Q&A for How to Braid Your Own Hair

French braiding your own hair can be tricky. The method is the same as when you do it on someone else, but you'll be working where you can't see, so you have to go by feel. Keep your hands close to the scalp to prevent bumps in the finished look.

Braiding doesn't have any direct benefits for the hair, but it is a good way to create a stylish look without heat. Braiding can also protect your hair from exposure to the elements.

A fishtail braid is made by splitting the hair in half then peeling off small sections from each side and adding them to the opposite side. This looks best if the sections are taken from the outside edges.

A Dutch braid is like a French braid but the roots are sleeker and the braid itself has a 3-D appearance. You create it by crossing the sections under each other instead of over like you would for a traditional French braid.

This puffing out is a result of a lack of tension. As you braid, keep your hands close to the scalp and pull down and back on the braid.

Curly hair is great for braiding. Before you begin, dampen the hair slightly and add some leave-in conditioner to help control the curls as you work.

That is entirely up to you but if you practice daily, you'll probably get the hang of it within a week. Try it and see.

No. In some cases, wetting your hair before braiding can actually increase the likelihood of breakage. That being said, in my experience, dampening my hair can make it easier to tuck in loose strands. This is also the ideal method if you want wavy hair. Braiding your hair while damp will create waves when it dries.

You do the same thing as a french braid, but instead of crossing the side strands OVER the middle, you cross them UNDER the middle.

With practice, you should be able to side braid your hair within a couple minutes. French braiding may take up to 5 minutes, and fishtailing, up to 10 minutes (depending on length of hair).

Use a double-mirror system. Have one mirror on one wall, and another mirror (that you can adjust the angle of) opposite it.

Depending on the style, hair usually becomes 2 to 3 inches shorter.

Start by dampening your hair, which actually makes it slightly longer (especially if naturally wavy) and easier to braid. Then, try to keep the braid nice and tight while you braid it.

If you can't manage it with your fingers, you can always use hair clips to hold a piece in place until you're ready to use it.

Once you find a fixed position in which you can stop braiding, take turns changing from the right to the left hand.

Consider adding some hair extensions or doing French braids instead.

It's easiest to stand in front of a mirror and then position another mirror behind you so that you can see the back of your head. Then follow the steps but instead of bringing it around, braid behind your head only.

If your hair is layered, it will affect your braid. The shorter pieces of hair will come out before the braid is finished. It's like braiding yarn strands that are different lengths. The shorter layers will poke through the braid. However, you can hide these with bobby pins.

A French braid is an amazing braid to do on hair with layers, because it keeps the layers from sticking out. It might be difficult to do a fishtail or classic braid on your hair, but if you use lots of hairspray it might be able to hold.

Your hair is weakest when wet, so you are more likely to damage it when you style it while wet. Additionally, your hair will take much longer to dry in a braid than it would if you left it down.

Apply gel to your hair before you braid it and use hairspray after.

It depends on how well you know how to braid. If you are a beginner then probably 3-5 minutes. If you are an expert then 1-3 minutes.

If you have straight or slightly wavy hair, then it would look very wavy, depending on how tight you make the braid.

You can always use a mirror in front of you and behind you to see the back as well as the front of your hair. If not, get somebody else to do it.

Using bigger chunks of hair could help it go a little faster, but the result might not look the same. All hair styling and hair care takes longer with long hair. That's the price you pay for having long hair. If the effort isn't worth it to you, cut your hair or just don't do styles that take a lot of work.

Not always, but most braids require three sections.

Go to a hairdresser or ask someone to cut your hair for you. You can also cut your hair but you should look in the mirror. Your hair should be straight to make it easier to braid. Avoid layers.

Sure. When you wake up, your hair will be pretty and wavy.

You can get the same effect by putting your hair in a ponytail, doing a flip tail (there is a tutorial for that on YouTube), then tying it off with a hair band, then flipping it again and so forth.

Dampen your hair and try using 2 thicker, stronger elastics to ensure that your hair stays in better.