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Weave a five-strand side braid

Try this weave once you can keep several sections separate. A low side ponytail brings the five strands into view so you can practice one crossing at a time.

Step by step

  1. An adult separates a low side ponytail into five sections in front of one shoulder.
    STEP 1 OF 2

    Separate five sections and alternate crossings

    • Gather dry manageable hair in a comfortable low side ponytail. Divide it into five similar sections, held separately between finger gaps.
    • Move the far-right section over its immediate neighbor, then under the next, into the middle. Keep the other sections separate.
    • Recount the new order. Move the far-left section over its neighbor and under the next, into the middle. Repeat from the right, then left.
    • Transfer sections between finger gaps after each move. Stop and unwind the latest crossing if you lose the order, feel a snag or start pulling at the roots.

    The photo shows the five separate starting sections; follow the crossing order in the text.

  2. An adult has opened the braid and holds the loose hair beside two removed ties.
    STEP 2 OF 2

    Tie the end and reverse to release

    • Stop while there is enough unbraided end to secure comfortably. Gather all five sections and fasten with the second tie without pulling the base tighter.
    • To remove, take off the end tie and separate the last crossing first. Work upward a crossing at a time, letting the ends untwist.
    • Remove the base tie only after the weave is open. Gently check for remaining tangles rather than brushing through a partly braided section.

One reachable braid including setup and later takedown; learning the pattern may take longer.

Unmeasured editorial handling estimate for the stated scope. Familiarity, access and the item or hair being handled change the time.

You’re done when…

The five-section weave is secure at its end without scalp pulling; later it is opened from the bottom upward before the base tie is removed.