<P> A French braid, or French plait is a type of braided hairstyle . The French braid includes three sections of hair that are braided together from the crown of the head to the nape of the neck . Variations on this hairstyle include the Dutch braid and the Fishtail braid . </P> <P> In the simplest form of three - strand braid, all the hair is initially divided into three sections, which are then simultaneously gathered together near the scalp . In contrast, a French braid starts with three small sections of hair near the crown of the head, which are then braided together toward the nape of the neck, gradually adding more hair to each section as it crosses in from the side into the center of the braid structure . The final result incorporates all of the hair into a smoothly woven pattern over the scalp . </P>

In london it could be known as a french plait