Im not sure there is a right way to teach someone how to cornrow. Especially through words. The best way to learn is through PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Still, i will put up a few pictures to give you the basic idea of the technique. Then through time and practice, you will develop your own style and method. It may take awhile before you are capable of doing cornrows that are public worthy and thats OK!! Take your time and and keep at it and soon you will be a pro. Im not the best at it by any means lol Until recently, i would not have let my child leave the house in my mess of cornrows lol
Basically, a cornrow is an inverted french braid.
The best instructions on the web that i have found are at WikiHow.
http://www.wikihow.com/Braid-Cornrows
They have pretty good diagrams of the basic technique... they have a video as well, but i didnt find it to be much help. However, it is there and if it helps others, thats all that matters!! lol
These are the steps and diagrams from WikiHow:
1. Plan your style. Having in mind what your end goal looks like will help you to form a path for getting there. You can do this in your head, draw a picture, or make some marks on a Styrofoam wig holder. The easiest amount to begin with will probably be four to six sections from the front to the back of the head.
2. Spritz some water, or water mixed with detangler, on the hair. Comb or brush it through to remove all major tangles. The hair should be slightly damp, but not too wet. The reason for this is that you don't want to have to pull the hair a lot to create the tension needed to hold the style together. Hair contracts when it's wet and expands as it dries. Despite what some people say about a tight braid, this is the best way to achieve it - not by pulling the hair hard away from the scalp.
3. Part a section of hair that you would like the cornrow to follow along. put the sides of the hair that you aren't braiding in two pigtails so they don't get in your way. Move other hair out of the way so that you have a clear path to follow. Then take a small section of hair where you want the cornrow to begin. Don't take too much, especially near the hairline, or you will have to pull too hard to continue.
4. Separate that small section into three strands and make a normal braid of about 2 "stitches" to get it started.
5. Holding the two outer strands aside, reach down under this initial braid to add a little hair to the middle strand. Fully merge this new hair to the middle strand so that it becomes a part of it, and you again have 3 strands. Make a braid stitch out of these strands.
6. Continue braiding, each time adding a little more hair to the middle strand, and repeat this until you've run out of hair to add. If you've reach the end and there is still hair left over, then continue with a regular 3 strand braid...
7. Secure the cornrow with a snap bead, hair clip, end bar, barrette, bolo tie tip, or whatever you like, just so long as you will be able to easily remove it later. Uncovered rubber bands (elastics) are not recommended unless they are the kind made specifically for hair. The ones made for office use will break off the hair.
Cornrows do take a lot of time. On my own daughter, if we do small cornrows it can take an hour, larger cornrows only 20 minutes. Of course, adding beads or barrettes adds to the time. But its worth it. Here are a few pics of my oldest daughter with cornrows in:
before-
after-
