Making Curly Hair Easier to Braid
Spray a detangling product on your hair and brush it through. Before you braid curly hair, you want to make sure that it’s as manageable as possible. That’s why you should apply a detangling product first to ensure that your curls aren’t knotted or coiled together when you try to braid. Apply the product to your hair and gently work it through with your fingers to carefully get rid of any tangles. Many detangling sprays can be used on wet or dry hair. If you’re detangling wet hair, you can use a leave-in conditioner or smoothing serum. For dry hair, a small amount of hair oil can work as a detangler. EXPERT TIP "If you have really curly hair, it will be easier to braid if your hair is unwashed or it has a little moisture on it." Arthur Sebastian Arthur Sebastian Professional Hair Stylist Arthur Sebastian is the Owner of Arthur Sebastian Hair Salon in San Francisco, California. Arthur has worked as a hair stylist for over 20 years and received his Cosmetology License in 1998. He believes that the true work of a successful hair stylist comes from passion and a love for hairdressing. Arthur Sebastian Arthur SebastianProfessional Hair Stylist
Avoid brushing your hair. While it’s important for your hair to be free of tangles before braiding, you shouldn’t use a brush to smooth your hair. Brushing curly hair can often leave it frizzy, which makes braiding much more difficult. Use your fingers to work through your hair if it’s tangled or knotted. If your hair is too tangled for your fingers to get the job done, opt for a wide-tooth comb, which is less likely to create frizz than a brush.
Work with your curls. When it comes to actually braiding your hair, it’s important to work with your curls, not against them. As you’re gathering sections of hair to work into the braid, take whole curls. Don’t try to separate pieces to create sections that are the precise size that you prefer or you may wind up creating frizz. Working with your curls while braiding may sometimes mean that the sections you pull into it aren’t even. Don’t worry -- the curls will add a pretty textured detail to your braid that straight hair doesn’t have.
Creating a Relaxed, Casual Braid for Curly Hair
Gather your hair at the nape of the neck. For a casual look, allow your hair to fall naturally over your shoulders. Comb through it with your fingers to smooth it if necessary, and then gather it together at the nape of your neck. If your hair is extremely thick and unruly, you may want to use a hair elastic to secure it at the nape of your neck so it’s easier to braid.
Create three sections and braid. When you’ve gathered your hair at the nape of the neck, divide it into three sections that are roughly the same size. Braid your hair by taking one of the outer sections and crossing it over the middle section. Cross the other outer section over the middle, and repeat the process until all of your hair is braided. If your hair is extremely thick, you can also create a braid with just two sections. Cross the sections over one another until you reach the ends of your hair.
Secure the braid and pull some pieces loose. Once you’ve braided your hair, use a hair elastic or clip to secure the end of it. Pull some pieces of hair out of the braid to give it a more relaxed, casual look. It’s especially pretty to pull some curls loose around your face. If you prefer, you can gather your hair over to one side and create a side braid instead of a traditional style at the nape of the neck.
French Braiding Curly Hair
Gather some hair at the crown and start to braid. At the top of your head, gather a chunk of your hair. Divide the hair into three sections, and begin to braid by crossing the right section over the middle and then crossing the left section over the middle. Be sure to only cross each outer section over hair over the center once for the first step. Pull the hair tightly as you’re braiding to ensure that the braid won’t come undone as you’re working. Curly hair is more likely to come loose if you don’t create a tight braid.
Pull more hair from each side of the head before repeating the pattern. Before you repeat the braiding motion of crossing the outer sections over the center, take a little more hair on each side to incorporate it into the braid. For example, when you’re crossing the right section over the center, gather a little more hair from the right side into the outer section before crossing it over. French braiding your own hair can be difficult because you can’t see the back of your head. To make it easier, hold the right section in your right hand, the left section in your left hand, and the middle section between the thumb and forefinger or middle finger of either hand. That will keep the sections separate.
Continue the braiding process to the end. Repeat the braiding process, taking more hair from each side as you work and incorporating it into the braid. As your reach the end of your hair, you’ll finish with a regular braid by just crossing the outer sections over the center section without adding in any other hair. Secure the end of the braid with a hair elastic or clip. You may want to apply a little flexible hold hairspray to your curly French braid to ensure that your curls don’t come loose and get frizzy.
Comments
0 comment