Braiding someone’s hair or even your own is a good way of showing appreciation or care towards someone. Besides, there can’t be a task more personalized and dedicated to self-care than this one. You can try out how to fishtail braid for yourself and find the one that resonates most with your personality.
Also, the fishtail braid is more of an elite-like way of styling yourself. Even more appreciated is that following the methods below allows you to braid your hair in this style on your own. Just follow the steps carefully, and it will be done quickly.
Regular Fishtail Braid
1. Preparation
Ensure that your hair is dry when you are trying to make a fishtail braid. Straighten your hair, and incline it towards one side as if you will make a side ponytail.
2. Braiding the hair
Now, divide the hair on one side into roughly two equal sections. Both sections must be nearly equal, the braid will not be as good as you want it to be, or more hair will be left over on one side when braiding.
Hold both sections firmly with both your hands. Take a small strand of hair out of one section, pass it over the section you took it out of, and then underneath the other one. Do the same with a strand of hair that you remove from the other section of hair.
3. Keep on Braiding
Keep on crisscrossing bits of hair from both sections. And when doing this, try to keep the volume of strands of hair on an equal side. Follow the process until you have reached the very end of the hair for both sections.
4. Secure and Relax the braid
Use a hair tie to secure the hair, so the braid does not come undone. After securing the braid, move it to your back, and hold it with the end of the braid.
Hold the braid firmly from its end, and move your neck completely from right to left several times to smoother the hair on both sides. This will help loosen the braid only to a small extent, and there won’t be any hair fall or other kind of hair damage because of this.
Fishtail Ponytail Braid
1. Straighten your hair
Before braiding your hair, ensure that it is dry; it will be much better if it is unwashed for more than a day. Straighten your hair roughly only by using a comb and your fingers.
2. Make a High Ponytail
Gather all the hair over your head from the upper scalp area, and hold it firmly. Make sure that the hair from the lower part of the scalp is not included. Use a rubber band to hold the hair in a firm grip. Now, curl your ponytail upward and help it loop through the band in the direction of the ground.
3. Braiding
After making an inward loop of the ponytail:
- Divide the hair in the grip into two equal sections.
- Hold both sections with both your hands.
- Take a strand of hair from one section and let it loop over the said section and then underneath the other one.
- Repeat the same for the strand that you take out of the second section.
4. Crisscrossing
Keep on looping the hair braids from each section until you reach the very end of the hair. And, then secure the end of the hair with a rubber band.
French Fishtail Braid
1. Preparation
For a perfect French fishtail braid, your hair must be slick and greasy. For that, you can spray your hair or use some conditioner to keep your hair moisturized for longer.
And in the meantime, straighten your hair. When doing this, do not use a hair straightener (heat), or it will dry the hair quickly and not be slick enough.
2. Braiding
Unlike classical fishtail braiding, in the French fishtail braid, you use three strands of hair instead of two. Take three strands of hair from right above your forehead. Keep the middle one of the three fixated in a straight line and use the other two to braid over the middle one.
When braiding, keep adding new strands of hair from both sides of the head. Add braids to the style, and keep up with the process until you have reached the section with hair right above your neck.
3. Fixing the Braid
Make sure to include all the hair in the braiding process, and when you have reached the end, fasten the hair with a hair tie or a rubber band.
Loosen the braids by gently stretching the braids on both sides, or you can hold the braid to your back and move your neck from left to right to loosen the braid automatically.
Twin Pigtails Braid
1. Preparation
This braiding method is a perfect derivative of the French fishtail braid, only with a modern twist. For this style of braiding, you prepare your hair the same way you do with the French style.
2. Dividing the hair
Use a comb to trace your hairline in a perfectly straight line through the very mid of your head. Divide the hair on your head using the same comb into two sections. Make sure there is no intermixing, especially with the hair on the front part of your scalp.
3. Braiding
Before braiding, leave out a few strands of loose hair near your forehead area. After leaving an equal volume of hair loose on both sides of the head, then comes the time to braid your hair.
Now, take two strands of hair from the same side of the head, and braid those the same way as in classical fishtail braids. Keep braiding, and include the hair on the back of your head in perfect symmetry. Do the same for the other side as well.
4. Fasten the Braid
Use ribbons or rubber bands to fasten the hair on both sides. And relax both ponytails gently by applying a little pressure on both sides of a single braid to loosen it.
Also read: How to Braid Your Hair Beautifully – Three-Braided Hairstyle You Must Try
