A French braid is just a regular three-strand braid where you keep adding hair from the sides as you go down the head.

Quick Scoop

  • Start with a basic three-strand braid at the top of your head.
  • Each time you cross a strand, pick up a little new hair from that side and add it into that strand.
  • Keep repeating left side, right side, left side, right side until you run out of hair, then finish with a normal braid and tie it off.

Simple step‑by‑step

  1. Brush your hair so it’s smooth and tangle‑free.
  1. Take a triangle section at the front/top of your head (near your forehead) and split it into three equal strands.
  1. Do one or two stitches of a normal braid: right over middle, then left over middle.
  1. Before crossing from the right again, pick up a thin strip of loose hair on the right side and add it to the right strand, then cross that bigger strand into the middle.
  1. Repeat on the left: pick up a thin strip of hair on the left side, add it to the left strand, cross it into the middle.
  1. Continue alternating sides, each time adding a bit of hair to the side strand before you cross it over.
  1. When there’s no more hair to add at the neck, just braid the remaining hair like a basic three‑strand braid and secure with an elastic.

Tips for beginners (especially braiding your own hair)

  • Keep sections small and even so the braid looks neat and lies flat.
  • Hold the strands fairly tight so the braid doesn’t loosen and fall apart.
  • If you’re braiding your own hair, practice the hand motions in front of you first (on string or yarn), then try it on the back of your head using two mirrors.
  • Don’t worry if the first few tries look messy—people on hair forums say it often takes several attempts before it “clicks.”

Think of it like this: every time a strand crosses into the middle, it “collects” a little new hair from that side on its way in.

TL;DR: Three strands; each time you cross one into the middle, scoop up a bit of hair from that side and add it in, alternate sides until you reach the nape, then finish with a normal braid.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.