French braid
A braid that starts at the crown and picks up new hair at each cross, lying flat to the head.
Also: French plait
A French braid begins with three small strands at the top of the head. Each time a side strand crosses over the middle, a little loose hair from that side is added to it, so the braid gathers all the hair as it travels down the head and lies close to the scalp. The strands cross over, so the braid sits inside the hair. Two French braids running back from the front are a common sports and school style.