Hair Braiding

How To Braid Short Hair – Check More

Today we are going to talk about How To Braid Short Hair, short hair is not an obstacle to making gorgeous braids. It’s actually easier to handle than long hair and you’ll be much better off if you’re just starting out with braiding. The trick is to keep yourself comfortable, start out from the side of the head and just keep your fingers tight.

How To Braid Short Hair
How To Braid Short Hair / Image from Mallory Brooke Video

Once you do it, braiding will feel like magic and you’ll feel like a million bucks, not to mention you will look like it too! When you learn braiding on short hair, you’ll be able to do it on medium and long hair of any type and texture.

At first, you will learn basic braiding styles but you can later go with the complex ones that are basically living art. Those braids can include flowers, gemstones, pins, bow ties, ribbons or any other kind of highlight. Braids also look much nicer when they have some mess to them, like a few careless bangs or strands.

How To Braid Short Hair — Tips and Tricks

Clean, dry hair is the best kind of hair for braiding. Whenever you can, you should work on such hair but any other kind can work too. The only problem is that dirty or wet hair has a mind of its own and will resist your braiding attempts. All types of hair can be made into a braid, it’s just that clean and dry hair produces the most consistent results.

Before braiding, you should brush the hair to get rid of all the knots and tangles. This is perhaps the single biggest piece of advice for a newbie who wants to learn braiding. Brushing adds volume and straightens the hair, which works wonders when you need to even out two or more braids.

Dab the hair with a wet towel or spritz it with a spray bottle that has water in it. Damp hair is also a solid choice and will be just the right kind of sticky but won’t fight back when you try to make a braid.


Don’t use rubber bands or you’ll be in a world of hurt when you try to take them off. They will rip the hair right out and fray it. Instead, use elastic hair bands, hair clips, pins or basically anything else. Braids should not only look nice but also feel comfortable and stay tight on the head, especially when moving.
Avoid looking in the mirror when you’re practicing, since that will only confuse you. Instead, learn to do it without looking and only be feeling the hair. That way, you will gain much more confidence.

Video Tutorial

Hair Products

Don’t overuse hair products before you start with braiding. Though they can plump up the hair and help smoothen it out, don’t get too carried away. Hair that’s gotten too much chemicals in it will turn brittle or just act in a weird way when the hair product wears off.

Use the tiniest bit of something like hair gel on spots that need it and make sure the hair flows smoothly. That way, the braid will come out looking elegant and strong rather than brittle and awkward. What you can do is use a hair product after you’ve made the braid, but even then you should reserve it only for a posh event rather than a casual day out.

Avoid Fatigue

One big problem with braiding short hair is how difficult it can be when you’re just starting out and don’t know what to do. You keep your arms above your head and your fingers tight, which leads to tingling, cramps and fatigue.

The best approach to that problem is to make yourself as comfy as possible. You will naturally feel excited to start out and won’t think much about how to hold your hands or where to put your arms, but the priority should be comfort. Before you’ve taken your first bunch of hair, you need to find a comfy position, where you can sit for hours. If you can doze off in that position, that’s even better.

Practice on other stuff that is more handy, such as tassels, dolls, dog fur or just any strings and ribbons. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice and absorb how different materials act under pressure. Some come undone much more easily than others, which is the same way different types of hair react to being braided.

Keep The Braid Tight

You can make your braids tight or loose but working with short hair all but mandates they be kept tight. The reason is that you won’t have a lot of maneuvering space and they will fall apart quickly otherwise. This does mean you need to have a tight grip and work close to the scalp.

Don’t be afraid of starting over if the braid isn’t tight enough. That works as a solid practice and besides, if the braid isn’t tight enough at the start, it will most likely come undone on its own during the day. How you make the first 10% of the braid, that’s how the entire braid will turn out.

How To Braid Short Hair — Be Fast

Speed is of the essence when doing braids on short hair. It sounds strange, but the faster you go, the better your braid will look and you will tire yourself less.

If you go fast, you will also make it an instinct to do a braid. When you can do it without thinking and have it come out perfect, you’ll know you’ve mastered short hair braiding. Overthinking is a big problem with braiding, especially if you’re the brainy type that likes to think things logically.

Relax, let it happen and you will feel your fingers work their braiding magic on their own. Once you’re done, take a break and do it all over again until you’ve become a master of braiding, for which you will certainly get much credit in your social circle.

If you are interested, you can check Crown Braid For Short Hair from our previous posts.