Waterfall braids

The  waterfall braid is the one most often requested braids when I do my sisters’ hair and has the advantages of being very pretty and only using the top half of your hair so you can leave the rest of it down. However it is less suited for being active so do not wear this one of you are planning to go for a run! 

There are a lot of variations of the waterfall braid but I’m going to show you two different types at different difficulties.

Waterfall twist braid:

This is a quick and easy alternative to a waterfall braidand was one of the first braids I mastered. I chose to do it with a middle parting and join two braids at the back of my head but you can do it with a side parting of you would prefer. 

Step one: take a small section of hair from near the front of your head and divide this into two pieces. You don’t want them too small as they will run through the entire braid but too big and it will look bulky. 

Step two: cross the bottom piece over the top piece. This is the twist section of the braid and holds it together.

Step three: take a small strand of hair from the top of your head right by your parting and take it over the top strand and under the bottom strand. You can then dip this strand and twist the two strands together again. This may sound confusing but really isn’t hard. Take a look at the pictures below if you are confused.

Step four: Take another strand from the top of your head and weave it through the other two pieces and twist them. Continue to do this until you reach the back of your head.

Step five: If you have a side parting you can either use hair grips, a clip or a bow to keep the braid in place. If you have a centre parting then clip the braid out of the way and repeat the process on the other side of your head. When this braid is complete secure the two braids together with a hairband or clip. 

And there you have it a simple alternative to a waterfall braid.

Original waterfall braid:

The original waterfall braid can be slightly harder to master but the end result is definitely worth it. Once you get the hang of it there are so many different things you can do with this braid, you just need to be creative and experiment with combinations (or cheat and look them up online!). This too works on side and middle partings.

Step one: Brush your hair through and then pick up a small section of hair from the front of your head. Divide this into three strands and begin a normal braid (left over centre, right over centre). Only the second time you cross the top piece over, you want to add a small strand of hair from near the part line.

Step two: once you have added hair from the top and crossed it over the middle strand you want to DROP the bottom strand. If you are doing this on yourself you can clip it out of the way or hold it in your mouth but if you are lucky enough to be doing this on someone else just get then to hold it. Then pick up a strand of hair from under the braid and use it as your third strand instead, crossing it over the middle strand.

It may be confusing but in the photo the bottom strand or third piece was picked up from underneath the braid

Step three: continue to add hair from the top and drop hair from the bottom as you go and keep braiding until you reach the back of your head. Then either clip it off or repeat on the other side and join the braids up at the back.

Finished! Find a mirror Or a camera and go and admire your handy work! If this helped you then be sure to give it a like and follow me for more tutorials! 

Good luck and happy braiding!

Braiding for beginners – Dutch and Lace braids

Two braids very similar to the well known French braid are the Dutch braid and the lace braid. Once you can do a French braid you should find these two very easy and they can also be used in lots of variations.

Once again before you start braiding brush all your hair through so it is free of any knots and grab a mirror and some hairbands.

And we’re off!

Dutch braid:

A Dutch braid is basically an ‘inside out’ French braid. It uses the same principle with three strands where you add in hair, but instead of crossing the strands over the middle section you cross them underneath. If you are confused, have a look at the photos below.

Like the French braid you will need to add pieces from near the hairline on either side as you go. If you are confused about French braids you can check out my last blog here: 

French braids

So continue to cross both sides underneath and each time you cross a strand underneath be sure to add a section of hair from your hairline at the front of your head. Like the French braid when you reach the bottom of your head and can no longer add in hair continue to braid normally until you reach the ends of your hair then tie off the braid with a hairband.

Lace braids: 

If you can do a French or Dutch braid you will easily master the lace braid. It is very similar to the other two which is why I am including it in this blog but instead of adding hair from both sides you only add hair on one side. I recommend wearing this as a headband with a side parting (see the picture above) until you get the hand of it and then you can do what you like!

Step one: part your hair on the side of your head and brush it through to remove any knots.

Step two: Pick up a small section of hair from just next to the part line at the front of your head. Split this into three sections. 

Step three: Cross the right section under the middle section and the left section under the middle section as though you were starting a Dutch braid. 

Step four: Pick up a piece of hair from the hairline at the front of your head (make it fairly small) and add it to the piece of hair at the front/bottom of the braid.

Step five: Cross this piece under the middle strand and then cross the left strand (your left) under the middle strand. Continue the braid adding hair as you go until you reach the top of your ear. From here continue the braid as normal adding no hair until you reach the end. Secure with a small hairband.

Step six: Once you have tied the hair off you can go back and pull the edges of the braid to make it seem like your hair is thicker. 

Remember practice makes perfect so good luck and happy braiding! 🙂

Braiding for beginners – French braids

Most people can do a regular three strand braid without too much trouble but what if that is simply too boring… Have you ever wanted to try something else? More complicated versions of a three strand braid such as French braids and waterfall braids can look really nice and aren’t nearly as daunting as you might think.

So let’s start with a simple guide to a French braid. Once you have mastered this, lots of other braids suddenly become more manageable! 

Make sure that before you start you brush your hair through so it has no tangles in it and that you have a hair tie and a mirror handy.

Step one: Brush your hair back from your face and pick up a small section of hair from the back of your head. Then divide this into three pieces or ‘strands’.

Step two: Cross the strand on the left over the middle strand. The middle strand should now be on the left and the left strand should be in the middle. Now take the strand on the right and cross it over the strand in the middle. Many people will recognise this as the beginning of a normal braid. 

Step three: Pick up a piece of hair from near the hairline on the left side of your head and add it to the current left strand. Then cross this strand over the centre strand. 

Step four: Pick up another piece of hair, this time from the hairline on the right side of the head and add this to the strand on the right. Then cross the right strand over the middle strand.

Step five: Continue to add hair from each side of the head before crossing the strand over until you reach the bottom of your head and run out of hair.

Step six: continue a normal three strand braid to the end of your hair. To do this cross the left strand over the middle strand and then cross the right strand over the middle strand.

When you reach the end of your hair tie it off with a hair elastic.

The first time you try this braid it may not turn out quite how you want it to but the more you practice the better you will get. If you are struggling you might want to try doing it on a friend until you feel more confident. Have fun and good luck!