Cinnamoroll
01-27-2022, 12:36 AM
Alright… here’s the guide that no one asked for!
Okay, so actually nattiee asked me about this one because YouTube was no help for this and she was totes mad jealous of my Dutch braids. Nattiee is a real one and we love her.
SO YOU WANNA LEARN HOW TO DUTCH BRAID? Cool! I can’t say I blame you. Its a cute hairstyle, it gets your hair away from your face, AND you can say “yep, did these bad boys myself, nbd” and amaze those around you. Plus, everyone needs to have the token “person who knows how to braid at the summer camp so everyone line up at my bunk” friend in the friend group. And now, you too, can be that friend!
Or maybe your mom/sister/grandma/aunt/second cousin twice removed on your dad’s side never taught you how to braid and now you’re a 20-30 something person who wishes they learned this shit years ago and thinks this skill is a lost cause. Well boy, are you wrong! It’s never too late to learn! Let’s get started, shall we?
Brush your hair, and if you can, do this when your hair is slightly damp/wet. It can help especially when you’re learning.
If you’re doing this with dry hair, put some dry shampoo in your hair first. This helps add some texture, especially if your is recently washed and/or very soft. Split your hair down the middle with a comb or your fingers. Separate the side you aren’t braiding first by tying it back with an elastic. Make sure this is done relatively tightly so you don’t accidentally grab hair from that side (you’ll understand later what that means)
To get ready to start the braid, hold your arms above your head grab a section of hair from the front of your head. Split it into 3 even strands. You’ll want to make sure you’re pulling the hair back and away from you. It feels unnatural at first, but eventually it’ll be second nature. It doesn’t matter if you start the braid itself with the outer strand or the inner strand, but remember to keep it consistent for the other side. For the purpose of this tutorial/example, I will start with the outer strand on the left side of the head. However, you can start with the inner strand too. And it doesn’t matter if you do the left side or the right side of your head first. That’s the freedom of choice, baby.
Okay so you’ve got the hair split into 3 even sections. Excellent. This is progress. Now, start the braid by crossing the outer strand UNDER the middle strand. The outer strand is now in the middle, and the middle strand is now on the outside. Next, take the inner strand (the one on the other side of the middle, so if you’re doing the left side of your head, the inner strand will be the strand closer to your right side of your head aka closer to the middle part. If you’re doing the right side of your head, the inner strand will be closer to the left side of your head, again aka the middle part) and cross it UNDER the middle strand. Now the inner strand is in the middle, and the strand that started on the outer side, is now on the inner side. The middle strand is now on the outer side. Are you still with me? Okay, good!
This is where the Dutch braid technique really begins. Your arms may begin to hurt or feel sore. You’ll probably think “damn, is this even worth it? Why did Cinna make me think I could do this?”. Yes, yes it absolutely is worth it and trust me you CAN do this. Just bear with me. Take your outer strand again and grab some hair to add to the strand, making it a bit thicker.
You can grab a larger section or a smaller section. If you want a tighter looking braid, grab smaller sections. For a looser/messier looking braid, grab larger sections.
Once you’ve added the section of hair, cross the outer strand UNDER the middle strand. Once again, the outer strand is now the middle strand, and the middle strand is now the outer stand.
What about the other side? Well, glad you asked. We’re gonna do the same thing again! Take the inner strand and grab some hair from the same side of your head to add to the inner strand. Take the inner strand with the added hair and cross it UNDER the middle strand.
Repeat the same process of grabbing the outer and middle strands, adding hair and crossing the strands under the middle until you cannot add any more hair to the strands: Outer strand, add hair, cross it under middle. Inner strand, add hair, cross it under middle. Back to outer strand again and so on and so forth. Do your best to hold it tight so it stays together. You can always “loosen” the look of the braid after by gently pulling at it. But don’t do that til you’ve finished both sides fully!
Once you no longer have any hair to add to the strands, continue to braid, and remember to keep crossing the strands UNDER each other. This keeps the pattern consistent. Pop on some elastics once you have your desired end length and wow your arms are crying from being sore but you did it! You completed one side! Take a break if you want, and when you’re ready, we’re going to repeat the same process but now for the right side of your head.
Take a section of hair from the front of your head, split it into three even strands. Start with that outer strand again, crossing it under the middle strand. Take the inner strand, crossing it under the middle strand. Grab the outer strand, add some hair to it, crossing it under the middle. Now grab the inner strand, add some hair to it and cross it under the middle. Rinse and repeat until you’re out of hair to add to the strands. Keep braiding by crossing the strands under each other until you are ready to elastic the ends.
Want a pro tip? Duh, Cinna, of course we do.
When you’re practising, don’t bother trying to look in the mirror. It will complicate things and confuse you. Trust me, I got so frustrated trying to braid in the mirror that I wanted to smack my brush against my head. 0/10 don’t recommend.
I would recommend mindlessly practicing while watching tv or something along those lines. The muscle memory will come with time. Don’t be discouraged if it takes a few tries to complete both sides. You’re learning so be gentle on yourself (unlike I was when I learned LOL). Once you’ve started to get it down, you’ll be able to try it on your friends/family/whoever! You can try practicing on someone else right away too. That can help you visualise what you are doing, but it may still be tricky the first few tries!
Anyways, enough of me rambling. But I do have one last thing to add: Once you get the muscle memory of Dutch braiding down, you’ll be able to do a French braid, too! A French braid is the exact same technique BUT instead of crossing the strands under each other, you cross the strands OVER each other! I know right, who knew?!
Look at you now. You’re the braiding prodigy that you wished you were back at Girl Guide camp. Be proud, kid! Because I am proud of you :tickled_pink:
Now go out there and rock those cute braids! :star:
Okay, so actually nattiee asked me about this one because YouTube was no help for this and she was totes mad jealous of my Dutch braids. Nattiee is a real one and we love her.
SO YOU WANNA LEARN HOW TO DUTCH BRAID? Cool! I can’t say I blame you. Its a cute hairstyle, it gets your hair away from your face, AND you can say “yep, did these bad boys myself, nbd” and amaze those around you. Plus, everyone needs to have the token “person who knows how to braid at the summer camp so everyone line up at my bunk” friend in the friend group. And now, you too, can be that friend!
Or maybe your mom/sister/grandma/aunt/second cousin twice removed on your dad’s side never taught you how to braid and now you’re a 20-30 something person who wishes they learned this shit years ago and thinks this skill is a lost cause. Well boy, are you wrong! It’s never too late to learn! Let’s get started, shall we?
Brush your hair, and if you can, do this when your hair is slightly damp/wet. It can help especially when you’re learning.
If you’re doing this with dry hair, put some dry shampoo in your hair first. This helps add some texture, especially if your is recently washed and/or very soft. Split your hair down the middle with a comb or your fingers. Separate the side you aren’t braiding first by tying it back with an elastic. Make sure this is done relatively tightly so you don’t accidentally grab hair from that side (you’ll understand later what that means)
To get ready to start the braid, hold your arms above your head grab a section of hair from the front of your head. Split it into 3 even strands. You’ll want to make sure you’re pulling the hair back and away from you. It feels unnatural at first, but eventually it’ll be second nature. It doesn’t matter if you start the braid itself with the outer strand or the inner strand, but remember to keep it consistent for the other side. For the purpose of this tutorial/example, I will start with the outer strand on the left side of the head. However, you can start with the inner strand too. And it doesn’t matter if you do the left side or the right side of your head first. That’s the freedom of choice, baby.
Okay so you’ve got the hair split into 3 even sections. Excellent. This is progress. Now, start the braid by crossing the outer strand UNDER the middle strand. The outer strand is now in the middle, and the middle strand is now on the outside. Next, take the inner strand (the one on the other side of the middle, so if you’re doing the left side of your head, the inner strand will be the strand closer to your right side of your head aka closer to the middle part. If you’re doing the right side of your head, the inner strand will be closer to the left side of your head, again aka the middle part) and cross it UNDER the middle strand. Now the inner strand is in the middle, and the strand that started on the outer side, is now on the inner side. The middle strand is now on the outer side. Are you still with me? Okay, good!
This is where the Dutch braid technique really begins. Your arms may begin to hurt or feel sore. You’ll probably think “damn, is this even worth it? Why did Cinna make me think I could do this?”. Yes, yes it absolutely is worth it and trust me you CAN do this. Just bear with me. Take your outer strand again and grab some hair to add to the strand, making it a bit thicker.
You can grab a larger section or a smaller section. If you want a tighter looking braid, grab smaller sections. For a looser/messier looking braid, grab larger sections.
Once you’ve added the section of hair, cross the outer strand UNDER the middle strand. Once again, the outer strand is now the middle strand, and the middle strand is now the outer stand.
What about the other side? Well, glad you asked. We’re gonna do the same thing again! Take the inner strand and grab some hair from the same side of your head to add to the inner strand. Take the inner strand with the added hair and cross it UNDER the middle strand.
Repeat the same process of grabbing the outer and middle strands, adding hair and crossing the strands under the middle until you cannot add any more hair to the strands: Outer strand, add hair, cross it under middle. Inner strand, add hair, cross it under middle. Back to outer strand again and so on and so forth. Do your best to hold it tight so it stays together. You can always “loosen” the look of the braid after by gently pulling at it. But don’t do that til you’ve finished both sides fully!
Once you no longer have any hair to add to the strands, continue to braid, and remember to keep crossing the strands UNDER each other. This keeps the pattern consistent. Pop on some elastics once you have your desired end length and wow your arms are crying from being sore but you did it! You completed one side! Take a break if you want, and when you’re ready, we’re going to repeat the same process but now for the right side of your head.
Take a section of hair from the front of your head, split it into three even strands. Start with that outer strand again, crossing it under the middle strand. Take the inner strand, crossing it under the middle strand. Grab the outer strand, add some hair to it, crossing it under the middle. Now grab the inner strand, add some hair to it and cross it under the middle. Rinse and repeat until you’re out of hair to add to the strands. Keep braiding by crossing the strands under each other until you are ready to elastic the ends.
Want a pro tip? Duh, Cinna, of course we do.
When you’re practising, don’t bother trying to look in the mirror. It will complicate things and confuse you. Trust me, I got so frustrated trying to braid in the mirror that I wanted to smack my brush against my head. 0/10 don’t recommend.
I would recommend mindlessly practicing while watching tv or something along those lines. The muscle memory will come with time. Don’t be discouraged if it takes a few tries to complete both sides. You’re learning so be gentle on yourself (unlike I was when I learned LOL). Once you’ve started to get it down, you’ll be able to try it on your friends/family/whoever! You can try practicing on someone else right away too. That can help you visualise what you are doing, but it may still be tricky the first few tries!
Anyways, enough of me rambling. But I do have one last thing to add: Once you get the muscle memory of Dutch braiding down, you’ll be able to do a French braid, too! A French braid is the exact same technique BUT instead of crossing the strands under each other, you cross the strands OVER each other! I know right, who knew?!
Look at you now. You’re the braiding prodigy that you wished you were back at Girl Guide camp. Be proud, kid! Because I am proud of you :tickled_pink:
Now go out there and rock those cute braids! :star: