Before I went to cosmetology school, I had no idea how to french braid. I tried over and over on my Barbies and on my own head, but I just couldn’t figure it out! My hands would always get all confused and I’d lose track of which hand was adding hair and which was the outside strand.
Now, I don’t mean to brag, but to totally brag, I am an expert braider.
But if french braids still totally confuse you, this is the hairstyle for you! This is such a simple braid, you can see your hairs the entire time, and you only have to make it through a few french braids before you tie it off in a simple braid and toss it all into a messy bun.
This style saves me when I’m in a major hurry, but I need to look a little fancier than just a regular messy bun. Throw on some dangly earrings, and this hair style can get you from pajamas to date night or Sunday best quick as a jiffy.
A lace braid is a fancy name for a french braid where you only add hair in on one side. You can do this where you add hair in the front or back, but for this style we are only adding hair from the front hairline. The result is a delicate and pretty little braid that is very forgiving and adds a fun twist to a simple low bun.
Step 1
Start with hair that has some grip. Clean hair is too slippery for braids to hold well. Do this style on a day you aren’t washing your hair, or spray some texture spray or dry shampoo onto your hair if it is clean.
Step 2
Part your hair off to the side, at an angle towards the center. The heavy side of your part will be down and you’ll braid the other side
Boy oh boy do I need to redo my highlights.
Step 3
Take a section of hair about 2-3 inches wide and split into 3 equal sections. Do one regular braid rotation (outside to the middle, outside to the middle). For this braid, you are crossing the outside section over the middle section. Keep the braid (where you cross your hairs) at the very back of your section and as you work down, keep pulling the braid further and further back.
Cross all sections at the BACK of your section. As you travel down, each front section should travel a bit longer to cross into the braid.
Step 4
Add hair from the hairline to the front outside section and pull over the middle, making the piece with added hair the new middle.
See? Adding hair at the front hairline, bringing it back to the back of the section to cross over into the middle.
Step 5
Cross the outside section over the middle WITHOUT adding hair.
Step 6
Back to the front section, add hair from the hairline and cross over into the middle. Cross the outside back section over into the middle again and repeat this process until you’ve reached all of the front hairline to your ear. Keep the braid static and bring the added hairs to the back. You want the added pieces to get longer and longer as you go down.
The front outside section you add hair to should be creating longer lines as it joins the braid at the back.
Step 7
Finish off the braid with a regular braid and tie off with a small elastic.
If those pictures and explanation made zero sense, here’s a quick video of the lace braid.
Step 8
Leaving the braid out, gather the rest of your hair into a low messy bun. Use this trick!
Step 9
Wrap the braid over the top of your bun and secure underneath.
Step 10
Pull out some pieces around your ears to soften the look, loosen the bun a bit by lightly tugging random sections from the top of your hair, and you’re done!
It was really hard to take a picture of this hairstyle without showcasing my double chin.
Let me know if you give this a try! Especially if french braiding intimidates you!
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Love French braids!!