By NICKY CHAMP
Braided hairstyles have so many perks: they disguise unwashed hair, make regrowth look completely intentional, sweep annoying fringes out of your eyes and in the case of the braided undercut it’s a less permanent alternative than shaving the side of your head a la Allice Dellal or Miley Cyrus.
If the last time you braided hair was on your Cabbage Patch Kid roughly 20 years ago or you haven’t yet managed to master the art of self-braiding never fear because we’ve rounded up three experts in the hair biz to give you the tips and tricks you need to pull off any braided ‘do.
The Braided Undercut.
The braided undercut has been spotted on models Chanel Iman and Delevingne at the punk-themed Met Gala in May this year and on celebs like Kristen Stewart, Khloe Kadashian and Jennifer Aniston. Yes, Jennifer Aniston.
Jessica Barr, founder of The Blowdry Boutique teaches us how to easily get a edgy, bohemian look with the braided undercut:Step 1: Wash the hair with an anti-frizz shampoo & conditioner. Part hair with a comb evenly to one side (shorter side being where you will construct the braid)
Step 2: Guard the hair with a heat protector gel (like evo hot tool shaper) then blowdry the hair dead straight keeping the hair parted. Slide clip the larger side parted hair (use hair spray to make part neat and tidy) to make it easier to control the braid.
Step 3:. On the shorter side of the part – take three sections and start braiding, keep adding to your foundation until you have reached your desired length of braid.
Step 4: Using a small clear elastic, tie off the braid. Pin and hide the end of the braid at the nape of the neck and secure with bobby pins.
Step 5:. Using the comb, tidy up the fly aways on the braid with hairspray.
Note: you can also twist the hair instead of braiding it. And if you need more visuals, check out the video from Refinery 29 below:
The Side Braided Fringe.
International hair stylist, Barney Martin says winter is an excellent time to wear braids as the style is keeps “frizz-prone hair at bay and avoids the fly-away affect”.
Martin’s steps for how-to do the side braided fringe:
Step 1: Part your hair into a deep side part and plait down the hairline towards your face. For a tighter look keep the plaits smaller with less hair and for a chunkier look, incorporate more hair into the plait.
Step 2: Once you have plaited it down to the hairline, bring the braid to the side and continue to braid down across, bringing in hair down from the crown. This will create that dropped side fringe look.
Step 3: Once you have reached the other side of the head, plait down as usual without bringing in more hair into the braid. Pin the braid to the side of the head to secure.
Step 4: Finish off with spray to keep the braid in place. To achieve a more effortless, undone look, gently pull on the braided hair to loosen it up.
To achieve an updo like Kristen Stewart and Nicole Richie below, pin the side braid to the center back of your hair and braid the rest of your hair and twist it into a bun or pull your remaining hair to the same side as your fringe plait and continue braiding.
The Milkmaid Braid.
A Milkmaid braid is two long plaits pinned around the sides of your head, below the crown. It looks best in a looser pulled out style like Mary Kate Olsen’s version here.
This looks a bit like twisted ropes on your noggin (in a GOOD way) as opposed to plaited hair and it comes with one big bonus: it’s way easier to do.
Barney Martin of Barney Martin Hairdressing (incidentally also the salon where Zoe Foster Blake frequents) details his step-by-step tutorial for the twisted rope braid look:
Step 1: Take two sections of the top of your hair and twist it the same way around. E.g. both clockwise or either both anti-clockwise.
Step 2: Twist the two sections together, similar to a fish braid. Pull in more hair like in a braid –making sure you twist the extra hair into the bigger twist.
Step 3: Once you’ve braided down enough, secure it to one side with a pin and bring hair down to cover the end. Finish was spray to hold the hair down and sleek.
If you want to wear this style as an updo, you can also check out blogger Love Meagan’s messy rope braid and low bun tutorial here.
The Fishtail Braid.
Who else but braid queen Lauren Conrad to teach us how to do this one?
Note: this style works best on unwashed hair (woop!) and with the use of a holding product like O&M Style Guru.
The Sporty Braid.
This is the one I always imagined Kristy in The Babysitters Club book series wearing and TRESemme Hair Director, Troy Thompson outlines how to achieve the sporty braided look seen on Jade in the latest episode of Australia’s Next Top Model.
Step 1: Blow-dry the hairline to create a nice smoothness down the middle of your hair.
Step 2: Spritz a hairspray like TRESemme Tres Two Hairspray all over the hair and brush through using a paddle brush.
Step 3: Section your hair into two parts, crisscross over and add the pieces bit by bit on each side to create a braid.
Step 4: While plaiting your hair to the bottom, apply hairspray to control the flyaways while braiding.
Step 5: After you finish braiding, turn the braid up in on itself underneath the braid and on the scalp. Secure it with a French pin.
Take a look through the celebs wearing braids for more hair inspiration:
What tricky hairstyle can you never master?
UPDATE: Since some of you are already asking for a more detailed how-to braid in the first place, check out this close-up video:
Top Comments
I am always like long hair . That's why I can't cutting my hair. I am always take care of my hair. I pass most of the time for grooming my hair. I am really enjoying this. Today most of the celebrity are also like long hair. It's a good sign.
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I have a "thing" for long hair - I just love it.
As a little girl I used to get my mother's panti-hose (in varying shades because even then I'd noticed that hair was never just ONE shade) - add other bits of stocking to each leg, and drape this over my head (crotch bit on top) and pretend I had LONG hair.
I did this because my mother had made friends with the woman up the street who did perming from home, and so she thought it would be a great idea for she & I to be "done" together.
She looked ok in a "queenie" sort of style but I looked STUPID.
And just as it was growing longer and starting to grow out - she'd take me AGAIN.
Thus started my loathing of short hair and my noting that when women did that to themselves they usually looked older and less "romantic".
Whenever men were asked what sort of hair they preferred on women they usually said LONG.
I love braided hair and all of these styles are beautiful but of course your hair has to be long to have them.
Every Pre-Raphaelite, Medieval, Viking, Hippy braided style is for me and I can see me in a few decades braiding my long grey hair just like my old English Nanna did.
'Never was a fan of that "blue-rinsed Robber" hairstyle.
(Explanation - My sister-in-law came home one day from the hairdressers after having her usual short haircut and she was greeted by her little girl who said "Mummy, you look like a ROBBER !".......................these days, she's started to wear her hair shoulder-length and keeps getting told how much younger she looks.......lol.).