Dutch braids make for great impact, while not actually being that difficult to get right. Especially if you follow our easy steps.
The key to any hairstyle starts with making sure that your hair is in the right condition – you’ll have a hard time pulling off a braid when you’re fighting frizzy or damaged hair.
It’s also worth remembering that braid hairstyles tend to pull on your hair and scalp, making a healthy scalp a useful thing to focus on as well.
So before you attempt these braids, grab a shampoo that’s designed to look after both your hair and scalp – that way, you’ll have the best platform possible to show off your new style.
And with that, let’s get on with the braiding, shall we?
The Dutch braid
The Dutch braid uses the same technique as a French braid, but instead of crossing the stands over each other, you will want to cross them under.
As a rule, it’s best to start with dry, freshly brushed hair for styling – wet hair breaks more easily, and you don’t want to deal with knots mid-way through the braiding process.
Once you’re ready, work out where you want the braid to start from. You’ll want to grab a section of hair from here.
Separate the hair in your hands into three sections: left, right and center.
Now, start braiding:
- Cross the right strand under the center strand
- Cross the left strand under the center strand (which was the right strand originally)
- The strand of hair that was originally in the center will now be hanging to the side; gather this strand with some underlying hair, and begin the procedure again
That, essentially, is it.
Once your braid reaches the nape of your neck, you can continue braiding the leftover hair strands, before securing you braid with a hair tie.
The nice thing about this hairstyle is the amount of creativity it allows – you can place the braid wherever you like, or even combine two braids down the sides of your head for a particularly striking look.
Watch our model styling a Dutch braid on our easy How To video.