Directions:

1. Learn how to do a lace braid.
2. Part the hair down the middle from the forehead to the base of the neck and clip one half out of the way.

3. Gather a section of hair as for any French or lace braid starting on the side of the head.
4. Braid in the strand closest to the face first, then the strand farthest away from the face.
5. Gather a section of hair from the head and add it to the strand closest to the face.

6. Repeat instructions 4 - 5 until you are over the ear without adding sections to the strand farthest from the face, but don't braid in the strand farthest from the face the last time through.

7. Gather a section of hair and add it to the strand farthest from the face.
8. Pulling the hair gently away from the head (towards the back of the head at the same time), braid in the farthest strand, then the strand closest to the face.
9. Repeat instructions 7-8, gathering VERY SMALL, even sections of hair so that the new sections can be added as close as possible to the end of the hair.
10. Tie off the braid with a hair fastener.

11. Repeat instructions 1-10 on the other side of the head, taking care to make the braids end up the same length.

12. Fold up the tail of each braid and fasten it with a bobby pit to what will be the inside of the braid (see below.)

13. Carefully fold each braid towards the back of the head, tucking in the hair from the head which will try to pop up, and fasten the the two braids together with a bobby pin.

14. Fasten together the bottoms of the two braids.  (At this point it will be apparent which side is the "inside" of the braid to which you pin the tails.)

15. Fasten the two braids together with a bobby pin somewhere along the middle of their lengths.

16. Make sure the tail ends are tucked in, which they should be if you've done the previous steps well and - voila!

Note: if you let the hair down slightly towards the end of the braid, you'll get the effect shown in the other perimeter braid.