If there is one hairstyle that people ask me how to do more than anything else, it is braid crowns. There are two major ways to do a braid crown that you see the most often, one with dutch or french braids, and one with a waterfall braid. Both ways I have worked through and tried to simplify the best I can below. Enjoy!

Dutch Braid

This style of the braid crown takes you through the same process no matter what braid you choose.

Start by sectioning the hair down the middle into two sections

2. Braid each section in either the fishtail or dutch style. You can simply french braid it but when you’re putting it up in the crown style it is easier to hide the ends when it’s an inside out style braid.

3. Wrap the braid around the head following the natural curve. Secure it in place with bobby pins. The best way to pin it is to place the bobby pins at even intervals of the braid. For the dutch braid I typically place them every time the braids cinches while for a fishtail I will do every other or every two time the strands cross. Do this both on top of the braids and underneath them.

4. The next step depend on if you have long or short hair as well as personal preferences. If you have short hair like me, then most likely the end of the braid will be midway around the head and it will be simple to just pin the pieces back. Though if you have longer hair you might encounter the problem where the ends of your braid stick out. instead of just pinning them and leetting the be, I will typically undo the hair tie from one and twist the ends of the hair and slide a bobby pin withing the twist. to keep it secure. Depending on how thick your hair is you will probably want to use a decent number of bobby pins to keep fly aways at bay.

Lastly, spray you hair with hairspray. This will keep smaller pieces from flying out the longer you wear the style.

Waterfall Braid

Start by french braiding the pieces around your face like so. You can do any style of braiding here. Personally I prefer dutch braiding just because of how it looks. When you reach the ear, or about 3 to 4 inches of braiding, start moving the braid across the hair, only collecting thin section. They should just be enough to keep the braid close to the hair.

2. Waterfall braids can be complicated, but once you get the rhythm they are easy. All you do is let go of the piece of the braid that you just crossed over from top to the bottom of the braid. when you drop the piece, pick up a different chunk from the hair around it and continue braiding. Repeat this step around the whole head until you reach the other ear.

3. When you get to the ear, the next step depends on you hair length. On short hair, you can just end it by securing the end with a bobby pin it. For longer hair I braid the tail to the end and wrap it around the front of the head and the rest of the braid so that it completes the crown.

Pin it and finish it with hairspray.

Now go forth and show the world how royal you truly are!