for French people there is nothing 'French' in plaits. That hairstyle is not specially popular and is just called plaits tranlated in French as 'une tresse / des tresses'
Covered elastic bands Paddle or similar brush to remove tangles A little hair spray A clip to keep hair not being plaited out of the way Possibly a few pins or grips or odd pin if you have layers to...
get the hair that you want to plait, and tie the rest of your hair up so it doesnt get in your way you might wanna put some spray on it so it holdss then get a section from the top of your parting...