Braiding

Today’s lesson focused on the different styles and techniques that can be applied to the hair by braiding. New styles of braids have become popular over the years, including the fishtail and water fall braid, which have been seen at fashion week and on red carpets. This lesson was used to practice different styles and techniques of braiding the hair.

Examples of different braids

French Braid

I created this French braid by sectioning the hair into three stems, beginning with a normal braiding technique then picking up a section of hair and incorporating it into the braid. I felt quite confident when creating this particular braid as it used the original three stem concept with only minor changes and I have created this hair style before.

My French braid

Dutch Braid

I created this Dutch braid by applying the same techniques I used when creating a French braid but placed the incorporated stands of hair under instead of over, like a conventional braid. This was quite testing and I really had to think about where to place my strands as I naturally wanted to place them over, like a conventional plait. Other than that, I found I understood the concept and managed to create a neat plait.

My Dutch braid

Fishtail Braid

This style of braid looks very detailed and complex but only requires swapping over two sections of hair. I created this fishtail braid by taking a piece of hair and sectioning into two strands. I simply crossed them over and incorporated sections of hair from the sides (like I did when creating the French braid) and continued to cross the hair over.

My fishtail braid

Overall, I am pleased I managed to create every braid that was discussed, although I did struggle a little as I am not very confident with hair. I did not manage to dress out any of the braids the first time I practised but I think this was because I wanted them to look really neat. I persisted with this until I was satisfied. As I did not manage to dress out a style incorporating braids, I practised creating some at home. I practised dressing out styles incorporating a waterfall braid and loop braids.

My waterfall braid

My loop braid

References
Hair Braid mood board images- Magazine, G. (2015). The Ultimate Braid Guide: 30 Different Styles to Try This Summer. [online] Glamour. Available at: http://www.glamour.com/lipstick/2014/05/braids-and-braided-hairstyles-to-try-this-summer/ [Accessed 29 Jan. 2015].