Customer Reviews

Hair: A Book of Braiding and Styles

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I never was able to French-braid my hair and had despaired of ever being able to learn until I got this book. It gives clear, concise, step-by-step instructions not only on how to make the braid (and many other styles) but where exactly to place your hands while doing it. The more complicated styles have two sets of instructions: a short one for those who are more experienced at hairstyling, and another that breaks it down into easy steps that even a klutz (like me) can follow. It also provides numerous hints and tips on general hairstyling, and tells what types of hair work best with each style.

Since I got this book, I've been trying a new style from it every day, and have gotten many compliments from co-workers. There are special-occasion styles as well as everyday ones. The book is geared towards adults, unlike many of the other similar ones I've seen which are aimed more at little girls. Take it from a klutz -- if you've been trying unsuccessfully to learn to French-braid or trying to find a new look, this book is a must-have!

Part of the Klutz series of books and originally intended for older children and young teens, Hair has gained a following among long-haired women of all ages because it is simply the best book out there for attractive long hair styles. When I grew my hair out after many years of wearing it short, I went looking for a nice book of hairstyles for long hair. I looked everywhere I could think of with little success -until I found Hair in a bookstore's children's section. Don't be put off by the Klutz label or the fact that there is a box of ugly hair accessories physically attached to this book. It provides excellent illustrations and easy-to-understand directions for 32 hairstyles, by my count. The styles are for medium length to long hair. Some styles would be better suited for thinner hair and some for thick. The illustrations and directions are given for doing the hairstyles on yourself, not on someone else. If you are doing someone else's hair, some adjustment can be made. Covered in the book are various types of twists and rolls, tucks and buns, braids, French braids, inverse French braids (cornrows), herringbones, and ropes. There are casual styles, styles suited to work, and many that could be quite formal. Page layouts are attractive and well-designed. The book is spiral-bound so it will lie flat while you are fiddling with your hair. Highly recommended for long-haired girls and women, ages about 10 and up. Makes a great gift!

There is a cardboard protrusion on the bottom of this book to which the box of accessories is adhered. This prevents the book from being stood up on a book shelf. You can cut it off with a razor blade and a ruler. Then your book will sit perfectly on your shelf.

My first french braid turned out great! The instructions are so easy and the pictures are very helpful. There are styles for all types of hair - thin to think, straight to curly, and medium to long lengths.

The instructions are so easy to follow, my husband can do them :-) And ladies, what is better than having your hubby play with your hair???

The scrunchies are sophisticated. The pearl one is very pretty, however, mine fell apart after a few weeks.

The book is loaded with pretty pictures and is bound nicely with wire so as to lay flat while styling.

I wish I had this book when I was a teen. Did you read that review from the girl who got three invitations on a date after she read this book? LOL! You go, girl ;-)

This is a great book for learning how to braid and style hair. With some practice (and arm strength), I can braid my own hair into all the styles, including some funky ones -- inside out braid/french braid (very nice looking) and a twisted french braid. Before this book, I couldn't do anything but a normal braid! The instructions are *very* clear and take you through the process step by step. Especially easy if you have someone to practice on. In my family, it's a new tradition that every time I see my young cousin, we whip out the book and she picks a style for me to braid into her hair.

One other great thing about this book is the pictures. They've got a whole cross-section of beautiful women of many ages, races, and walks of life. It's a beautiful book to look at.

My only complaints about this book are:

* there are a limited number of styles (about 15-20). I've pretty muched finished learning from this book. But, what can you expect -- it is a beginning book, and it does teach some very beautiful, complicated-looking braids.

* although braiding is explained very thoroughly, there's no real tutoring on how to pin hair. Often the book ends a style by telling you to "secure it with a few pins". I don't know why this has been so hard for me to learn, but it has been! I can do an inside-out french braid with aplumb, but your basic bun still has me somewhat stumped. I would have appreciated some advice on how to pin hair to stay up.

Overall this book is a good foundation for learning how to manipulate hair. I'm looking forward to learning more complex styles in the future -- SalonOvations' Braids and Updos Made Easy looks (from the customer reviews) like a good next step.

My hair hasn't touched my collar since 1983. Over two decades of military experience. A masters degree. Over twenty years of training with any weapon I could get my hands on, or fighting with empty hands. Just to be a six year old girl's hairdresser (among other things). Such is fatherhood.

Dignity and machismo be d*****, if I going to do it, I'm going to do it as well as I can. This book was a huge help. Before this excellent Klutz Press publication, I was limited to pony tails and simple variations on the theme. Now, I can braid, herringbone, and twist with the best of them. I'm not so good at french braids, but the girl's hair is very fine and I understand it is hard to do a good french braid in extremely fine hair.

The instructions are clearly laid out and easy to understand. The techniques are basic, but provide a "vocabulary" that can be expanded into a wide range of styles for even the most unpleasant mornings when nothing is quite right. The mysteries of the rat-tail comb have been revealled to me, and I won't attempt anything harder than a pony-tail without it again. The single strongest point has to be the clarity of the instructions. Everything is described in simple words and clear pictures that even I could grasp.

Several reviewers commented on the difficulty of doing these techniques by yourself. I will defer to their experience as I never tried to do any of these on myself.

The only downside to this book is that I have been blacklisted by a number of fellow dads after their wives said "Van can do a Victorian twist, why can't you do anything other than a pony tail?"

I have been trying for years to do something interesting with my hair and now I finally can. This book is really easy to understand.It has a lot of really nice twists, braids and updos. My favorite so far is the backtwist. It looks sort of like a french braid but is almost foolproof and takes only about two minute to do! This is not the book for someone who wants modern, sophisticated styles though. Most of the styles are for an old-fashioned, feminine look. I am still on the lookout for a book of modern styles but this one is great for weddings or anytime you want a "romantic" look.

I have been looking for a book just like this for a long time. I am very happy with it. The explanations are easy and informative. I enjoy having new and interesting ways to put up my hair as well as my twins' long hair. Not only does it teach you braids but also updos and twists. The step by step instructions are easy enough for a child of 10 to understand. The scrunchies I got were cute. I recommend this to anyone interested in learning new braiding and hairdo techniques. You'll be the envy of anyone only familiar with the traditional braid.

I've had this book since about June 2000. I learned to braid with it.
First the book has a spiral binding. This means the book will lay flat so you don't have to hold it open. That means you have both hands to work on your hair.
Second: everyone I know who has used this book to learn found it helpful. It's excellent for beginners. Now there aren't a lot of the harder styles in the book so if you already know a lot of styles you might not need this book.
Third: the book has not only about 15 braids but also about 15 other styles.
Fourth: even though the book uses illustrations, they are done so well that they look lifelike.
Fifth: they do show pictures of the styles on real people and they are beautiful.

I'd just like to sum up by saying that this book was made the way this kind of book should be. They put some thinking into it and made it user friendly. Then they included some scrunchies and a storage box. That's kinda like getting batteries included.

I'll close with a tip, if you are going to buy this from a store please be sure to look in the children's section if you can't find it elsewhere. Most Klutz books are for kids so they tend to put this with them. I found mine in the children's section. Thank you for your time and I hope this helps.

I had no idea I would be so satisfied with a book I didn't even preview. This book is not only filled with unique braiding ideas but also demonstrates flips, tucks, buns, twists and wraps. Every one of these ideas was featured with pictures and detailed instruction. The only question I have now is... which one do I try tomorrow?

Anne Akers Johnson's Hair: A Book of Braiding and Styles contains easy to follow instructions for styling medium and long hair. Great for hair novices!

Just a note: Thomas Hardy's Great Braids! contains basically the same styles - and in some cases, the illustrations! - as Johnson's book (which was published first). Buy one or the other, but not both.