Braiding medium-length hair runs into a real problem most tutorials ignore — there simply isn't enough length for many standard braid patterns to look proportional or even to reach a normal tail.
An angled side braid solves this by using the width of the head rather than relying on extra length, which is exactly the kind of adjustment medium-length hair needs from most braid instructions written for long hair.
A deep side part, rather than a center part, visually stretches the length available for the braid to work with, which is a small trick that matters more than it sounds like for shorter, medium lengths.
Save this tutorial for later — pin it to your medium hair board.
Spray a light detangler through the hair and create a deep side part, which gives medium-length hair more visual length to work with for a side braid.
Starting near the front of the deeper-parted side, gather a small section and begin a simple three-strand or Dutch braid angled toward the opposite shoulder.
Continue feeding in hair from along the part as the braid moves across and down, which uses the medium length more efficiently than a straight-back braid would.
Once all the hair is incorporated, finish with a regular three-strand braid to the ends and secure with a small elastic.
Gently pull at the outer edges of each braid section with fingertips to widen it slightly, which makes shorter, medium-length hair look fuller in a braid.
Most braid tutorials are demonstrated on long hair and rely on extra length to feed in as the braid progresses — an angled side braid uses the width of the head instead of length, which suits medium hair better.
Yes, though shorter face-framing layers may need a small amount of gel or a bobby pin near the front to keep them from working loose out of the braid.
Gently tugging the outer edges of each braided section after finishing widens the braid and makes it look thicker — a trick that matters more on medium-length hair, which naturally has less braid to work with than long hair.