Preparation

• To braid someone's hair, some preparatory steps should first be fulfilled. The person whose hair is being braided should sit down and you, the person braiding the hair, should stand directly behind and over her head. Then, to isolate the hair that will create a certain braid section, rubberband the other hair that will not be used tightly and off to both sides so only the hair intended to create the given section is loose. Wet the loose hair and run your fingers through it to help ensure that there are no tangles that would interfere with the braiding process.
  
  

Pinchers and Grabbers

• To position your fingers correctly and to complete the braids successfully, it is important to understand the meaning of the terms, "pinchers" and "grabbers." A pincher refers to the tips of the thumb and index finger closing together to pinch and hold a strand of hair. A grabber refers to the back of the index finger and the tip of the middle finger closing together to grab a strand of hair. Thus, both hands feature a pincher and a grabber, and generally the pinchers hold hair pieces so grabbers can freely reach and snatch the pieces.
  
  

Part the Section

• Part the section of hair being braided into three separate but evenly sized pieces. Hold one piece of hair with your left pincher, another piece with your right pincher, and then grip the third piece with your right grabber. Thus, two pieces of hair are in your right hand and one piece of hair is in your left. Additionally, both your right and left pinchers should be holding pieces; only one grabber (the right) should be holding a piece and the left grabber should be free to maneuver.
  
  

Alternate

• Use the free left grabber to grab the piece of hair from the right pincher. Thus, now the left should have two pieces --- one in the pincher and one in the grabber --- while the right only has one piece. With your right hand, switch that one piece from the grabber over to the pincher in front. Then, with the free grabber on your right, reach over and grab the piece from your left pincher. Now the left only has one piece. Move that piece up to the pincher position and with your free left grabber snatch the piece from the right pincher.
  
  Thus, one grabber is always free, and that grabber takes the piece being held by the other hand's pincher. Continue to alternate and rotate the pieces of hair within your pinchers and grabbers according to this pattern until the section of hair has been completely braided. After the three pieces have been successfully braided together to create one section, follow these steps and finger positions to braid all other sections of hair as well.