Dutch braid tutorial for when your fringe is a mess

For those days when your fringe is a mess, this Dutch braid tutorial will make a feature of what you wanted to hide. Compliments guaranteed.

My friend has this theory that it’s impossible to try and be inconspicuous. As soon as you try to hide, you become even more obvious. For those types of hair days, you need to embrace it and just do a really big braid.

I’ve got some great texture in my hair from a salon blow dry last week. You can read up on how to make a blowdry last for days here. To get this braid really big, you’ll need messy hair or read my styling tips below on how to make this work in clean hair.

Big Dutch braid tutorial

What you need:

• Small hair elastic
• Bobby pins

Step-by-step tutorial:

1. Begin by parting your hair and creating a section for your braid at the front. You can clip the rest of your hair out of the way.
2. Take a one-inch section at the start of your part and split it into three to begin your braid.
3. Create a Dutch braid, adding in hair from both sides across your fringe. A Dutch braid is the opposite of a French braid. Instead of crossing the sections over, cross the left under the middle, then the right under the left. Add in hair to the next section and continue crossing under.
4. Continue in a regular braid once you reach your temple. Secure the end of your braid with the small elastic.
5. Now it’s time to make it BIG. Stretch out your braid by gently pulling at the sides to widen the braid. Keep adjusting it until you’re happy with the final look.
6. Pin the end of the braid and cover it with your hair.

Styling tips

• Fine hair – yes you can do a big braid in fine hair! You need this product. Sprinkle a little down the centre of your braid, pat it in and then stretch out the sides. You’ll be surprised at how big you can make your braid.
• How to stop braids from slipping – if your hair is freshly washed (unlike mine in this tutorial!) then you may find your hair is too soft to hold the braid. Try spraying a little dry shampoo or texture spray in your hair to give your hair some grip. This product for fine hair is also amazing for holding braids in clean hair.
• How to hide the end of your braid – Lift up your hair to create a space to pin your braid up. Make sure to use a small elastic so that it’s easier to hide in your hair. If you have fine hair, you can backcomb that hair around there a little to help cover the braid.

I hope you like this tutorial. Let me know if you try it in your hair! You can share photos with #hairromance on Instagram. And let me know in the comments if you have any other tutorial requests xx