Vlechten met 4 plukken // 4 strand braids

Vlechten met 4 plukken

Wie begint met vlechten, zal uiteraard eerst de gewone vlecht - inclusief invlechten en opvlechten - willen beheersen en daarna de vissengraatvlecht. Ook een twist behoort tot de vlechten waar veel mensen mee beginnen. Maar niet eens zo veel moeilijker is de vlecht met 4 plukken. Wie deze vlecht beheerst, zal weer een heleboel nieuwe kapsels kunnen maken, want met deze vlecht kun je ontzettend veel variëren.

Allereerst is er de gewone vlecht met 4 plukken: het haar in 4 plukken verdelen, links onder - over; rechts over - onder of precies andersom (links over - onder; rechts onder - over). Hierbij is er één pluk die altijd in het midden blijft: de derde pluk, geteld vanaf de kant waar je begint met vlechten. Beheers je de techniek, dan zou je deze derde pluk kunnen vervangen door een lint of door een microvlechtje.

Wie nog iets meer wil, kan haar gaan toevoegen voor een ingevlochten 4 plukken vlecht. De vlecht wordt dan een half ingevlochten / half opgevlochten vlecht, aangezien je aan de ene kant over - onder gaat (als een invlecht) en aan de andere kant onder - over (als een opvlecht). Het is ook mogelijk om een volledige opvlecht met 4 plukken te maken, een filmpje hierover zal begin maart op mijn YouTube kanaal te zien zijn.

Als laatste is er nog de 3D vlecht, de gewone en de ingevlochten versie. Hierbij vlecht je ook met 4 plukken, maar net op een andere manier. Ook deze techniek geeft weer erg leuke kapsels!

Wil je meer inspiratie en/of uitleg over 4 plukken vlecht? Bekijk dan de afspeellijst Vlechten met 4 plukken!

Een 4 plukken vlecht met microvlechtje

A 4 strand braid with microbraid

4 strand braids

Those who are starting to braid, will of course want to master the regular braid - including the French and Dutch variation. Then the fishtail braid is the braid to learn, as well as the twist. But not even that much more difficult is the 4 strand braid. Those who have mastered this braid, will be able to create a whole lot of new hairstyles again, as this braid is great for variation.

First of all there's the regular 4 strand braid: divide the hair into 4 strands, cross left under - over; right over - under or the exact other way around (left over - under; right under - over). With this technique there's one strand that always stays in the middle: the third strand, counted from the side where you're starting to braid. If you've mastered the technique, you could replace this third strand with a ribbon or micro braid.

Those wanting more, can try to add hair for a French/Dutch 4 strand braid. It's French/Dutch as on one side you're braiding over - under (like a French braid) and on the other side under - over (like a Dutch braid). It's also possible to create a full Dutch braid, a tutorial on this will go live on my YouTube channel the beginning of March.

Last of all there's the 3D braid, the regular and the Dutch braided version. Again you're braiding with 4 strands, only now in a different way. This technique will give you a lot of great hairstyles again!

Would you like more inspiration and/or explanations on the 4 strand braid? Then check out the playlist 4 strand braids!

Basic techniques - level 1

When describing hairstyles I often use the words 'basic techniques'. For me, this means the braiding technique you should master before being able to create fun and more difficult hairstyles. And the fun part is: with just basic techniques you can already create great hairstyles!

Today I'll explain what the level 1 basic techniques are for me, the most important braiding techniques for beginners.

• Regular braid: this is the 'normal' braid with 3 strands, the braid most people will know / recognize. I strongly advise to master this technique before going any further as this really is the base of all braiding techniques.
• French braid: another quite known braid. When you've mastered the regular braid, you can try adding in hair. The smaller the pieces you add in, the more beautiful your braid will look.
• Dutch braid: I've explained the difference between French and Dutch braiding in an earlier blog post. Some people find Dutch braiding more difficult than French braiding, while others find it easier to Dutch braid than to French braid. Again, it's another basic technique I'd advise to master.
• Lace braid: the name may seem a little strange, but it's just a braid where you add in hair on one side. It's pretty much the same as French and Dutch braiding, only you don't add in hair on both sides. The only thing to remember, is which side you're adding in hair.
• Twists: for a twist you divide the hair into two strands. First twist both strands to the left and then have them switch places clockwise. Or: twist both strands to the right and then have them switch places counterclockwise. Lucy's style from the movie Prince Caspian is an example of twists.
• Fishtail: another quite known braid which a lot of people don't know how to do. Start by dividing the hair into two strands and then cross a small strand from the left side over to the right. Then cross a small strand from the right side over to the left. Keep repeating this. Tip: the smaller the strands you cross over, the more your braid will look like a fishtail!

When you've mastered these techniques, you can already create a lot of fun hairstyles by combining techniques. But for those who want more: there are plenty of other techniques! The level 2 basic techniques will be explained in another blog post another time, for now good luck practicing these techniques!

Basic techniques combined: a French braid and a fishtail

Hairstyles for a week

Yesterday I gave the advise to think of your Monday morning creation before it's actually Monday morning. But did you know that with clever thinking and a little bit of creativity you sometimes can turn 1 basic hairstyle into styles for an entire week? By changing just one little thing you have 7 different hairstyles!

Take the French braid into a 4 strand braid from my YouTube tutorial this week for example. This is already a combination braid - French braiding and braiding with 4 strands - but by changing those two elements a little bit every time, you can create completely different hairstyles!

To help you a little, I'm giving you some suggestions. Of course there's many more options to think of and many more possibilities for combinations, this is just an idea:
* Day 1: do the original style - the French braid into a 4 strand braid;
* Day 2: change the French braid into a Dutch braid. The 4 strand braid remains the same;
* Day 3: keep the original French braid, but finish off with a 3 strand braid instead of a 4 strand braid;
* Day 4: start off with a French twist instead of a French braid. The 4 strands braid remains;
* Day 5: challenge yourself a little by starting off with a French/Dutch 4 strand braid. Then continue with the regular 4 strand braid;
* Day 6: another challenge to try - start with a 5 strand French braid! Of course you could also do a 5 strand Dutch braid;
* Day 7: did you manage the Day 5 challenge? Then challenge yourself even further by starting off with a 4 strand French/Dutch braid with ribbon!

Good luck!

French braiding <> Dutch braiding

Anyone who's starting to braid more or wants to learn more about braiding, will soon come across the names 'French braiding' and 'Dutch braiding'. Most people will have heard the name French braiding, Dutch braiding is less well-known. What are these two braiding techniques and what's the difference between them?

French braiding
To do a French braid, you add a little bit of hair every time. You start with 3 strands (or more of course, if you're an advanced braider) and every time you braid a stitch, you add a little bit of hair. Keep repeating this until you've added in all of the hair.
This tutorial explains French braiding. Here you will see you have to cross the strands over each other every time. This makes a French braid.

Dutch braiding
To do a Dutch braid, you also add in a little bit of hair every time. Again you will start with 3 strands (or more) and every time you add in some hair. Keep repeating this until you've added in all of the hair.
This tutorial explains Dutch braiding. Here you will see you have to cross the strands under each other everytime. This makes a Dutch braid.

The difference
The difference between the braids is how you cross the strands: over each other (French braiding) or under each other (Dutch braiding). This small difference in technique creates two completely different braids.

French braiding

Dutch braiding