At some point in every girls’ natural hair journey she will HAVE TO learn how to part hair, and more importantly how to part her OWN hair.
Don’t shoot the messenger!…I didn’t make the rules…that’s just the way it is! I definitely know that learning how to create clean, straight parts (especially in the back of your head) is a sure fire way of frustrating anyone trying to style their own hair.
But the Parting Hair Queen is here to help!
This post is really meant to help first timers, newbies, or beginners on how to part hair; so, if you’re a PRO this is NOT for you…try my triangle parting blog post HERE for a challenge.
Hey NEWBIES! Let’s get you started on the Basics of How To Part Hair!
Table of Contents
In this blog post I will walk you through the two most basic(and probably the most important) parts you will ever have to learn as you try to navigate this art of styling your own hair. If you don’t get these two parts right your hairstyles could end up looking uneven or lopsided. But, before we even get started here’s what you will need to get started:
Tools needed:
2 Mirrors:
- one should be placed to the front of your head and the other to the back.
- FYI: You can use a hand mirror as a replacement for your back mirror.
A Rat Tail Comb
Optional
- Blown out hair (great if your practicing for the first time because your comb will glide easier through your hair; but, curly hair is fine too (just be cognizant of tangles))
How To Part Hair Method:
I’ll be using reference points for this method, but I would like to rename it to the “FOLLOW THE LEADER” method.
The leader in this scenario is your finger(s) and the follower is your rat tail comb. You can use the teeth or the tail of the comb, whichever makes you more comfortable.
Before I start this PICTORIAL, I gotta let you know that I have a DETAILED video tutorial on HOW TO PART HAIR which you can check out at the end of this blog post. So, if you prefer videos to pictures, then CHECK IT OUT BELOW.
Now that we know the tools and method we’re gonna use, the first basic part you will have to conquer is the infamous MIDDLE PART!
I’m not talking about the middle part you make when you’re doing a sleek middle part low bun. No no no HUNTY! I’m talking about the middle part that runs from the front all the way to the back of your head.
The middle part is by far the most important part, because if you don’t nail it perfectly, your hairstyle can potentially end up looking uneven (especially if you’re a two ponytail or two puff type of gal). So, let’s get you into the middle part PRO club!
HERE’S HOW TO CREATE A PERFECTLY CLEAN AND STRAIGHT MIDDLE PART:
Step 1:
Find the middle point of your head. A good way to find the middle point of your head is to use your nose as a reference point. Find the middle point of your nose and trail the rat tail comb straight to your hairline(this is the middle of your head).
Step 2:
Replace the comb on the middle point of your hairline with your finger from your left hand (If you’re a leftie then use your right hand. I usually use my middle or pointer finger, but whichever is more comfortable to you will work).
Step 3:
Let’s Play Follow the Leader! Place the comb or rat tail comb directly in front of your finger. Then trail your finger about an inch to 2 inches backwards. Follow the direction of your finger with the comb until you reach your finger again.
Step 4:
Once the comb meets your finger, go ahead and gently separate your hair strands, around the 1-2 inch part you just made, to create a right and left section.
Note: if the part is not clean/straight, try using the tail of your rat tail comb to remove tiny amounts of strands from left to right or right to left to get it as straight as you can.
Step 5:
Place your finger to the point in the part where you left off, then repeat steps 1-3 again, until you get to the back of your head and clean up the parting line if needed.
TIP: Use a hand mirror to make sure the part in the back of your head is straight. If it is not, keep on tweaking the part until it is.
The second type of part you will have to conquer is the tedious horizontal, EAR-TO-EAR PART.
This part usually runs from ear to ear and creates two sections, one section above the other aka “high-low” parts. This part is especially great when you’re learning how to part your hair for box braids and other protective hairstyles. So, if you don’t get this part right, your hairstyle could end up looking lopsided(nobody wants that!).
HERE’S HOW TO CREATE A PERFECTLY CLEAN AND SYMMETRIC EAR-TO-EAR PART:
I could simply tell you to use the reference point method (aka follower the leader method) from ear-to-ear. But, if you’re a beginner, that’s probably not gonna work and you’ll end up struggling trying to fix an uneven, lopsided part. So, here’s a trick to get the perfect ear-to-ear part.
Step 1:
Create two sections towards the front half of your head. How? Use the reference point method to create a middle part until you get to the crown of your head.
Step 2:
Find a point in the middle part directly above your ear.
Step 3:
Once you find the point directly above your ear, use it as a reference point to create a perpendicular part,from the middle part to your right ear, using the reference point method.
Step 4:
Place your finger at the starting point of the part created in Step 3. Use a hand mirror to find that point.
Step 5:
Once you find that middle point, use it as the starting point to create a perpendicular part on the left side of your head, using the reference point method (just as you did in Step 3). Clean up the part as needed.
If your followed the instructions to the T, the two parts created in Step 3 and Step 5 should connect to each other and create a continuous part from ear to ear.
Do you prefer a video tutorial instead of this pictorial, here’s the Detailed, Step-By-Step video tutorial on HOW TO PART HAIR. This should be very simple to follow:
