When braiding hair, there is quite a bit to know.
Different hair types do better with certain types of braids.
Also, some occasions are going to be better suited to have one type of braid over another.
Knowing how to braid hair is great, but understanding the types of braids that you are putting in hair is just as important.
Let’s take a look at a French Braid and a Dutch Braid and try to determine the differences.
Understanding these differences is a key factor in making sure that the braid comes out the way that you want it to.
Dutch Braid Vs. French Braid
The Dutch braid is going to be a reversed version of a French braid, essentially.
However, to understand the differences between these two, you first have to know how to do both a French braid and a Dutch braid.
When you are doing a braiding technique, the main difference you will notice is that the French braid will bring the hair over the middle instead of under the middle.
Let’s look at the details of doing a French braid and a Dutch braid to understand this better and see which one you have been creating all this time.
What Is A French Braid?
A French braid is the most classic and timely braid that you can find.
The French braid is used for everything from a school hair style to heading out on the town to going to a wedding.
There is really no time that you can’t justify putting your hair in a French braid.
The French braid can be done as a single or a double braid.
Most people will start with a single braid when they first learn the process.
Once you get the technique down, you can learn how to do a double braid.
The thing that really makes the French braid stand out is the fact that it has three strands.
The three strands are woven in and out of each other, which adds a little extra detail to this type of braid.
The braid is typically secured with a hair tie in the back when it gets to the very end of the hair.
Knowing the steps to do a French braid is one of the most important steps in this process.
The first thing that you must do is split the hair into three sections.
You will start braiding these three sections from the crown of the head.
This part of the braiding process can take a bit of time to set up, but it is necessary to get the braid looking as it should.
Once you have the three sections, you will start with the right-hand strand of hair and cross it over the center.
Next, you will take the left side and cross that over the center.
This is the process that you follow back and forth all the way down the hair.
The outside strand is continually crossing over the center strand of the hair.
At the end of the French braid, many people will switch over to a traditional braid just to get the rest of the hair tied up how it should be.
What Is A Dutch Braid?
Once you have the French braid technique down, it makes sense to move on to the Dutch braid.
The Dutch braid will not be all that difficult, but it is good to know what the differences are so you don’t end up with a French braid after all.
Just like the French braid, you can turn a Dutch braid into a double or single braid.
Some people will call the Dutch braid a Boxer braid.
The same concept of having to separate and select three sections of the hair to start the braid will come into play when you do a Dutch braid.
You will notice right away that the Dutch braid is going to end up looking very different from a style perspective.
Even though the overall technique is similar, the way the braids come out will be quite a bit different.
The Dutch braid ends up looking more like a braid sitting on top of the hair as opposed to the more cascading look that you get with a French braid.
The hair on the head is incorporated into the braid as you work your way down the hairline, ensuring that everything is properly woven into the braid.
When you do a French braid, you will still weave all three strands of hair, but when working on the Dutch braid, the hair from the left and right side weaves under the center piece instead of weaving over it.
As you grab from the right and work your way to the center, make sure you tuck the hair under the center and not over.
This, as you can imagine, is what creates the look of the braid being added on top of the hair as opposed to it having been incorporated into it.
Both braids come out looking great, but this simple difference of going under as opposed to over will completely change the overall look.
With a Dutch braid, you can end the braid with the same traditional braid for a few weaves and tie the entire thing off to give it a more finished look.
Try practicing both the French braid and the Dutch braid so that you can perfect the techniques and start helping your friends to get their hair perfect.
Which Is Easier: The Dutch Braid Or French Braid?
Once you know how to braid hair, there are various styles that you can put together that will look great.
The good news is that, once you are comfortable with braiding, you will be able to get both the French braid and the Dutch braid to look perfect.
As long as you keep the sections tight and work in a methodical manner, you can do either the Dutch or the French braid just as easily as the other.
Most people will say that the French braid is easier, but that is simply because they know this style and have been using it for a number of years.
The French braid is often the first one taught, and it is easy to repeat and practice.
Once you have mastered the technique of doing a French braid, a simple change to that process will make you an expert on the Dutch braid in no time.
The great thing about braids is that you can dress them up or down, keep them tight or a little loose, or simply pair them with accessories to create your own style.
Although braids can take a bit of time to put together and perfect, you will enjoy the compliments you get once you get a braid looking great.
Tips For Braiding Hair
Now that you have a better idea of the difference between the French Braid and the Dutch Braid, it’s an excellent idea to get some general braiding tips down.
The better you are able to understand the braiding process and work on these tips, the better your chances for getting the braid to turn out properly.
Even if you have never braided hair before, you can easily learn and start to improve your technique.
Let’s look at some of the best tips out there for learning to braid hair.
1. Parting The Hair
If you have ever had your hair professionally braided, you may have noticed that the part that takes the longest is the parting of the hair.
Parting your hair and getting it all organized is time consuming and a bit annoying.
The overall braiding process can take just a matter of minutes.
The best way to part the hair is where it feels natural.
Once it is parted, you can start to separate it into the sections that you need.
Overall, the parting of the hair is worth the time that you spend because it sets you up for a tight and long lasting braid.
2. Adding Texture
If hair does not have enough texture to it, the braid is going to slip and fall as you are putting it together.
Texture works almost as a grip to keep the braid from falling apart.
One of the things that professional hair stylists will do is use a texturing spray to make sure the hair is able to hold up to whatever activity you want to do without the braid slipping.
You know when you have a braided rope and how if one part starts to fall apart, the rest of it will go?
The process is no different with a braid in the hair.
Ensuring that the braid stays tight throughout the day or night is partly dependent upon the texture of the hair.
3. Work In Small Sections
If you are trying to put a braid together that is much more complicated, you don’t have to do it all at once.
One option is to work in smaller sections and make your way around the head.
You can put together some elaborate braids by doing different sides and then incorporating them into each other.
One way to look at this is to braid all the different sections and then, at the end, braid the sections into each other.
This, of course, takes quite a bit of practice and knowledge, but it will come out looking quite nice when all is said and done.
Learn these tips and tricks so that you can save yourself both time and frustration.
4. Keep Things Tight
When you go to get your hair braided, you may feel as though they are pulling on your hair.
Without hurting you, the stylist is simply trying to ensure that your braid does not come undone.
If you don’t use texture and you keep the braid loose, it will fall apart after just a few minutes.
The work and the time put into braiding are so that your hair style can last for a long time.
Make sure to keep things tight by keeping the strands of hair tight the entire time that you are working on it.
Some people like the idea of the loose or messy braid, but even these are going to need to be pulled tight initially.
Without this being done, you will end up making a mess of your hair and having to redo it.
Essentially if you need to loosen a braid a little at the end, it is easy to do.
However, tightening the braid is quite a bit harder, and it will sometimes not even be possible.
If you need to get through an entire day of work or a wedding with a braid in place, make sure that it is done tight right from the start.
Sometimes it also makes sense to use a finishing cream on the hair when you have completed the process.
The finishing cream is just another way to ensure the braid does not fall apart throughout the day.
5. Try A Wet Braid
Most of the time, braids are done when the hair is dry.
This is so that the finished product can be seen immediately, and you can decide if you like the way it came out or not.
However, there are times when you are in a hurry, and you may just want to do a braid that you know will stay in place all day.
The best way to do this is to braid the hair when it is just towel dried.
You will need to ensure that you are not dripping water and that the hair is workable, but those who are new at braiding hair will tell you that this is the best way to go.
Things stay so much neater and easier to control when you work with a wet braid.
In addition, the braid will last throughout the entire day.
The only time that you will run into an issue is if there are a few flyaways once the hair starts to dry.
Of course, this is a possibility, but it can be easily fixed with a bobby pin or two.
Some people don’t even mind the way that this looks once the hair dries as it has a slightly more casual style.
If you are struggling to get the style or look you want when braiding, switch to a wet braid and see if it fixes things up for you.
6. Practice
Braiding hair is a skill.
Some people who are really good at it can get an entire head of hair braided in just a few minutes.
Others have no idea where to start and struggle with the idea of even trying to part the hair properly.
Wherever you stand on the braiding spectrum, try to learn ways to improve this skill.
The next time there is a family wedding or a friend of yours is heading out to a formal event, chances are your services are going to be highly requested.
The tips that we have given you are great to implement to ensure that your practice does not go to waste.
You might as well practice the proper methods if you are going to spend the time working on hair.
Overall, it can be really hard to learn to braid your own hair, but some people can easily do it and never think twice.
This generally takes some time working on things and overall love for the braiding method.
If you dread braiding your hair, find a friend who loves it so you can benefit from this unique skill and style.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now feel as though you can do both a Dutch Braid and a French Braid.
The two methods require much of the same skill, but the end results are remarkably different.
When looking at the finished product of a braid, you will know that the time spent practicing and learning will have been well spent.
Try to practice getting the braid tight and securing the end of it so that it will stay in place.
Research different hairstyles depending on the type of event you are going to and decide if the French braid or the Dutch braid will be the better fit for your needs.
In the end, both the Dutch braid and the French braid will look great as long as you can make either one look beautiful and perfect.
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