends, securing it with a hair tie.
Once you’ve practiced this look a couple of times, you’ll find it comes naturally, giving you a quick, smart look that you can put together on short notice.
Watch our video to see our model styling a French braid.
