How to French-Braid Cornrows
- 1). Brush the hair thoroughly to remove any tangles and knots. You do not have to start with freshly washed hair to begin the French braids. If you choose to wash your hair first, take this opportunity to comb out any tangles while in the shower. Dry completely. Wet hair is more difficult to braid.
- 2). Part your hair into the number of sections that you would like for your French braid cornrows. A good number of rows for a first attempt would be three. This will give you the cornrow style but give you the space on the head to work with. Keep in mind that the more rows you have, the less hair you have to work each braid and the more difficult the twists can be on your fingers. For three rows, part front to back three equal segments of the head. Use hair clips to keep them separate while you work.
- 3). Start with the row of hair on one side of the head. If you are right-handed, work from right to left, and vice versa. Remove the hair clips on this section of hair and divide it into three sections of equal amounts of hair. It works best if you use a comb to part the hair and not your hands to ensure straight parts.
- 4). Grasp the hair in the following manner: take the right third of the section in your right hand, the left third of the section in your left hand, and the middle third between the thumb and finger of either hand. For the middle section it is best to choose the hand that has the most dexterity.
- 5). Take the hair in the left section and place it over the middle section. As you do this grasp a few strands of hair in the middle and add them into the left section. These act as anchors for your hair and will twist hair together so that the braid stays. Do not let go of any of the hair in your left hand at anytime. This can be tricky. The best way to do this is to use the fingers in your hand to manipulate the hair. Try to pinch the hair between a couple of finger and use the other fingers of your hand to gather the loose hair.
- 6). Take the right section of the hair and place it over the middle and rest it on the left side. Add in a few hairs from the middle segment as an anchor. To avoid confusion, do not try to keep track of the original left and right sections. The original left is now the right. The original right section you just made is now in the left position. Don't worry about this. Use this pattern: Move hair from the left over the middle to rest on the right side. Add a few anchors strands from the middle as you make this move. Move hair from the right over the middle to rest on the left side. Add in a few anchor strands from the middle as you make this move. Continue until you have reached the end of the braid. Put a rubber band on the end as a temporary hold.
- 7). Remove the hair clips from the center row and repeat the braiding process to finish this segment. Then do the same for the remaining side segment. Remove the rubber bands from the ends. If your hair is coming undone at the ends consider leaving the bands or trying to braid the ends tighter.
- 8). Apply some hair oil to the scalp at all sections from front to back. This will help protect the exposed scalp and will also keep dandruff and scales from appearing from a dry scalp. If your scalp feels itchy do not scratch. Try to rub the area. This will help avoid bringing dry skin cells to the surface.
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