The Fishtail Braid

A quick, easy way to dress up a regular braid. You only need a hair-tie and a comb. 

Comb hair thoroughly and dampen with water. 

Part hair into right and left sections with the comb by running the teeth down the middle of the head. Keep part straight and the sections of hair even.

Keep the two main sections of hair separated. Then take a smaller section of hair (about  1/2 in thick) from the outside of the right section of hair. 

Pull  the little piece of hair over the right section and join it to the inside of the left section of hair.

Now take a small 1/2 in section of hair from the outside of the left section. Pull it over the left main section, and join it to the inside of the right main section. 

Keep each section of hair firmly in both hands. Gently pull the right and left sections downward and slightly together to keep the braid tight.

Use the right index finger to gather another small section of hair from the outside of the right main section (as mentioned in step 3). Pull it over to the inside of the left section. Use the left index finger to gather a small section of hair from the outside of the left main section (as mentioned in step 5), and pull it over to the inside of the right section.

After each crossover, gently pull both sections of hair down and slightly together again to tighten the braid.

Repeat steps 2-6 until the braid is as long as desired. When finished, keep the fingers of your left hand tightly around the bottom of the braid just where the fishtail pattern stops. With the right hand, take the hair-tie and wrap it around the braid where your left fingers are. Wrap the tie at least 3 times to finish.