Before starting your Dutch braid, make sure you have the following tools nearby:

•A mirror (obviously) as well as a hand mirror so you can check the back of your head

•A rat tail comb to part your hair

•A natural bristle brush to tame fly-aways

•Hair clips

•Non-stick elastics like Goody Ouchless Polyband Elastics, $2.99

•Dry texture spray or dry shampoo like Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo, $23, to give your braids body

•Hairspray like Tresemme Beauty-Full Volume Hairspray, $4.99. to keep your braids in place

Now that you've got all your materials on-hand, you're ready to Dutch braid.

Use the rat tail comb to vertically part your hair into two even sections down the middle of your head. Keep one side of the hair free (you'll braid this section first). Clip the other side out of your way. This will help keep your Dutch braids clean and neat.

Apply dry shampoo to the loose strands of hair, making sure to get the product into the roots. Fluff throughout for maximum body. You are now ready to start your first Dutch braid.

Start your braid by taking a tiny section (about half an inch) of hair from the top corner (nearest your face) and split into three sections. One being the front section, two being the center section and three being the back section. Weave section one under section two (one is now the new center strand) and weave section three under section one (replacing it as the new center strand.)

You are going to repeat this same braiding pattern with the three strands, but will be adding a small amount of hair from both sides of the braid to add fullness and continue the braid going down the length of your head.

With the three strands starting to form a braid, take a small amount of hair from the front side (near your temple) and add it to section one of the hair, braiding it under and replacing the middle strand of hair. Take a small amount of hair from the back side (nearest your crown) and add it to section three, braiding it under and replacing the middle strand of hair. Continue this pattern as you move down the length of your head. When you get to the lengths of the hair and there is no more hair to take from either side, continue braiding without adding any hair, making sure to keep weaving the hair under the strands instead of over.

Make sure to smooth out the hair as you add it to the Dutch braid to avoid bumps and large fly-aways (your rat tail comb and hair spray can help if you encounter these.) Try to keep the pieces of hair similar in size as you add them to the braid to keep it looking uniform throughout. If you feel your Dutch braid drifting too much toward your ear or to the back of your head, pull the strands on the opposite side taut to counterbalance the braid and re-center it.

Continue the braid through the length of your hair and add a rubber band about one inch from the bottom. You are now ready to do Dutch braid No. 2.