I have to credit my mom for starting me on my hair obsession as a kid. I remember her pulling my french braids tight for school, tying ponytails for soccer, cutting my bangs and more.
Of course, she may have been making up for lost time, since I was apparently totally bald for the majority of my first two years on Earth.
Anywho, I have always loved playing with my hair — growing it long, cutting it short, changing colors. And always, ALWAYS, putting in braids.
Recently, I’ve been pinning and testing out a ton of hairstyles, and I thought I’d pass on my favorites. For the most part, these are easy — some you don’t even actually braid, although a general knowledge of simple three-strand braids and the french braid technique can help.
1. The Waterfall Braid
I have seen some really great tutorials on YouTube but this post is still my favorite. The waterfall braid is great because it’s so flexible. You can go all the way up like I did here, with a side bun. You can do a half-up, half-down version. You can make the braid tight, super loose and messy, etc. It looks amazing with highlights and once you practice a few times, it really is manageable to do on your own hair.
2. The Rope Halo Braid
I wore this to my baby shower last weekend and got a ton of compliments — so I had to show everyone at the party how easy this style is! It’s not.even.a.braid. It’s just two pieces of hair, and you get the rope effect by just picking up some hair on the bottom piece and wrapping it over the top. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Because my hair is shorter these days — cut in a layered bob just above my shoulders — I had to do a topsy-tail tuck to finish it. There’s a great YouTube tutorial here.
3. The Tucked Away French Braid
Source: blog.birchbox.com via Katy on Pinterest
This is one that I LOVE to use when I don’t feel like drying my hair but want something more than just frizzy, kinky hair. I throw a french braid into my bangs, stick a few bobby pins in and scrunch the hair that’s left into a curly, messy ‘do. The picture above is not me, it’s the fabulous blogger behind The Small Things, where I get a majority of my hair ideas from. The tutorial for this one is here.
Other resources for hair stuff:
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