Having shunned long hair for so long, braids often seemed out of reach for me. Back in the day, I was convinced that side braids would look good on me. But now that my hair is slowly falling over my shoulders, I'm finding new ways to incorporate braids into my routine. For me, braids are useful in three categories: first, a nice double braid (opens in a new tab) looks cute on its own; second, braids give me nice waves when I'm too lazy to curl my hair; and third, braids are a great way to get a nice, clean wave when my hair is too curly. (Opens in a new tab) Third, when it's humid or you're about to exercise (gotcha! I don't exercise!) ), braids (open in new tab) can protect the style.

But I'm getting tired of boring braids. So now it's time to raise the bar: the Dutch braid. Dutch braids, also known as "reverse braids" or "reverse French braids," are becoming a summer staple that is easy to do and looks great. Read our step-by-step guide on how to achieve this look yourself.

Before braiding, grab four things: a mirror, a comb, a brush, and a hair elastic. Quickly comb through your hair to eliminate knots and use a comb to create a straight parting down the middle of your hair from your forehead to your neck. Decide which side you want to do first and let your hair down. The side to be done next should be clipped and out of the way. Warm up the biceps and you are ready to go.

Part the hair at the hairline slightly as you would in a normal braid. Grab this hair, divide it into three parts, and braid in the familiar rhythm: Place the top bundle of hair over the middle bundle and swap positions. Place the bottom bundle of hair over the middle bundle of hair, and switch positions.

After passing the hair through twice, it is time to add more hair. Each time you pass the top and bottom sections, pull one strand of loose hair into the braid. The key is to do this while pulling the braid toward the back of the head, not in front of the eyes. You will need a mirror for this. It may feel more natural to braid in the front near the chin, but you want the braid to be flat against the head, so you need to aim for the back.

Once all the hair is in the braid, it is time to finish the braid. Using the familiar three-strand braid method, layer one strand of hair at a time until there is no more hair left. Wrap a hair elastic around the ends of the hair to prevent them from fraying. Now comes the second side!