Braiding Tips To Upgrade Upstyles

How To Get Better At Braiding

Braiding is deceptive: It may seem easy to stylists, but there are a LOT of things that can go wrong—and if you’re doing upstyling for an event, you don’t have any time to make mistakes! That’s why we grabbed some genius braiding tips from Brendnetta Ashley (@edgybgirl), Artistic Educator for The Salon by InStyle, on her Facebook Live!

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Get The Braid Rhythm

Braiding is ALL about the pattern and rhythm. “When you have the rhythm of the dance, you have the dance,” Brendnetta said. “It’s the same thing with braiding.” Keep the pattern and rhythm in your head (you can even say it out loud!) to keep yourself on track as you work.

Go Back To Basics: On Base Versus Off Base

Remember in beauty school when you learned about roller sets that were on base versus off base? The same principle applies to braiding. When the braid is on base, it sits directly on top of the area you want to braid. If it sits off base, you run the risk of pulling too tight on the hair, causing the client to feel tension on their head.

Hand Position Makes A Difference

In the Facebook video, watch Brendnetta’s hand position closely. For the first braid she demos—a cornrow braid—she keeps her hands up above the braid to make sure it lays exactly where she wants it. For a figure 8 braid, she explains how her pinkies act as anchors to keep the braid even as she works. Check out the video for visuals and her explanation!

Products Can Be Your Friend—If You Choose Correctly

Keep subsections clean as you braid with product, but avoid anything too heavy or sticky, which can cause knots as you work. Brendnetta swears by SexyHair Sunny Vibes Texturizing Spray Gel because it has a waxier consistency and medium hold. For each braided section, she’ll comb through the hair to eliminate knots, then spray Sunny Vibes for better control and shine.

Gain Control

Encountering a knot or bump in the braid while you work can quickly throw you off your rhythm, so Brendnetta likes to gain control of each subsection before she adds it to the braid. That means gripping the smoothed subsection with some strength and making sure you have the proper hand positioning.

Cheat Dimension And Fullness

Keep this styling trick in your back pocket for when fine-haired brides show you a Pinterest pic of a massive braid: Brendnetta uses double-sided tape to adhere wefts of hair to the head before she starts long and loose downstyles. Not only does it bulk up the braid for the perfect Boho bride picture, it’s also a great way to introduce a pop of color on hair that is all one shade. Watch the video to see what we mean!

Click here to watch the entire video packed with three braiding tutorials and TONS of tips!

Watch the video to learn these three styles!

Products Used

Gel

Sunny Vibes Texturizing Spray Gel

SexyHair