Practical: Creating Buns & Plaits

How to create a bun

1.     Comb through the hair, ensuring it is dry throughout and there aren’t any knots.

2.     Create a ponytail at the crown of the head.

3.     Section this ponytail is two 4 equal sections

4.     Starting with the front section, backcomb the back of this section (facing you) to create rigidity

5.     Smooth the front of this piece with the comb

6.     Roll the hair in to a pin curl shape, making sure it remains square and facing straight forward.

7.     Kirby grip this shape in to place by gripping them inside at the back and front of the curl.

8.     Repeat tis process for the other 3 sections

9.     Now use a hair pin to finish the style by manipulating the hair to fill the gaps between the sections. The desired shape is a round bun.

10. The secure your bun slide the hair pins up against the scalp to secure against the head.

This image shows my finished bun on a mannequin head. Overall I think it’s a good effort however it is rather uneven and the overall shape is a bit too square. I think this could be improved through practice, on a model as well as the mannequin.

How to create a conventional plait 

1.   Divide your chosen section of hair in to three equal piece, these will become the strands of your plait.
2.  Take the right section with your right hand and the left section with your left hand, letting the middle hand free
3.   Cross your left section over the middle section. So if your strands started out as ‘ABC’ they now go ‘BAC’
4.   You then repeat this process on the right side and alternate until you have finished your plait.

How to French Braid

1.     Brush the hair ensuring it is dry and there are no knots.

2.     Divide the hair in to section where you want your plait to be.

3.     Starting at the top of your sectioned hair, take an even piece and divide in to 3.

4.     Plait conventionally as normal for three turns.

5.     Now on each plait incorporate a new loose piece of hair next to the section that is to be crossed over.

6.     Continue you this until you reach the end of your sectioned hair and tie off with an elastic band.

This image shows the first French plait I created. For someone that has never French plaited before I feel that it’s a good start. I do feel that it’s a bit too messy and slightly uneven looking which I feel could be rectified by studying the technique further. 

How to Fishtail Plait

1.     Brush through the hair to remove any knots.

2.     Dive your chosen piece of hair in to 2.

3.     Take a small outer piece from one of your sections of hair (it doesn’t matter which you start with)

4.     Cross this piece over and ass it to the other section.

5.     Keep your sections held tight to avoid a loose braid

6.     Now repeat this step with the opposite side and alternate until you run out of hair or reach your desired length.

This is my example of a fishtail plait. I’m quite confident in this technique and I think this shows in my result as the finished look is neat and there aren’t any fly away sections. I do think it could be finished better with some smoothing and further attention to detail.