Braid Basics

This week’s posts will be a series on braids and some basics styles that incorporate them. First, some definitions. A braid is any technique that involves crossing one section of hair over another. You can have a braid with two, three, four, or five sections before the sections get too hard to hold. In this series, I will be focusing on three-strand braids because they are commonly accepted as the most basic type of braid. Many instructions on how to braid are on the internet, so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel with picture instructions for all of these. A good site to look at would be DreamWeaver Braiding. The terms for the different types of braids, however, can be confusing so here are the four categories of three-strand braids.

1. The basic braid, also known as English braiding or over braiding. The outside is crossed over the middle section, becoming the new middle section. the Vs that point down.

2. Inside-out braid, also known as Dutch braiding or under braiding. The outside section is crossed under becoming the new middle section. The Vs point up.

3. French braid. This variant of the English braid adds hair to the outer section before crossing over the middle section. The braid feels relatively flat along the head.

4. Inside-out French Braid, also known as Dutch-French braiding or cornrows. Same technique as a regular French braid except the sections are crossed under. The braid feels like a ridge.

There you have it, basic braiding. You can incorporate braids into lots of different styles or wear them by themselves. Here is a video (not me!) showing a braid with a French twist; this technique would look really pretty with the French fold.

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