I love the look of a crown braid, but have not been able to figure out how/where to start one and whether it is reasonable to think I might be able to do one on myself.  Any suggestions? ::)

Try http://www.dreamweaverbraiding.com/Braid%20Examples/braid_examples_crowns.htm. Let me know if you can do it and if you have any suggestions; I'm quite clumsy with my hair! I'd like to know if you were successful with the crown braid!

Has anyone else tried any crown braids on themselves?

Ooh! I usually practise on my mother, even though her hair is shoulder length and layered which makes it hard to do things on. But it actually worked extremely well - the next challenge is doing it on myself!

Yup - I've done a crown braid on myself - it takes a little while, and it's a bit slow going, but it came out fairly well - I suggest practice practice practice - that's the best thing to do - sometimes it helps to try on someone else first, but it's very different from doing your own - I typically start from around my left ear and work my way around my head - I typically clip off sections of my hair to keep my space free - I separate my head into quarters basically, leave the lower left quarter free when I start, and unclip the sections as I make my way around my head.

Also - since I have curly hair, I wet my hair down for braiding - it is much easier to handle and they are far fewer knots for me when separating and gathering strands.  This also works well for thick straight hair that slips easily - otherwise if you can do it without wetting it down and it's easy enough to separate, go for it

I have a question about crown braids. I know the first braid you start at the nape of your neck and braid up towards the crown. For the second braid do you start at the nape again, or at the crown, and then wrap it around the first braid?  ???

Hmmm - now I'm not sure what kind of crown braid you mean - the crown braid I know is one braid that goes around your entire head - making a circle like a crown - I don't know what style you mean with 2

wrote on Feb 14^th, 2003 at 3:55am:

Yup - I've done a crown braid on myself - it takes a little while, and it's a bit slow going, but it came out fairly well - I suggest practice practice practice - that's the best thing to do - sometimes it helps to try on someone else first, but it's very different from doing your own - I typically start from around my left ear and work my way around my head - I typically clip off sections of my hair to keep my space free - I separate my head into quarters basically, leave the lower left quarter free when I start, and unclip the sections as I make my way around my head.

I am soooo jealous.  I really want to learn how to do a crown braid on myself.  If I am understanding your instructions,  you divide the hair into 4 quarters.  Start braiding at the left ear up towards the top of the head, then continue around the head until you reach the start?  Is that how you do it?

Hmm - I'm confused now! On the dreamweaver site, she used two braids and wrapped one around the other! Maybe it's a variation of the crown?

There are 2 different types.  The one Space Cadet is describing, I believe is where the hair is gathered into the braid as you go aroung the head.  Another style would be to make 2 separate braids, then wrap them around the head.

Yes - the official crown braid that I know of is a french braid style but wrapped around your head, gathering hair as you go

and actually - I start at the left behind my ear and go down to the back of my head working my way counter clockwise around my head

How far from your hairline does your braid end up?

I vary it - usually I try to keep it not too far from the hairline so that it's a nice big "crown" around my head - probably about 1.5"-2" or so, but keeping it in closer to the center of your head you'll probably have enough of a braid tail that you can then wrap the tail around the initial crown and pin it in place to make it look like a double crown

How long is your hair?  I'm curious how long it would need to be in order to make the double crown.

actually I have not tried teh double crown...
my hair is to my waist when it's wet or straightened - otherwise, it's about 5 inches or so shorter than that (when it's dry and therefore curly...)

Do you wear your hair loose showing off the curls most of the time?

it depends on how recently I've washed my hair - my curls stay nice for a day or two, and then I ponytail or up do it - since curly hair tends to be very dry I wash it every 3 days so that it stays healthy - but I love using sticks in my hair so I'll often leave about half of it down - I've done a crown braid with just the top half of my hair before, and that was pretty cool too...

The crown with half of it down is called a cascade on the dreamweaver site I believe. It's a really nice look, I'll have to try it this weekend before I give myself the oil treatment!

Yup - depending on your hair type however I don't recommend doing it exactly like the dreamweaver site says - by taking hair for the bottom portion of the cascade all the way from the bottom of your head in small portions - at least for my hair type it works out much better if I do it just like a crown but on half of my head - straight hair looks nice using the directions they give though!

Well my hair is not like straight hair at all, although it does become straight after a couple of days of not washing it  :-/. And it starts curly, how odd is that! Hehe anyway most of the time it's wavy, or straight with a wave at the end, and it holds updos well. I will try both ways and see which work well for me  ;D.

This sounds cool.  I think I'll try it the week, also.

I wrote to Mary Bertke (of the Dreamweaver's site) to get her advice on doing a crown braid on oneself. Her instructions were:
- Part the hair from front all the way to the back, not to the point of the ear.
- If you have hair clips, part the hair also from the crown of the head to the points of the ears.  Clip three of the four resulting sections, leaving one back section free.  This helps you to keep even with adding top and bottom sections, giving you little checkpoints.
- Work on your arm strength.  Hands on straining arms don't braid well.  I recommend Denise Austin's Hit the Spot: Arms and Bust video.  No, I'm not joking.  While you're at it, it's a good idea to do the other three videos as well - "Abs", "Thighs" and "Buns".  This is how I got rid of my (fairly severe) back problems.
- Other than that, you have to work out how and where to do the arm/hand position changes for yourself.  It is, at first, a very clumsy practice, and it WILL NOT look really good for a LONG time.  I'm still working on getting the hair consistently smooth and tightly braided, and I've been working on it for a few months.  (Buns got too heavy for aerobics.)

Ah - this is where a husband, friend, or really good clip comes in handy - often to take a short break my husband will hold the hair for me so that I can shake my arms out - but I also have a few good barrettes that are large and hold tightly and easy to clip over the braid where I've stopped to take out the next section to braid or give my arms a break - it works quite well

I'll have to give it a try this weekend as well.  I really want to learn how to do it on myself.   ;D

I have tried and given up soo many times! But anyway maybe one day I will succeed lol!

Yeah - the best way to really start I think is to be prepared to spend a lot of time on it, and have methods of taking breaks in place so that you won't have to start completely over.  Also knowing how your hair works best is very helpful - for example a lot of braiding sites say never wet the hair, just be sure to smooth it as you braid it - but with my curly hair, that just doesn't work - my best braids are done right after I shower or right before I wash my hair, but I still wet it down completely so that I can separate it well - just know your hair to make it easier!

Well I have this weekend to do it, so I have plenty of time. I don't really braid my hair when it's wet, it works well when it's dry and it's dirty today so hopefully it will hold well  :).

My two little cousins with long hair are great hair models - I tried the dutch crown braid on both of them and it worked! I parted their hair down the middle and started on the right side, and just did a dutch braid all the way around. When I got to the other side of the head I started gathering hair from only one side until it left the back of the head and then I would finish the braid. Then the braid would be wrapped around the other braid to make it look like a "double crown." For one of the girls there was hair left over so I made accent braids, and for the other girl all the hair was incorporated into the braid. I tried the french crown but it was harder! I wish i could do this on myself  :(

I've finally done a good crown braid on myself  ;D

Congratulations!  :) Hope you took pictures!

I'll definitely get pictures as soon as I get my new digicam!

Bikerbraid, did you ever figure out how to do one on yourself? Believe me, if you haven't, it's because I have it much easier... my hair is a LOT shorter!! I decided to learn the tough things now while my hair is short so that I can do it when it's longer!

Oh and by the way, I used Space_Cadet's technique about the four sections and starting at the left ear. I don't find it easier wetting the sections, and have done the braid both wet and dry.

Sorry to say, I have not yet tried the crown braid on myself. :P  I need more time to "play" with my hair to figure it out.  You are right to try to learn things while your hair is at a manageable length.  Maybe if I grew another arm I could figure out the crown braid? ::)

It did take me a few tries before I could get it to look like a crown, LOL! In the meantime, I created a "baby crown" (http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/thread?forumid=242462&messageid=1057331676). I couldn't get the crown to go anywhere near my hairline at first! But you just figure it out with practise. The hard thing is changing hand positions.

Good luck trying!  ;D

this is soo very gorgeous!!! i had never heard of this braid...i have braided my hair in anywhere from 2 peices to 5 peices..this.this is...i am on a mission now to learn how to do this braid..you know that right?  i'm a SCAdian..  and somehow someway i am going to learn this one..
  i've learned most braids from books  **beautiful braids etc*...
 only one i've not been able to finish **damned arthritis!!** was the fishtail braid..
  now i have to find a book with this braid just to learn this..it looked magnificent on you...in fact a freind of mine is getting handfasted..soon..i sent her the url for the pic..she may end up wearing this in the ritual.
   awesome...just awesome!!
    Ciao!
      Azriel...she ,who it appears, is currently on a caffeine high. *ROTFL*

If you mean the Baby Crown, I'm sorry - you can't find it in any books! I made it up  ;)

I love crown braids and would like to start to practice making them as soon as I am able to.

What is the minimum hair length that a crown braid requires? My hair is just about two inches below shoulder line.

It's best to start doing the crown while your hair is still shorter. I'm not sure if your hair is too short to do it, but you can certainly try. Here is the latest crown braid I've done on myself:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/Leia9/crownbraid28octprincessleia.jpg

I did it this Halloween when I dressed up as Princess Leia (I did NOT want the double buns! LOL)

WOW Leia, you're hair is sooo lovely! You've got mounds of it!!  :o :D

Carrie Fisher: eat your heart out!!!!

Wow, your hair is really gorgeous. And the braid is beautiful.

Thanks for encouragement, I'll start practicing.  :)

wrote on Nov 5^th, 2004 at 12:06pm:

What is the minimum hair length that a crown braid requires? My hair is just about two inches below shoulder line.

Your hair is long enough.  I would start with a Dutch crown braid (you know, an inside-out braid).  if you have a problem with short pieces of hair sticking out all over the place, try doing it a French braid.

Leia, your crown braid is so pretty!  Mine usually end up a bit closer to the top of my head (like dreamweaverbraiding.com pics), but I'm working on getting it to stay at the back like your picture.  Oh, and you were smart to stay away from the double buns *gag*!  Only Carrie Fisher can pull that off!

Thank you Galadriel, Rua, and BraiderSC. You know, I've never tried making it closer to my head. I like the look of big, open crowns, that are close to my nape and not TOO close to my hairline (the top will usually touch my crown). Thanks again for the compliments  ;D :-*

First try with crown braid. It did not, repeat: it did not go well. There was hair everywhere, except where it should have been. I'm in real trouble when I have to divide my hair into sections...

But I'll keep trying.

Leia, thats beautiful!!

wrote on Nov 12^th, 2004 at 2:22pm:

First try with crown braid. It did not, repeat: it did not go well. There was hair everywhere, except where it should have been. I'm in real trouble when I have to divide my hair into sections... But I'll keep trying.

Do keep trying. It's just one of those styles that you try and fail, over and over, then all of a sudden you get it. ;D

wrote on Nov 12^th, 2004 at 2:22pm:

First try with crown braid. It did not, repeat: it did not go well. There was hair everywhere, except where it should have been.

that kinda sounds interesting too though
;)

my braiding talents stop with a single dumb braid that even a toddler could do (nothing that starts somewhere on the head that is, dutch or french i dunno. My mother can do all those thingies, but then she has super easy coarse hair that stays nicely where you order it to stay.

I'm not experienced braider either, and my hair is super slippery, so I work powered by sheer stubborness.  ;D

EDIT: second try a while after my shower while my hair was still damp, went very well  ;D. I managed to braid about one and half quarter.

I have now managed to complete the braid a few times. For me Valerie's advice works: I start from upper left quardant and start braiding upwards. I change hand positions after each quadrant- it seems to work best.
The lower left quadrant (the last one) is the most difficult one: braiding upwards is really difficult.

The biggest problem for me right now is, that my braid ends up being terribly loose though I try to tighten it constantly. Does anyone know, why? Is it just lack of practice or is there some trick?

This may not be the answer, and forgive me if it sounds too obvious, but it is something I have to remind myself of ......... When you want a braid to be "tight" to the head, you must make sure that as you tighten the braid, you are not pulling the hair away from the head - that will create a loose braid.  

Wow, Leia! :o :o :o
That braid is gorgeous in your gorgeous hair!

When my hair used to be long before, I could do French and Dutch braids pretty well on myself, but I never tackled anything like this.  I can't wait til my hair is a little longer to try this.

My hair is so slippery it just slides out at this point. :'(

Ladies, I am impressed.

strawberryfine

Some crown braiding realizations.

1) Take more hair from down and less from center of head.

2) Take hair very little at one time. I realized that my big mistake was, that I took hair way too much- like I was braiding a classic braid.

I guess my crown braid will look passable only after my hair has grown a bit -too much baby hairs and short hairs sticking out now. Neverthless, I'm happy I started practicing it early- every braid I make looks a little better than the braid before that. :)

Working with wet hands will also help.

Today I managed to do first time a crown that doesn't look totally awful- one I didn't want to unravel right away.

I moved the starting point to lower left quarter again after realizing that it makes the braid prettier. But it's definitely a good idea to start practicing from upper left quarter until the hand position changes go nicely.

I've been wanting to try this forever, I guess its about time I just crack down and do it...


Lady

I did this once on my wife years ago when she had long hair, it took a fair while and she hates having her hair fiddled with which I suspect is why it only happened once!

The point I found with any of the braids where you add hair from one side only, rather than French of Dutch braids where you add from both, is that it is easier going one way than the other - I'm sure it's got something to do with 'handedess'. If it won't work going clockwise, try anti-clockwise [or turnwise and widdershins for Terry Pratchett fans] round the head.

I finally managed to pull of a decent crown braid on my own hair (decent being that i would leave the house).  My hair is barely BSL, and For those of you with shorter hair, I really recommend the French Crown.  When I did the dutch crown,  I'd get about a thrid of the way around my head and no matter how hard I pulled, the braid would be loose.  I finally realized it was because the dutch didn't catch as well, and the ends would slide right out.

So yeah, french works better for me...

After reading this thread, I practiced crown braids.  The third one was all right, so I showed my DH.  He just rolled his eyes.  Then I did a half down crown braid.  It turned out great!  I have a nice little halo crown all the way around with my gray hair ringlets in the back.  Love it!  

Your hair is beautiful(so's the hairpin!)

wrote on Aug 26^th, 2006 at 10:24pm:

Your hair is beautiful(so's the hairpin!)

A second that!  Hey, I have the same hair stick but in orange. ;)

Ok fess up ladies!!!  Where did you get the lovely hairpin?

wrote on Aug 27^th, 2006 at 10:26pm:

Ok fess up ladies!!!  Where did you get the lovely hairpin?

Ebay! ;D

I should have guess!!!  lol :-[ I am on there all the time looking for yarn and what not!  Do you remember who the seller was?  

wrote on Aug 28^th, 2006 at 12:37pm:

I should have guess!!!  lol :-[ I am on there all the time looking for yarn and what not!  Do you remember who the seller was?

I sent you a pm!  ;D

Mine came as part of a butterfly slide (barrette?)  I seldom use the butterfly part, but love the pin.  I purchased it on ebay as said before.  It's not nearly as nice as the Longlocks Hair Sticks!
But it has a Native American look that I often wear with turquoise jewelry.

A lady after my own heart!!  I wear alot of silver and Native American jewelry,too!(A collector if you will)  And you're right the hairsticks at LL are beautiful ;D