My name is Maddie Sheldon, I created this because I wanted to learn how to french braid my own hair. I know how to french braid on other people, but because I play softball I find that a tight french braid lasts a long time and keeps the hair out of my face. Well, here is my 14 day journey on how I taught myself how to french braid my hair blindly. (In case you are interested on the sources I used,here they are.)

After 14 days of practicing, researching, and learning, I have finally achieved being able to french braid my own hair. I have learned over this process that it is easier to braid dry hair, its easier if you add dry shampoo to help grip the hair, braiding closer to the head makes the braid tighter, and braiding the hair upward at the end makes the braid straighter. All of these tricks and tips have allowed me to be able to neatly and effectively french braid my own hair. I feel that this is something that I would recommend doing because the research and practice shows that in the end, focus and outside information help you accomplish what you want. (March 10, 2019)

Today I researched more about how to keep the braid tight. According to Babes In Hairland on YouTube, the closer your hands are to your head, the tighter the braid will be. When I practiced, I used this technique and it actually worked! I think one more time practicing and I will have accomplished my goal. I learned that a simple change will make my braid perfect. (March 8, 2019)

Today was a day that I just practiced the things I have learned so far. I sat and braiding, taking my time focusing on what I was doing with each piece. I am still working on keeping my hair tight and in a straight line, but some of this just comes with practice. My Mom says that she practiced and that is how she became good at french braiding her own hair. From now on, I plan on making sure that my hair is not wet. Another thing I will focus on is using the dry shampoo because I find this tip helpful. (March 6, 2019)

I had a more successful day today because I used tips from an article off of Women’s Health. It gave tips that helped me with my issue of gripping my hair. Also, it said that it is easier to braid hair that is dry. This research was mainly to find what specific tricks there are to make braiding easier. Today, I used these tips to braid my hair and I found that my braiding skills have gotten better and my braid is almost perfect. One thing I am still struggling with is making sure it is tight all the way down. I plan on continuing to practice this for one more day, and I might look up other ways to help overcome this struggle to keep it tight. (March 4, 2019)

I practiced today with the same tips from the research that I did a couple days ago but instead of my hair being dry I tried to braid it wet. My braid still looks the same, and I am still struggling with getting a grip on my hair to keep it tight. I found that with my hair being wet it is less tangled, but it is harder to hold my hair. I have heard from my friends and cousins that it is more difficult to braid hair that is wet. Next time, I am going to try one more time to braid my hair wet before I look farther into french braiding your own hair. (March 2, 2018)

After a couple days of trying to braid my hair, I decided to research the proper way to french braid your own hair. I found out from a website called Bustle, that to keep it straight all the way down you have to flip the braid up and braid upward. Also I found that if you grab smaller sections, then the braid will be thinner. As I tried these different tips, I found my braid to be a little better. The only problem was that my hair was still missing sections and the braid was loose. I will continue to use these tips while I practice, but I will search for more ways that I can improve my braid. (February 28, 2019)

Today I attempted to braid my hair again, and I would say the most challenging part was keeping it tight and in a straight line. I think that if my hair is wet, then it will be easier to work with since it will be less tangled. I need to find out the proper way to braid and maybe that will help. (February 26, 2019)

I am learning how to french braid my own hair in 14 days. I have always wanted to be able to french braid my own hair because when I play softball, braids are the only hairstyle that will keep the hair out of my face. I know how to french braid on other people, but when it comes to myself I do not know where to begin. My Mom and cousins have taught me how to french braid which should help me throughout this process. (February 24, 2019)