Scalp-braid thoughts?

Hello, I’m facing this design challenge of creating braid effects near the scalp.

Has anyone cracked how to approach braids that gather specific clumps of hair? Like a French or Dutch braid?

Or any ideas to try before I bash my head against this problem? If it’s really dumb and obvious, I’ve somehow missed reference to it.

I looked for leads but while I found options for hanging braids and conforming braids to curves, I’m not sure how to approach controlling the hair more precisely before it’s in the braid.

Will share any relevant discoveries of course.

Thank you for your time!