Dutch braids are without a doubt one of the best hairstyles for summer, or for when you haven’t had time to wash your hair and still need to look like you made an effort. A Dutch braid is very similar to a French braid, as you add strands of hair as you are braiding. However, instead of adding the new strand over the old one you will add it underneath, which makes it a bit more complicated to master but bigger in volume and texture. You can start with a dutch plaid at the top of your head, and then switch the style to a regular braid or even a fish tail braid for a great looking hair-do that will keep hair out of your face and looks even better with second day hair.
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Preparing Your Hair To Dutch Braid
A dutch braid is all about volume and texture, and the best way to accomplish that is by starting with hair that is slightly dirty, so second or third day hair works best. If your hair is very clean, braiding will be more difficult because it will slip and won’t stay in place, particularly if you have fine or straight hair. In order to prepare your hair to dutch braid (or in general for any other type of up-do) texturising products will help greatly.
Start with preparing your hair to give it grip with a braid aid product, such as Bumble and bumble Bb. Texture Hair (Un)Dressing Crème or Redken Fashion Collection Braid Aid 03. Dry shampoo can also help, even if your hair is clean, and we recommend Bumble and bumble A Bit Blondish Hair Powder if you are blonde, Rita Hazan Root Concealer Touch Up Spray – Red if you have red hair, Bumble and bumble A Tint of Brown Hair Powder for brown hair and Bumble and bumble Soft Black Hair Powder for very dark hair. Kérastase STYLING Powder bluff is also great as it doesn’t leave a white residue and another classic at a very moderate price is Klorane’s Gentle natural-tinted dry shampoo with Oat extract, which uses natural products for those worried about too many chemicals on their scalp.
If you have fine and very straight hair and you are worried your dutch braid will look lackluster Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray and Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray provide you with grip and protect your hair from UV rays, so it’s perfect for those days in the beach. And speaking of the beach (or swimming pool for those who aren’t leaving the city) another great trick is to brush an intensive leave-in conditioner through your head, and then braid it. After your workout or day in the sun just wash your hair, and the heat will have helped the conditioning products to ask their best.
How To Dutch Braid: Tutorials
Since it’s practically impossible to explain how to Dutch braid without actually showing it, I found a few very useful tutorials that will make it easy. Keep in mind that you will need some practice, so if you have never braided your hair then practice before trying this hairstyle when you are in a hurry to get somewhere.
Beginers Dutch Braid: Braided Headband
This is a good tutorial for beginers because you won’t be using all of your hair, and it looks considerably more complicated that it actually is.
Frozen’s Elsa Braid: Dutch and Fishbraid
This tutorial shows you how to braid your hair in a dutch braid, then transition into a fishtail braid.
Quick Double Dutch Braid: Milkmaid Braids
If you are looking for a quick but impressive up-do that can suit a wedding or a bad hair day, look no further. A double dutch braid hairband is the perfect solution to keep you cool and can be accessorized for maximum impact.
Kim Kardashian Inspired Dutch Braids
Perfect hairstyle for the gym or just to rock an edgy look on a night out. Platinum hair entirely optional!
Giving Volume and Texture to Your Braid: Pancaking
Once your braid is done, you may want to make it look bigger and a bit undone, but without losing the grip and having it fall fall on you. The way to accomplish that is called pancaking and it’s much simpler than it sounds. You just need to use a texturising powder such as JCPennyBig Sexy Hair® Powder Play, OSiS- Dust It, Bumble & bumble.- Pret-A-Powder, Batiste- XXL Plumping Powder or Redken Powder Grip 03 for a matte effect. Those products are often used in the roots to increase the volume but they are perfect to accomplish a voluminous braid that makes you look like you have tons of hair.
Once you have your texturising powder just shake a decent amount of it on top of your braid, but only on dry hair. Do not do this if you are braiding your hair wet, or it will be a mess. Then tap it on your braid until it absorbs and you no longer look like a French period wig. Afterwards, just pull the loops out of your braid GENTLY to increase the volume and create a messy braid. The texture spray and the products you used to prepare your braid earlier will make sure the braid doesn’t slip and you can pull it for maximum fullness.
With the right products and a bit of preparation, dutch braiding isn’t so difficult. They are very versatile, and a great hairstyle to keep your hair out of your face and looking great. For this reason, it’s worth learning how to dutch braid.
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