Help! Anyone any good at French plaits (pic included)

[Rainallnight]

I’ve been trying to do French plaits in DD’s hair and I don’t think I’m very good at it! She’s got nice hair, not very fine or anything but it still ends up looking a bit gappy and rough.

Any tips?

There are some excellent step by step videos on YouTube. I had to do my dds hair for dance shows and YouTube was a life saver.

This is the one

I'm terrible at plaits. That one looks good

I would say, do you have a rat's tail comb? On YouTube videos they grab the new pieces on hair in neat straight lines. The rest you seem to have covered

Its all about practice tbh. I find plaiting damp hair much easier, and you need to keep your hands close to the head and follow it round so the plait doesn't come away at the bottom. But just keep doing it and it will get better

Doesn't look too shabby! Just keep practising. Depending on hair type, sometimes it's easier to do when damp.

My 14yo dd shaves her head now but for the first few years of primary had waist length hair and with YouTube guidance, I became pretty good at all manner of braids, some of them pretty intricate. I miss it in some ways.

When you've mastered French, try Dutch!

I love Brad Mondo’s video for braids-

@LagneyandCasey Thanks, great video! I’d looked on YouTube but was a bit overwhelmed. That one is perfect. I see what she does is to cross over the free strand of hair and then add the new hair into it. I think that would make a difference to me. I was trying to grab the new hair at the same time as crossing over, if that makes sense.

@CMOTDibbler That’s exactly it, it is coming away at the bottom. Maybe I need her to bend her head forward for that bit. She’s not the most co-operative with anyone poking and prodding her, which doesn’t help!

@grey12 I think I definitely need one of those combs

Not bad at all! Hold the hair strands as close as possible to the head, that will help the plait be tighter to the head.

I find little girls hair is often too soft and slippery for a good french braid! Don't try when it's freshly washed and maybe dampen it a bit first

@northbacchus Yes, definitely needs to be closer to the head. It’s a right mess towards the nape of her neck.

@ShowOfHands I can imagine how you feel. I started trying to do fancier styles because I suddenly thought that this time of her letting me do it was finite

That Dutch braid is so beautiful!

@Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep Damp would be better but she’s really weird about having her hair sprayed. It’s definitely not too clean

@PaniniHead He’s fabulous!

14yo dd loves Brad Mondo and I have quite a soft spot for him too. He's relentlessly chipper.

Plenty of of dd's friends still let their Mums do their hair.

I just have to braid my own now which is a different challenge entirely.