How to Plait Someone's Hair

Doing a Normal Plait

Have the person sit in a comfortable place where you can easily reach their hair.

Brush the person's hair until you can easily run your fingers through it without encountering any knots. A good way to brush the hair is to do it in different strips.

Divide the hair into three equal parts. Put the outside divisions over the person's shoulders. This makes it easier to keep each part separate.

Hold the outside division with your strong hand. For example, hold the right division with your right hand, or vice versa.

Bring that division across the centre one and swap them. So now the original inside part is over the person's shoulder where the outside part used to be.

Hold the other division that hasn't moved and swap it with the middle one. So now the original one on your strong side has moved onto your weaker side.

Continue doing what you have been doing, until you are left with a bit at the end which you can't plait.

Fasten the hair elastic onto the end. The person's hair has been plaited.

Doing a French Plait

Have the person sit in a comfortable place where you can easily reach their hair.

Brush the person's hair. Brush sufficiently until the hair is silky and free of knots.

Get a tiny piece of hair from the top of the head. How high you can get it will depend on the thickness of the person's hair, length of the hair and the style your model wants it to be.

Get two other pieces from the top of the head. Start plaiting it so that you have the beginnings of a plait.

Add in another bit of hair. Then do another criss-cross so you have now two individual parts of a plait.

Repeat Step 4 until you have no more hair to add. It should by now have reached below the person's nape of their neck.

Continue with a normal plait. (See Part 1.)

Done. Once you have reached the end, fasten with a hair elastic. The person's hair will now have been formed into a French braid.

Finished.