3 November 2011

The Elusive Fishtail Braid

I don't know about the rest of you but I have been trying to this braid for years - each attempt resulting in an epic fail. This puzzles me because in all the pictures and videos and DIY posts, it seems like such a cinch but as soon as I sit in front of that mirror to begin the process, it's a disaster. I wanted to do it as recently as last Saturday to execute a look  but after sitting in front of my mirror for 25 minutes trying to decipher the equation I believe I pulled a muscle in my right eye - if that's at all possible (it seriously took me like 2 minutes to see regularly in that eye!). 


I succumb to the fact that I am not adept at all things fishtail braid. I believe this is why it's important to surround yourself with people who can do the things you can't - I call them friends. 


I saw this yesterday during my daily browse over at refinery29 and (while shaking my head) decided that today I will try this one last time. For all other fishtail wannabes, let me know if this worked for you.




1. Start by bringing all of your hair to the right side of your head. Grab a small piece from behind your left ear, and then do the same on your right side. Bring both pieces over to the right side of your head. 

2. Divide the small section on the right side into two: A thin, half-inch section on the far right, leaving the remaining section as a one-and-a-half-inch section. This should leave you with three sections of hair in your hands: The section from the left side of your head and the two sections from the right side in varying sizes. 



3. Take the small, half-inch section from the far right and cross it over, combining it with the left section. Grab a half-inch section from the outside-most section of the left-side portion, and combine with the right side.




4. Take a half-inch section from the right side (taking it from the furthest section on the right), and grab a half-inch section from the remaining hair below (from the right outside, as well), and add all of that to the left section. Do the same on the left side. Repeat, pulling towards the right side. Continue crossing hair over from one section to the other and secure with an elastic band. 




5. The short version: Take two equal sections of hair, and pull a thin strand from the outside edge of one section. Cross the thin strand over the other section of hair. Combine the strand to the hair in that section. Repeat the same steps with a thin strand from the outside of the other section until you’ve created crossover pattern, or a fishtail braid.




6. Rough it up a bit at the top of the braid, and pull the strands to loosen and fatten it up.


Fingers crossed for attempt #456.


Yours,
A.

2 comments:

SC said...

Oh hey I saw this on Refinery29 or .. TeenVogue or whatever and I tried doing it the way they showed it but it was way too hard for me >.< If i had the time, I'd try again but honestly I think i'm just too dumb to make fishtail braids!

Great blog!

Anonymous said...

tried this and actually got it but it's soooo much easier to watch a vid. hope you got it!