Braiding Your Hair in the Traditional Style

Let's go back to our very basic skill of hair braid. This kind of hair braid style is the most popular style especially for the hair art newbies.

1.) Detangle hair with a brush or wide-toothed comb..

• Braiding goes a lot faster when your hair is knot-free. The comb should be able to pull easily through the length of the hair.
• If you're working with thick or layered hair, use a bit of water or liquid hair gel to dampen the hair first. This will make it easier to handle.
• You can braid hair when it is wet or dry. If your hair is completely wet, it will have a very smooth, tight appearance while dry hair will give a more messy look.
• If braiding your hair dry, it is best to do it a few days after washing so that it is not so clean and slick. Slightly oily hair will hold a braid better than brand "new" clean hair.

2.) Start with a secure base (optional)

• If you tie hair into a ponytail or half ponytail with a hair tie, your braid will be easier to handle and turn out a little neater. Once you get the hang of it, try to start braiding loose hair at the nape of the neck.

3.) Divide the hair into three even sections.

• These will be the three strands of your braid, so try to make them as even as possible.
• Grab the right section with your right hand and the left section with your left hand, letting the middle section hang free (for now).
• In your right and left hands, hold the strands so that you're grasping them against your palm with your middle, ring and little fingers, keeping your index fingers and thumbs free.

4.) Cross the left section over the middle section.

• If your strands started out as A B C, they should now be ordered as B A C.
• With the index finger and thumb of your left hand, grab the middle section of hair.
• Using the index finger and thumb of your right hand, grab the left section of hair that's grasped against your left palm.
• The original left hand section is now the middle section.

5.) Cross the right section over the middle section.

• Your strands that are now ordered B A C will become B C A.
• In your left hand, shift the strand that's between your index finger and thumb so that your other fingers are holding it secure against your palm.
• Use your left index finger and thumb to grab the section of hair that's being held against your right palm (but not the one being held by the thumb and index finger).
• The original right hand section is now the middle section.

6.) Continue braiding.

• Keep using the "free" index finger and thumb of one hand to grab the "back" section of hair (held by the other three fingers against the palm) from the other hand.
• Tighten the braid as you go. Any time a strand changes hands, tug gently on the hair so that the plait moves upward, tightening it. Don't pull too hard, though.
• Repeat until you run out of room, leaving about 1-3 inches of unbraided hair at the end.

7.) Secure the braid.

• Use a non-rubber elastic to tie off the end of the braid. You might have to wrap it around the hair several times.
• Avoid rubber bands. These can damage the hair and be difficult to remove at the end of the day.
• Whenever possible, use a ponytail holder that is the same color as your hair or that is translucent so that it blends in with your braid.

8.) Set the braid with hairspray (optional).

• Hairspray or spray gel can help your braid from developing flyaways as the day goes on.
• If you decide to use hairspray, make sure to use it before adding any hair ornaments.
• Use a shine serum along your braid to give it extra glow. Rub a bit between your hands and then run along the length of the braid.

Elsa’s Braid Hair Tutorial from Disney’s ‘Frozen’

Many of us have been drooling over Elsa’s hair ever since we first saw it. It’s a classy, loose braid that is actually pretty easy to recreate in real life. The creators of Frozen actually brought in a famous hair designer to help design Elsa’s now famous braid hairdo.

Follow the steps in this hair tutorial and within 10 minutes, you’ll be rocking Elsa’s braid just like the Snow Queen herself.

Materials:

• Fine-tooth comb
• Clear hair tie
• Curling iron
• Hair spray
• Hair
• Bobby pins (optional)
• Little blue ribbon/bow (optional)
• Clip-in hair extensions (if needed)

Prep

• Braids usually hold best when the hair is a little “dirty”, meaning it hasn’t been recently washed. Freshly washed and dried hair is smooth and slick, making it harder for the braid to hold in place. For best results, do this look on two- or three-day hair.
• This hair style works best for people with long hair since Elsa has very long hair herself. However, if you have medium-length hair you can still achieve this look with clip-in hair extensions. These are sections of hair that can be clipped into the bottom of your hair. As long as you match the color, they are pretty convincing and look real. Take two of these sections and clip them in, which will give you the length and fullness you need to complete this look.

Step 1: Volumize

• Elsa is a cartoon character, so no wonder her hair looks larger than life. We need to volumize and tease the hair so that it has that cartoon volume. 
• Divide the hair into 3 sections (top and sides). Start with the top section and divide that section into small pieces that are parallel to your forehead. 
• Take a fine-tooth comb and tease the hair on the backside of the section (the part facing away from your face). Once you have teased the hair, lightly comb through the front of the section so that all the little fuzzy hairs are smoothed out from the front. Repeat this for all of the smaller sections behind. Then repeat again for the two side sections.

Step 2: Braid

• After your hair is big and volumized, you are ready to braid. That those three sections and use those as your starting place for the french braid. Make sure you don’t braid too high on the top of your head. Elsa’s braid starts on the upper back of her head. While braiding, make sure to add big chunky sections of hair and to braid loosely.
• Once you braid down to the nape of your neck, continue braiding but make sure this section is braided loosely down one side (so it drapes over the front of your shoulder). After you fold a piece over, jiggle the braid a bit to loosen it up. Continue this process until you braid to the bottom of your hair. Take a clear hair tie to secure the braid in place.
• To make the braid look even fuller, pull at the sides of the braid. Start at the braid on the nape of your neck, then take the two side parts of the braid and carefully pull them so that the braid slightly expands. Continue this all the way down to the bottom of the braid.

Step 3: Wisps

• Elsa has bangs that are wisped back when she wears her hair in this braid. If you don’t have bangs, then stop the tutorial here and you’re done! But if you do have bangs or shorter pieces of hair that frame your face, we’re not quite finished yet.
• With your fingers, carefully pull out shorter pieces of hair around your face. Don’t go too far back or too far down (close to your ears). Keep pulling out pieces until you have a good amount.
• (Optional) Instead of pulling these pieces out after having braided them, you can start with them already out of the braid. To do this, just pull out the pieces you want, then braid the hair without these pieces.

Step 4: Curl

• Before we can wisp these pieces back, we have to curl them. 
• Take a curling iron (any size from 1-3 inches works) and loosely curl the ends of these pieces. Nothing fancy here. We’re just making sure the ends have a nice curl for when they are wisped back.

Step 5: Style

• Now with your hands, style these pieces back in place. The majority of these pieces should be placed on the top and upper sides of the head. Keep styling until you have them arranged as you like. Then take hair spray and spray those babies into place. After that, you’re done!
• Now, since these pieces are just hair sprayed into place, they might eventually fall out of place since this hairstyle is so loose. If this happens, you can use bobby pins to secure the pieces back in place so they don’t move during the day.

Step 6: Accessorize (Optional)

• If you want to take this hairdo to the next level, you can accessorize the way Elsa does. 
• If you look really closely, Elsa has a really tiny blue bow at the end of her braid. Also, in some pictures she has ice crystallizations to decorate her hair.

Final Thoughts

• Since Elsa’s braid has such a loose look, it is likely that the braid may come out halfway into the day. Just re-braid, style the wispy pieces back and hair spray. Or take bobby pins to hold the braid and wispy pieces into place.
• The whole look should take less than 10 minutes. It’s actually pretty easy and looks great in person. The volumizing doesn’t look weird or fake, but actually makes it look awesome in person. I’ve worn this braid a few times and every time, I get a lot of compliments on it with people saying how much they love how full it is.

Perfect Hairstyles For A Windy City Winter

The only thing worse than dressing up like the Abominable Snowman this time of the year?Having a perpetually bad-hair day. Seriously, between the notorious Chicago wind and coiff-crushing hats, conquering the elements seems like an exercise in futility. Well, hold on to your (winter) chapeau, ladies. We're here to prove otherwise. 

We called upon celebrity-hair guru (and Trump Tower salon owner) Anthony Cristiano forsome serious winterizing-style advice. This master of manes has three, chic braided-looks that are guaranteed to keep you looking gorgeous no matter what Old Man Winter has in store. Whether your goal is to simply keep your locks out of your face (and lip gloss) or you're in need of a full-blown, snow-proof 'do, we promise, you'll be able to whip up one of these styles faster than it takes to dress up in all those layers.

Gorgeous Ways to Braid Hair This Fall

Here’s my roundup of fabulous ways to braid your hair this fall.

Off to the Side

This is such a fun, flirty hairstyle. I've started with a French braided fishtail on the far side near my ear. Once I got to the nape of my neck, I started an alternative braid and left out the front section of hair so that from the front, this style looks like all my hair is left down.

A Quick Fishtail

I absolutely adore this hairstyle. You take two sections from the front and secure them in back with a clear elastic. Then make a little topystail out of it by pulling the tail up and through the gap that's between your scalp and your elastic. Then do a simple fishtail. I pulled out the pieces and made it look extra messy!

Inverted Braided Bangs

This is such a fast hairstyle that can easily be added to. It gets your bangs and hair out of your face, but leaves you feeling feminine with hair still left on your neck.

French Braided Messy Bun

In a hurry? Didn't have time to wash your hair? French braid it back and pull it up into a messy bun. Done!

The fabulous Waterfall Braid

This is one of my most favorite braids.

How to Fishtail Braid

1.) Divide your hair into two large sections, parting straight down the middle. 

For a sharper look, you can use a comb to part your hair evenly. If you'd prefer the tousled Katniss Everdeen (from The Hunger Games) look, though, simply part it with your hands.

2.) Pull a thin strand of hair from the outside of the left section. 

Pull it over the top of the left section, and grasp it under the right section.

• In other words, the strand of hair has gone over the left section and finishes under the right section. 
• In general, try to use the same thickness for each strand throughout or your braid will look uneven. 
• For a more intricate braid, use skinnier strands. It takes more effort, but it looks gorgeous. Using skinnier strands is very lovely. 
• For a beginner, pulling it tighter helps you to learn the method properly. 

3.) Repeat on the right side.

Pull a skinny strand of hair from the outside of the right section, pull it over the right section, then weave it under the left section.

The History Of Braid

       A braid (also called plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibres, wire, or hair. Compared to the process ofweaving a wide sheet of cloth from two separate, perpendicular groups of strands (warp and weft), a braid is usually long and narrow, with each component strand functionally equivalent in zigzagging forward through the overlapping mass of the others.

   The simplest possible braid is a flat, solid, three-strand structure in some countries/cases called a plait. More complex braids can be constructed from an arbitrary (but usually odd) number of strands to create a wider range of structures: wider ribbon-like bands, hollow or solid cylindrical cords, or broad mats which resemble a rudimentary perpendicular weave.

Braids are commonly used to make rope, decorative objects, and hairstyles^[1] (also see pigtails, French braid). Complex braids have been used to create hanging fibre artworks. Braiding is also used to prepare horses' manes and tails for showing, polo and polocrosse.^[2]

Four Strand Braid

Headband braid trial