An overview of various common and more complex braids. The terms 'braid' and 'plait' are generally interchangeable, although more complex weaves are usually referred to as braids.
English Braid
This is the basic braid, the common-or-garden three-strand plait. Beginning at the nape of the neck, the braid is formed with a simple left-over-middle, right-over-middle action and secured at the bottom with a hair elastic.
French Braid
A French braid follows the same method as an English braid; however, instead of starting at the nape of the neck, it starts from the hairline at the forehead and travels down the back of the head, incorporating strands from either side of the head and weaving them into the braid so all the hair is secured.
Dutch Braid
A Dutch braid is an inverted French braid. It is created by changing the left-over-middle, right-over middle pattern into a left-under-middle, right-under-middle technique. Weaving the strands under rather than over creates a braid which stands out from the head, giving an 'embossed' look. Novices to hair braiding occasionally find they have created a Dutch braid in mistake for a French, or vice versa.
Biker's Braid
Not really a braid at all, a biker's braid is a ponytail secured at intervals down the length with a number of hair elastics. The braid is so named because it is useful for motorcyclists, requiring little time or skill to achieve while protecting hair from whipping around in the wind.
Heidi Braid
Heidi or Swiss braids, recently popularised on the catwalk, are formed by crossing two braids at the nape of the neck, bringing them up around the head and pinning to form a kind of crown. A variation for those with shorter hair brings the braids straight up and crosses them over the top of the head.
Square 4-Strand Braid
This unique braid does not have a front and back, but looks the same on all sides, giving the braid a rope-like appearance. It is made with four strands, woven in a pattern of left-under-two-back-over-one, right-under-two-back-over-one.
Multi-Strand Braids
There is technically no limit to the number of strands which can be woven into a flat mass of hair. 5- and 7-strand braids are common, and 9-strand braids are a triumph of virtuosity usually exhibited only by Renaissance Faire professional braiders. The more strands a braid has, the harder it is to keep neat with a mere ten fingers, and the wider and shorter the braid will be.
Rope Braid
Rope braids, which can be made with two or three strands, are unusual in that they are formed by twisting the hair rather than weaving it. Rope braids are not 'true' braids in that they must be secured at the bottom with a hair elastic to prevent them untwisting. In Shrek the Third, Rapunzel's hair was rope braided.
Herringbone Braid
Worn by bikers and Legolas alike, herringbone braids are considered somewhat masculine. They are technically two-strand braids, formed by bringing tiny sections from one half of the hair to the other. Herringbones are time-consuming to braid and unbraid, but stay neat for a long time and do not need to be secured at the bottom. An unsecured herringbone braid often splays out at the bottom like a fishes' tail—in fact, 'fishtail' is another name for this type of braid.
Lace Braids
Also worn in some scenes of LOTR by Legolas, a lace braid is like a French braid, but gathers extra hair only from one side as it travels down the head.
Crown Braids
Stunning but difficult to achieve solo, crown braids are woven around the head French-braid style, as opposed to Heidi braids which are wrapped around the head and pinned. Princess Leia wore a crown braid in The Empire Strikes Back; the look has also been sported by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, reinforcing the image of power and royalty the hairstyle conveys.
Braid Configurations and Combinations
Classic Braids
Any two identical braids worn one on either side of the head are known as classic braids. The classic braid look is often considered childish or schoolgirlish, although if the braids are coiled up together into a flat bun they can look very sophisticated.
Cascade Braids
Cascade braids leave the back half of the hair loose (usually all the hair from the ears down to the nape of the neck). Single, classic, combination and even crown braids can be made cascade-style, to give a flowing, feminine look.
Combination Braids
Any braid which turns into another is a combination braid. Typically, a combination braid is formed by two classic braids joining at the nape of the neck to make a single braid, of the same or a different type.
Accent Braids
Any small braids which add to the overall effect of a hairstyle, whether braided or unbraided, are known as accent braids.
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