Braids are still red-hot for school this year. Here’s an easy how-to for mastering the mother of all plaits—the French braid. Don’t let the intricate appearance of the twists fool you...these braids are super easy to do.

Confession: I learned by practicing on my Josefina American Girl Doll, so if you have an old doll with long hair that you can use, put her to good use! If you don’t, ask a friend if you can practice using her hair.

If you want to do two French braids pigtails, start by parting your hair down the middle. I typically take a comb and make a zig-zag pattern on the part of the hair so that there’s an even amount of hair on each side (plus it looks cute). Once the hair is parted, pull one side up in a hair elastic so that it doesn’t get in your way.

With the side that’s still loose, take a small section of hair from the front and break it into three smaller chunks. Take the left chunk and cross it in between the other two strands. Then, take the right chunk and cross it into the middle. Now, as you take the chunk that is now on the left side, add a little bit more of the loose hair to the section, making it a little bit bigger. Again, cross it in between the other two sections. Then, take the right section and add a little more hair to it, too. Cross it in between the other two sections.

Keep repeating this pattern until there is no more extra hair left. Once you get to the point where you have no more hair to add, just normally braid your hair to finish off that side. Then, tie an elastic at the end and repeat the exact same process on the other side.To make one big French braid, don’t part your hair, but just divide the hair along the top of your forehead into three sections and start braiding it, adding little pieces to each section as you bring it to the middle.

With a li’l practice, you’ll become a pro in no time!