Hi everybody. I love this site. Just joined and boy will I talk your ears off for anyone willing to listen. I must have a billion hair questions. I will start with my braid. So far I can only do a basic braid and a herringbone braid only if I make 2 pigtails. My problem is my basic braid never holds. I always have the front part falling out, but if I braid it wet it stays in. Am I not pulling tight enough ?  Should I pull a certain way ? Sorry for such a long post

You are not alone with your braids.  Fine hair especially is prone to slipping out of braids.  Most of us find that the hair stays put best when it is either

• wet
  
• oiled
  
• dirty
  
• curly (natural or otherwise)
  
  

I don't recommend pulling the hair more - that can cause damage.  

I have found that putting a little aloe vera gel or even Pantene Restoratives Fortifier on my fingers as I'm braiding helps some the little hairs and keep it tight.  I keep putting it on my fingers as I work down the braid.  And my best braids started with hair that was cleaned yesterday or the day before.

Hope this helps!
:)

I'm finding that just wearing my hair in a ponytail for a while before braiding it, makes it easier to tame the top and keep the top tighter.  That's necessary as long as the face framing layers haven't caught up with the back yet.  I took the braid out after a while and I certainly prefer the look of several wavy kinks down the length of my hair as opposed to that one stupid kink usually left after a ponytail.  I still like the simplicity of a low, smooth ponytail though.  

I've found that my braids stay much better when my hair is dirty.  Also, styles like crown braids and braids down both sides of my head that involve the shorter hair at the front keep more of my hair secure than just a French braid or a down braid.  Experimentation is your friend!  Have fun!

Here's a link to directions for some really pretty braiding techniques.  Some require another person, but most of them can be done yourself.  They take a little practice, but you end up with some really neat styles:

http://www.dreamweaverbraiding.com/Braiding_Tips.htm

Not sure if anybody else does this, but I often find that if I do the braid first, leave it in for maybe ten twenty minutes, and then re-do the braid, it has a higher chance of staying put.