One of my favorite methods to keep long hair out of my Lhasa’s eyes is to braid the eye drop. Braids not only keep hair out of the eyes, but also frame the head well, help train the part, retard tangling and tangling, and require less maintenance than other methods. Braids are quite attractive, especially when they are long. People are always “ooh and aahh” about Lhasas (men and women) sporting braids.

If you want to try braiding, follow these steps:

1. Part the hair exactly in the middle of your Lhasa’s head.

2. Section the hair to be braided. The thickness of the section will depend on the thickness of your Lhasa’s eye drop, but generally the section will start somewhere between the middle and outer corner of the eye and go back about two inches or so. You just have to experiment until you find an amount of hair that is comfortable to work with and looks good for the shape of your dog’s head and eyes.

3. Divide the large section of hair into three smaller equal sections. Mist lightly with water or coat conditioner to make hair easier to work with. The coat conditioner helps prevent matting and matting.

4. Start braiding by crossing the section closest to the eye over the middle section. Keep the braid close to Lhasa’s head and continue braiding until you run out of hair. Braid “down” and not “out”. Flatten hair while braiding.

5. Fasten the bottom of the braid with a small latex band. The braids should be close to the head. If they stick out, it’s because you braided it too tight, tried to put too much hair in the braid, or started at a right angle to the dog’s head. In either case, you’ll have to start over.

That’s basically it! Braids should be brushed and re-braided every few days. Hair can still get tangled when braided.

Oh, a word of warning for those of you who want to show off your Lhasas. Braiding causes wrinkles! If you bathe your Lhasa and plan to show him the next day, don’t braid his hair after his bath or he’ll have a wrinkled eyelid for the morning ring and you’ll need to wet, blow-dry, and flat-iron it to get it all right before showing. Braids are for home or after the show. Eye drooping wrinkles are definitely NOT stylish for the ring!

Please note: Permission is granted to reproduce and/or distribute the information in this article. However, the article must be released in its entirety and credit must be given to Joyce Johanson, Lhasa Apsos of Joyslyn. Thank you!