Reverse Braid (dutch without head part)

The dutch braid is the reverse of the french / classic braid. Instead of crossing the outside hair over the middle, you cross the middle over the outside.

You start out with a ponytail.





Then you part your hair into three equal parts (here shown one-handed) and separate the strands over the whole length.





Then you begin braiding by pulling the middle hair over the left part. This is a bit tricky, since your top hair easily gets disarranged. Pull with even pressure.





Then the middle goes over the right.





Hold hair in one hand and separate the strands again to prevent self-braiding. Then arrange the braid and cross the middle over the left.





And the middle over the right.






The braid should be stable by now. You continue on down the length and detangle regularly.





At the end, tie off with a scruncie.




Tight braiding without pulling:
How tight a braid is is determined not by the pull on the strands but by how far "up" you cross the strands. A loose braid has plenty of room between the cross-over-points, making it easy to pull on the individual strands in the finished braid.
When you cross very near the last cross, the braid gets tight.
Usually, classic braids get tighter than dutch/reverse braids since classic braiding is the technique we learn first. You can see it in these pictures: Even my dutch braids are more loose than my classics and I have been dutch braiding for two years.

Have a nice time,

Thea




1bFii