!8: Croc Flat Iron Buy Now: January 2012

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Four Types of Hair Braiding You May Not Have Heard Of

!±8± Four Types of Hair Braiding You May Not Have Heard Of

There's a wide variety of hair braiding styles out there - French braids, pigtails and so forth - but there's also a slew of styles out there that not many people know about. If you're a stylist, it's important to have lots of go-to hairstyles in your repertoire, so you can mix and match when it's time to get creative with a client's coif.

With that in mind, here are a few of the lesser-known types of braiding - styles you may not know of. But get to know them - they may impress someone into making you their permanent stylist!

Dutch Braids. Remember that episode of Star Trek where Captain Kirk ran into their doubles from a parallel universe? The Dutch braid is like the parallel-universe version of a French braid. It's also called an "underbraid," largely because the left and right sections of the braid are passed underneath the middle section instead of over the top of it. There's no better way to make passersby do a double take - they'll see something that's like a French braid, but subtly different.

Fishtail. A fishtail is a two-strand braid. To make it, divide a single section of hair in two, then lay them one-over-another like you would in a normal braid. Pull them together, so as to tighten the plait. Here's the catch: Instead of braiding them into one another, pull smaller segments off of each section and braid them across the middle, forming a herringbone pattern. This looks wonderful on someone with very long hair.

Reverse Braiding. A reverse braid is like a Dutch braid, in the sense that you're going under the middle rather than over the top. Here's the difference: Instead of following a French braid pattern, follow the pattern of a normal braid.

Braiding things into hair. This is a twist on braids, and it can be done with any of the above methods, as well as with any other braid style. Including things like ribbons, strings of pearls, or strips of colored fabric in a braid can lend a festive yet graceful touch to any hairstyle. These are popular among historical re-enactors and Renaissance faire attendees, but done right, they can look just as modern as any style on MTV. The process is simple: Just use the added material in place of a strand of the braid. So if you're making a three-strand braid, use your material and two strands of hair.