Here is a link to what I use:
http://store.yahoo.com/easybraid/

I bought mine in a store, but I haven't seen them lately.

They do work!  ;D

I have seen those around and even tried on once.  I had trouble trying to use it on myself, however it was great when braiding someone elses hair.  Fortunately, I have figured out how to french braid my own hair. ;D

I find if I hold my mouth funny, it helps   ;D

Haha! I found a site teaching french braiding and I did it myself on the first try! It's not that hard trust me!!  ;D

French braiding isn't difficult, but I need the easybraid to hold the strands in place or I mess up. It helps a lot. When my arms get tired I can rest and the easy braid will hold everything in place for me.

Keep practicing, you will soon be able to braid you hair quickly and will find you won't need the assistance.  French braids are a great way to keep your hair away from your face and look great!

Yeah I know! They look really sophisticated and are fun to do :P

I have been french-braiding hair for years, since I was about 10.  

Whenever I braid someone elses hair, I find the "top" braid (I think it is called the Dutch braid, where it sits on the outside)  is easiest and looks great.  I can only do the French (tucked inside the hair) on myself.

Anyone have any tips on how to accomplish this easily on themselves???

What I do is sit in front of a mirror with a long mirror behind me so I can see my hair while I braid. I'm sure you know the concept of Dutch braiding so watch yourself as you do it and practise like you have with the french braid. I hold the pieces with my neck to pull it tigthter. Also try and hold your mouth funny it might help!  ;)

wrote on Feb 7^th, 2003 at 3:39pm:

Whenever I braid someone elses hair, I find the "top" braid (I think it is called the Dutch braid, where it sits on the outside)  is easiest and looks great.  I can only do the French (tucked inside the hair) on myself. Anyone have any tips on how to accomplish this easily on themselves???

The Dutch braid is basically the same as the French braid other than passing the section of hair under the center section instead of over.  I find that once I get the braid started, the finger/hand positions are pretty much the same.

Where do you usually begin your braid while french braiding? Do you start by gathering the hair from behind your ears, or higher up on your crown? How do you determine your starting point?

My hair is all one length (no bangs), but I have lots of little frizzies I like to control so I usually start braiding about 2" from my front hair line if I want the braid to hold my hair well all day.  If I am doing a quick french braid that does not need to have super holding power, I will start at about the crown.  When my hair was shorter, I would pull the hair from above the ears back and secure it with a barrette, then start french braiding from that point.

I don't braid so close to my hairline. I do have bangs but they are quite long, about 7-8" so whenever I tie my hair up I can choose whether or not to let my bangs show. I tend to start at the crown, because the only time I french braid it is at night for practise. I still haven't been able to make a perfect, tight, no-bits-hanging-out french braid!

Keep on practicing and don't worry about perfection, you'll get it soon!

Does anyone find it easier to spray your hair with water after braiding to tuck in the bits that stick out? It's my little secret - it always looks as if my braid is perfect if I do that  :P

I usually french braid while my hair is still wet after being freshly washed.

I would like to report that now I can do a french braid without my Easybraider!  ;D

Yay! Good job!!  ;D

wrote on Mar 21^st, 2003 at 1:59am:

I usually french braid while my hair is still wet after being freshly washed. I would like to report that now I can do a french braid without my Easybraider!  ;D

Congratulations!  Next comes dutch braids, then crown braids.  Keep on braiding!

Does anyone have any tips for a perfect french braid?

Practice, practice, practice.

I just found a trick - usually when I braid, I hold one piece of the three with my neck while I braid the other two. If you hold all three pieces - yes it's tricky if you're not used to it - you get a tighter, more perfect braid.  ;D!

I just wanted to say thank you for the tip about the easy braider.  I have -never- been able to french braid hair let alone try to french braid my own hair.  I just didn't have a knack for it and my hair would always tangle on itself.

It took a long time to ship, but it is a handy tool.  I wore my hair french braided to work today, and I was quite proud of it, heh.  

I have no desire to learn to french braid without it.  :P  

Larissa;
congratulations on mastering the french braid.  You may find that after using the Easy Braider for a while, that you will be able to french braid without it.  In the meantime, enjoy your new hairstyle!

And welcome!

What is an Easy Braider? Germany is absolutely underdeveloped concerning hair toys. No hairsticks, no beautiful ponytail holders with austrian crystals (and hairboutique.com only ships with UPS- 30 $ shipping fees  :o), no bunjees, no helpful things to updo hair easily, no really extraordinary hair jewelery- I have to move to the U.S.  :'(

Ah!  Now I know why you're such a good customer ;)

I thought you were moving in with me??

wrote on Dec 8^th, 2003 at 8:06am:

Ah!  Now I know why you're such a good customer ;) I thought you were moving in with me??

;) I am such a good customer because these sticks are the best accessoire I ever found. Easy to use and so much pretty I want to have a glass cupboard (funny word I hope my dictionary didn´t fool me ;)) to put them all in  ;D
Cool, may I have a room overlooking the garden? And may I take my horse with me ;)?

Cupboard works, but "cabinet" is probably the word you were looking for ;)

Yes, you may have a room over the garden and yes, by all means bring the horse!  He and the greyhounds can run together ;)

Ummm... do you clean by any chance?  LOL!

;D

To answer your question, the braiding tool referred to is called Braidini.  It is a plastic tool that helps hold the hair in place while you braid.  Here is a link http://www.braidini.com/

Thank you! I am not able to braid a simple single braid on my own hair  :-[ I have to ask my mum or to do a twist (seems to be easier for me ;) )

wrote on May 2^nd, 2003 at 10:54am:

Does anyone have any tips for a perfect french braid?

when i understood the very simple principle i tried it and failed cuze i felt i came always at least a finger short in transfering the strands to the other hand.
the i read ten times the instructions on how to hold the strands on dreamweaverbraiding. com.
finally, i tried again (just second trial) and had already a good result. then i adjusted a bit the position of the hands cuze i just didn't manage to hold the strands as mentioned on the site and the third trial was pretty "easy".

I think everyone has their own  "best method" for self braiding.  I've watched others french braid their own hair, and I know I don't use the same fingering.  Maybe that is because I had to teach myself how to braid my hair.  My best advice is "practice, practice, practice".  The more you practice, the easier it gets.

I have found out that I French and Dutch braid better, if I don't do it in front of a mirror. Mirrors are somehow confusing while braiding... ::)

yes  they are! i only watch before i start  if  there are no strange loops on top of my hair.

Help!  I can't find those bunjee ponytail holders anywhere!

I'm afraid Brad, the Bunjii guy has closed up shop.  He was looking for a buyer for a while, but his web page disappeared a couple of months ago.  We can only hope that someone brings them back.

Oh, bummer!  Thanks for letting me know, Bikerbraid.

If you're new to braiding altogether, see if you can braid someone else's hair a few times first so you can get the hang of it.  Then when you start on your own hair, don't use a mirror, close your eyes and try to visualize where the strands of hair are and where they're going.  I don't know about everyone else but when I used to french braid my own hair, it was easier to leave a strand loose over the top of my hand to keep it seperate, rather than try and hold it between my fingers.  My hair is thick and coarse though so it stays in place well, if your hair is thin or silky it might not work as well.