How To Make Princess Braids

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Cornrows are a fun and practical way to wear natural hair. They add style to hair that you're growing out, and also protect your hair from heat damage caused by other styling techniques. For basic front-to-back cornrows, follow a series of easy steps to get great braids. For someone who's more experienced with braiding, you can separate your rows in a number of unique styles to create a cornrow look that's perfect for you.

1
Wash and detangle your hair. Use your normal shampoo and conditioner to wash your hair. While its damp, detangle your hair with a leave-in conditioner and brush, then apply an oil or butter to lock in moisture. Your hair will be much easier to braid when it is moisturized and free of tangles.
- Examples of oils or butters you can use to keep your hair moisturized and tangle-free are coconut oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, or aloe butter products. Check the natural hair care aisle at a pharmacy or beauty supply store to find these products.
- If your natural hair is tightly coiled, you may also want to blow dry your hair before you start braiding. Blow drying will help stretch out your curls and give your cornrows a neater look.
2
Part your hair in rows from front to back. Use the end of a rat-tail comb to part your hair in rows from your forehead to the nape of your neck. You can part your hair down the middle first, from your forehead to your neck, then divide each side section into 1-3 more rows. Secure the rows in place with small-tooth clips or with bobby pins.
- If you don't want a middle part, create 2 parts near the middle to make a row right on top of your head, then make more rows on the sides from there.
- Try to make your parts evenly spaced so that your rows are about the same size.
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3
Divide the first row into 3 small sections. Begin with a row of hair on top or on the side and unclip it. Take some hair in your fingers from the front near your forehead or ear. Separate that row into 3 even sections with your fingers: a left section, center section, and right section.^[1]
- You should use both hands to do this, with 1 hand holding 1 section of hair, while the other hand holds 2 separated sections of hair.
- Before you start braiding, you may want to add a bit of edge control along your hairline. This will help you grip the hair easier, tame flyaways, and keep your cornrows neat.
4
Make the first braid stitch. Starting with either the left or right section in your fingers, move it over and on top of the center section, replacing the center with it. Then move the section on the opposite side over so that it is in the center, and switch the current center piece with that side.
- At all times you will still have 1 hand holding 1 section of hair, while the other hand holds 2 separated sections.
5
Add a small section of hair from the row underneath to each braid stitch. Repeat the above braid stitch technique, adding a ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) section of hair to each stitch as you go. Every time you make a new braid stitch, add more hair from the row, and continue until you reach the nape of your neck. This will keep the braid attached to your head.^[2]
- If you don't add more hair with each stitch, the braid will be loose and come out from your head instead of being in a cornrow style. Instead, you want to French braid each row.
EXPERT TIP

Ndeye Anta Niang is a Hair Stylist, Master Braider, and Founder of AntaBraids, a traveling braiding service based in New York City. Ndeye has over 20 years of experience in African hair including braiding box braids, Senegalese twists, crochet braids, faux dread locs, goddess locs, kinky twists, and lakhass braids. Ndeye was the first female of her tribe in Africa to move to America and is now sharing her knowledge of African braids passed on from generation to generation.

Ndeye Anta Niang
Professional Hair Stylist & Master Braider

Try not to braid the hair too tightly. Very small, tight braids aren't good for your hair—they can lead to breakage and can even damage your follicles.
6
Finish the braid once it's off your scalp and secure it with a hairband. When you get to your neck, you won't have any more hair to add into each stitch. Simply finish the braid until you've used up the rest of your hair. If you want, you can secure the braid when it's finished with an elastic hair band, rubber band, or small barrette.^[3]
- The length of the end of your braid will depend on how long your hair is.
7

Continue the same braiding technique for each row on your head. Unclip the next row of hair on your head. Repeat the process: divide that row into 3 even sections at the front near your forehead or ears, French braid it until you reach the nape of your neck, braid the remaining hair, then secure the braid at the end with a hair band.

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1
Try side-swept cornrows for an elegant look. This design is similar to front-to-back cornrows, but it's turned on its side. Create 3 even parts horizontally, beginning at one ear, rather than vertically. Clip all but 1 section out of the way. Begin each braid at the side near your ear, and French braid each row by adding new hair from the row with each stitch.^[4]
- All of your braids should be braided to one side. Bring your braids either to your left or your right, whichever is your preference.
- These braids will end at various places on the other side of your head. Secure them with elastic hair bands just as you would regular cornrows.
2
Go with swirl cornrows to try something unique. For a little twist on traditional cornrows, part your hair starting in the front near your forehead, but instead of going straight back, curve the line to 1 side of your head and then back again toward the other side. Create 4 more parallel parts so that you have 5 total rows that appear to swirl from the front over and around to the back in uniform curved lines. Then create curved cornrow braids within the parts.^[5]
- End the curved sections of hair at the nape of your neck on the opposite side from where you first headed when you curved the lines. When you're finished with each braid, you can join the braids together in a low side-ponytail if you like.
3
Braid long cornrows into a high ponytail. If you have long hair and like to wear it in a high ponytail, try braiding your cornrows only to the beginning of where you start your ponytail. Create parts around the perimeter of your hairline and braid them back. Stop each cornrow at the point where you place your ponytail in the back center of your head, instead of at the nape of your neck.^[6]
- Feel free to braid the rest of each row, rather than cornrow it, so that your ponytail consists of braids.
- This style also looks good with different sized cornrows, so you can make it easier on yourself by simply creating and braiding rows 1 at a time.
4
Try cornrows with zig-zag parts for something totally different. Create parts in zig-zags by starting at the front by your forehead and going back and forth in 2 in (5.1 cm) lines all the way to the nape of your neck. Then braid your cornrows straight back as you normally would, simply using the hair sectioned off within the zig-zags.^[7]
- You can combine this parting style with other techniques such as the side-swept cornrows, or keep it simple by doing only 1 or 2 zig-zag parts while the rest of your parts are straight.
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Question

How much hair do you need for cornrows?

Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

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Question

How do you do a French braid step by step?

Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

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Begin by sectioning out a small piece of hair where you want the braid to begin and divide it into thirds. Braid, as you would a three-strand braid, but each time you cross an outer strand of hair over the center add a bit of additional hair from that side. Continue until you run out of hair to incorporate, then plait the ends.
Question

Why is it I get redness and bad itches and bumps on the back of my neck every time I get cornrows (its only been 2 times). This really bothers and concerns me. My neck was never like this without the cornrows. What can I do to help?

Ashley Adams is a Licensed Cosmetologist and Hair Stylist in Illinois. She completed her Cosmetology education at John Amico School of Hair Design in 2016.

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Bumps and redness may occur when your hair is braided too tightly. Itchiness from braids is normal, especially if hair extensions are added to the braids. You could also have a sensitive scalp.
Question

Is this possible on white girls' hair?

Ashley Adams is a Licensed Cosmetologist and Hair Stylist in Illinois. She completed her Cosmetology education at John Amico School of Hair Design in 2016.

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Cornrows can be braided on anyone's hair. However, it may be challenging to braid the hair of textures that are naturally straight, because straight hair tends to be slippery causing the braids to loosen and unravel.
Question

Can I cornrow hair even if it is short?

Yes, but it'll be much harder than it is with long hair.
Question

Will it work on white people's hair?

People of African American decent typically have thicker, coarser hair than Caucasians, but it will still work with smoother hair as long as you still take the precautions this article specifies to help keep the braids in. It's possible that Caucasian hair will not keep the braids in as long or as well as the hair type of African Americans, but you can use hair oil or hairspray to help you with that.
Question

Can I make cornrows stay in longer than a week?

Cornrows will last longer than a week, if you take care of them.
Question

Can I use conditioner when I have cornrows?

Of course! It's probably better to condition your cornrows rather than shampoo them because if you don't wash all of the shampoo out, they can get itchy. If you condition your hair twice a week, it'll stay moisturized. If you keep shampooing it day after day, it'll start to dry out again.
Question

How do you take the braids out?

Take off the bead or the rubber band. Then use a comb for the tip of the braid, to undo it. After that, you can probably use your fingers to take out the rest. For each cornrow, repeat the same method until you get all the cornrows out of your hair. Once finished, wash your hair and it'll be clean and loose again.
Question

Could I keep my cornrows in for 3-4 weeks?

It depends on your hair type. It's probably better and healthier for the cornrows to stay in for only 1-2 weeks, but if you think that your hair type would tolerate them for a longer period of time, then go for it!

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Things You'll Need

Shampoo and conditioner
Leave-in conditioner
Blow dryer
Edge control
Styling oil or butter
Rat-tail comb
Elastic hair bands or small barrettes

About This Article

Article SummaryX

The easiest way to create neat cornrows is to dampen your hair and part a front section. Take a small section of hair from this section and divide it into 3 strands. Twist the hair twice like you would for a normal braid, then add hair from below the braid into the middle strand. After each twist, add a little more hair to whichever strand is in the middle. If you run out of hair to add, continue with a regular 3-strand braid. For tips on washing your cornrows and keeping them neat at night, read on!

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