The Simple Trick To Avoiding Frayed Ends While Making Friendship Bracelets

For those of us who like to make friendship bracelets, one of the great annoyances is trying to get the ends of the strings to stay neat so that you don’t have frayed ends sticking out from either end of the bracelet.

When you’re done making your friendship bracelet, it can be really annoying when the ends of the strings have frayed and stick out from either side of your bracelet.

In this post, I will show you how to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The trick is simple, and it’s something that can help you whether you’re using embroidery floss or thread for your friendship bracelets.

The first thing you’ll want to do is brush clear nail polish on each string individually. This will help strengthen the string and prevent fraying. Make sure to let the first coat dry for a couple of minutes before applying more coats.
Repeat this process with each individual string until all strings have been coated with clear nail polish again (you may need additional coats depending on how much fraying has occurred). Then let your bracelet dry for a few hours; this ensures that the nail polish dries completely before you cut off any excess strings or start making knots in them.

It’s all about securing each string in a way that keeps it from fraying as the bracelet is finished.

The key is to secure each string in a way that keeps it from fraying as the bracelet is finished. There are ways of doing this, and one of them is simple: place a drop of clear nail polish on the end of your string, then place the string between your fingers and rub until it hardens. It sounds like an unnecessary step, but I promise you it works!

You’ll want to start with a solid knot at each end, but then you will take each string, one at a time, and dip the end into some clear nail polish.

If you are using regular clear nail polish (the kind that comes in little bottles), I recommend using a brush to help spread it out more evenly and make sure the bracelet doesn’t fray too quickly. If you have some fast-drying clear nail polish on hand (like Sally Hansen’s Fast Dry Nail Color), dipping the ends of your strings in this may be easier because there is less time for drying and whatnot.

Once each of the strings has hardened in its place (and after they’ve dried), they should hold their shape wonderfully and not fray anymore as people wear them.

Once each of the strings has hardened in its place (and after they’ve dried), they should hold their shape wonderfully and not fray anymore as people wear them. I’ve used this trick on all kinds of friendship bracelets I’ve made since the first time I tried it, but it’s certainly not limited to those made from embroidery floss or wool thread. Any string can be protected with this method. You can find clear nail polish at any drugstore or beauty supply store, and it takes about 30 minutes to dry completely (in some cases longer depending on how thickly you apply it).

How do you stop fraying on your friendship bracelet?

While this may take some extra time, it will give your bracelets a more professional finish.

For this tutorial, I will assume you are using the traditional knotting method, so if you are not familiar with that method or have questions about it, check out our last post here. This tutorial will also work for any size cord and bracelet beads (with one caveat), so if you haven’t already bought your supplies yet and are planning to make friendship bracelets soon, then read on!