How to French Braid Your Own Hair in 11 Easy Steps (PHOTOS)
French-braiding someone else's hair isn't too hard. We all learned at slumber parties and summer camp. But French braiding your own hair? That's something else altogether. You have to reach behind your head and do everything backwards, with nothing but a mental picture in your mind of what you're actually doing. But you shouldn't have to call your BFF over to your house every time you want that hairstyle. You can do it yourself -- we promise. Here's how to French braid your own hair.
This video tutorial by Luxy Hair makes this 'do super simple. Follow our slideshow to see it broken down into steps.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yDEqP6FsQs
*Images ©iStock.com/SweetyMommy (top) and *©iStock.com/malyugin (bottom)
Pull Back Front Section
Gather the front section of your hair together in one hand. Make sure you've gathered an even amount of hair from each side. Try to start as near the top of your head as possible. Once you get comfortable, you can experiment with starting a braid lower down on your head.
Pull 1 Side Over & Down the Center
Take the left-hand section and pull it to the right. Then pull it down the center so it's now the middle section. Hold tight again with one hand.
It doesn't matter which side you start with as long as you alternate consistently.
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Pull Combined Section Over & Down the Center
Now braid that new, doubled section in the same way you've been doing, but pulling it over and down the center to make it the new middle section.
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Finish Braid
From there, just braid your hair out and secure with an elastic. You'll want to braid as tightly as possible the entire way, but especially here at the end where those wispy strands tend to fall out. Spray all around, and smooth back the front. Enjoy your fresh braid!
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