{"title":"How to French Braid Hair Step by Step","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/lifestyle/how-to-french-braid-hair","category":{"slug":"lifestyle","name":"Lifestyle"},"creator":{"name":"hair4myprincess","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi2FVrgVb8fS2x6OeMfdGUA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPE1ktvWXsY"},"tldr":"How to French braid hair step by step. Beginner-friendly cross-add-cross technique that works on yourself or another person. 7 clear steps with photos.","totalDurationSeconds":360,"difficulty":"medium","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Split the Top Section Into Three","text":"Grab a section of hair at the top of where you want the braid to start. Mist it with a little water to keep flyaways down. Split that section into three roughly equal strands. Keep them separated with your fingers."},{"number":2,"title":"Start with a Regular Braid Cross","text":"Take the left strand and cross it over the middle. Then take the right strand and cross it over the middle. This is the same as a regular three-strand braid. It doesn't matter how you hold the hair for this first cross, just make sure left goes over middle, then right goes over middle."},{"number":3,"title":"Get Your Hand Position Right","text":"This is where it gets different from a regular braid. Take the right strand and lay it across your forefinger, palm facing up. Then pinch the middle strand between your pointer finger and thumb. Your middle finger stays out and ready to catch the next strand coming across. This hand position is what keeps everything organized."},{"number":4,"title":"Add Hair from the Side","text":"After you cross a strand over the middle, grab a small section of loose hair from that same side and combine it with the strand you just crossed over. It should all lay together like one piece. This is the part that makes it a French braid instead of a regular one. You're picking up new hair and folding it in as you go."},{"number":5,"title":"Switch Hands and Repeat","text":"Now switch hands. Mirror the same grip on the opposite side. Lay the strand across your forefinger, pinch the middle with your pointer and thumb, hold your middle finger out. Cross the strand from the other side over the middle, catch it, and add more hair from that side. Keep alternating left and right, adding hair each time."},{"number":6,"title":"Work Your Way Down","text":"Keep going down the head, picking up hair from each side as you cross strands. If the ends get tangled, stop and comb them out before continuing. If a piece looks messy where you added it in, smooth it out now. Fixing things as you go is way easier than trying to fix the finished braid."},{"number":7,"title":"Finish with a Regular Braid","text":"Once you've added in all the loose hair from both sides, finish the rest as a regular three-strand braid. Cross left over middle, right over middle, all the way to the ends. Tie it off with a hair elastic. The more you practice, the faster and neater it gets."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:40:42.800Z","published":"2026-04-10T23:59:24.816Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}