Studio: Plaiting

Wiggle plait.

Plaiting can be seen within a lot of catwalk hairstyles, and in this weeks hair session we were looking at different ways to plait the hair, and add plaits to enhance a hairstyle.

Equipment needed:

- Hair brush

- Pintail comb

- Hair bands

- Sectioning clips

How to create a Wiggle Plait:

- Begin by creating a 3 strand plait.

REMEMBER: A plait comes away from the head, and a braid is against the head.

- When you get to the end of the plait, hold one of the strands firmly and push the other two up to create the wiggle effect.

- Pull out the plait so that it is not too bunched up at the top.

How to create a Waterfall Plait:

- Begin by sectioning off a square piece of hair at the front of your model's head.

- Split the section of hair into three and begin to plait normally.  When you go to plait from the strand above, drop it and pick up another strand of hair from above the plait.

REMEMBER: The rhythm of plaiting = plait - plait - drop

NOTE: Creating another plait underneath with the strands dropped will create a ladder effect.

Waterfall plait.                                                                                   Ladder plait.

How to create a Five Strand Plait:

- Separate the section of hair that you are plaiting into five strands.

NOTE: Crimping the hair will help if it is your first attempt.

- Take the section on the right and bring it over and under the two strands next to it.

- Take the section on the left and bring it over and under the two strands next to it.

- Repeat this method, always bringing the outside pieces of hair over and under the other sections.

NOTE: Be careful not to bunch your hands together.

Five strand plait.

How to create a Slip Knot Plait:

- Begin by creating a clean section along the hair line.

- Split the section into two, tie a knot with the hair and ask your model to hold the strands.

- Create the next section cleanly from the temple and tie another knot, asking your model to hold these strands too.

- Create another section, split it into two and join with the first knot sections and create another knot.

- Continue to work like this until you have created knots in your chosen sections of hair.

- To finish off the plait, twist the last two sections together.

Slip knot plait.

Slip knot plait.

Evaluation:
Learning these different plaits was interesting and some were easier than others.  The wiggle plait was the simplest to achieve as it was very straight forward.  The five strand plait was also quite easy to create.  It was fiddly to begin with, but once I got into the rhythm of the plait it was fine.  Creating the slip knot plait was fairly simple as well, but a bit fiddly with all the different sections.  I found the waterfall plait the hardest to get my head around, as I couldn't understand when to drop the hair and pick up the next piece to replace the dropped section.  Overall I think I created the different plaits quite successfully, and they are designs that I will take forward to consider for my final brand looks.