What Is a Half-Back Braid?

With a half-back braid, braided hair is tied back with the upper half of your hair.

One long, single braid was a popular style for unmarried girls in ancient China while the Plains Indians and Aztec women wore long braids decorated with feathers and colored strips of cloth. According to Arliene T. Penn of American University, hair braiding in West Africa is a symbol of women empowerment. An assortment of hair braiding styles are still common in modern global society, one style being the half back braid. This style varies in how hair is braided but requires that half of the hair is tied back while the rest is left to hang around the shoulders.

Things You'll Need

• Brush
• Comb
• Hair tie
• Mini hair ties

Instructions

French Half-Back Braid

1. Brush out your hair to remove all tangles. Separate a section of hair from the top of your hairline about eye level to 2 inches back.

2. Divide this section into three even sections, and begin braiding by weaving the far-right section under the center section and over the far-left section and repeating. After about three to four weaves, hold the braided hair in one hand, and part another section of hair horizontally, using the tops of your ears as a guideline.

3. Divide the new section of hair into three even sections, and incorporate the right section into the right section of braided hair, the center section into the center section of braided hair and the left section into the left section of braided hair. Continue braiding another three to four weaves.

4. Hold the braided hair in one hand, and create one last horizontal part using the center of your ears as a guideline. Repeat Step 3 with this section of hair.

5. Continue braiding your hair until the upper half is tied back into a French braid. Secure the braid with a hair tie.

Half-Back with Minibraids

1. Brush your hair out to remove all tangles. With a comb, separate at least three small sections of hair around your face.

2. Braid one section by separating it into three even sections and weaving the far-right section underneath the center section and over the far-left section, repeating this until you reach the end of the strand. Secure the braid with a mini hair tie.

3. Repeat Step 2 with all small sections of hair that you separated. You will have several minibraids around your face.

4. Make a part dividing the upper section of your hair and the lower section of your hair. Tie all of your minibraids back with the upper section of your hair into a ponytail. If you want, you can leave a couple minibraids out of the tie, falling along the side of your face.

Simple Half-Back Braid

1. Brush out your hair to remove all tangles.

2. Make a straight part between the upper section and lower section of your hair.

3. Separate the top section into three even sections.

4. Braid the top section by weaving the far-right section underneath the center section and over the far left section and repeating. When the upper section is braided, secure the braid with a hair tie.

Double Half-Back Braid

1. Brush your hair all the way through to remove tangles. Make an even part between the upper and lower sections of your hair.

2. Divide the upper section into three even sections. Tie up the middle section with a hair tie to keep it out of the way.

3. Divide the upper right section into three even sections, and braid by weaving the far-right section underneath the center section and over the far left section, and repeating until the entire right section is a single braid. Secure the braid with a mini hair tie.

4. Repeat Step 3 with the upper-left section.

5. Untie the upper-center section. Tie the upper-center section together with the right and left braids into a low ponytail to create the double half-back braid style.

References

• Glamour: Nicole Scherzinger's Lovely Braided Half-Up 'Do on "Dancing With the Stars' Last Night: Love, Love, Love!
• Glamour: A Lovely Half-Up Braided Hairstyle That'll Last Through Anything
• Seventeen: The Classic French Braid
• University of Houston: History of 20th Century Fashion
• American University: Penn Presents Research on Hair Braiding
• University of Alabama at Birmingham: The History of Hair Braiding