lots of braids

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Awards season is upon us.  I don't really watch them (I just catch the important points in gif form on tumblr), but they certainly serve for some hair and makeup inspiration. One of my favorite looks is Chloe Moretz's braided updo, so I decided to recreate it and add a few more braids because that's how I roll.  The end result looked more Khaleesi than movie star, but I kinda like it that way.

original inspiration:


Triple Braid Tutorial


1. Start out by taking a piece of hair above your ear and french braiding it around the back of your head.  Braid another piece below it the same way so it ends up like the picture below. Keep regular braiding the ends until the whole piece is braided.


2. On the other side, french braid a piece of hair from the front.  Only french it a little bit of the way and then transition to a regular braid.  Bring it to the back with the other two braids.





3. The 3 braids are going to be one strand of the regular braid you're bringing all your hair into.  Bundle up the 3 braids, split the remaining hair in 2 parts, and braid the 3 parts (2 parts hair, 1 part braids) together.



You can either braid all the way down and secure it at the end, or secure it midway and curl the ends.  


Now go reclaim your throne, Mother of Dragons.  Or go to a movie premiere. Whichever you prefer.







messy buns with thin hair

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My hair is too thick to do lots of cute things.  There's almost too much of it for milkmaid braids, buns sometimes look like planets on my head, and it's way too frizzy during the winter.  I've had trouble putting it in a messy bun before, but I finally conquered it. Having trouble with a messy bun isn't unique to thick haired ladies, though... our fine haired sisters have the same issue.


This is my cute friend Lindsey.  She's an elementary school teacher, so her hair has to be out of her way while she's molding the minds of the kiddos.  However, since it's really fine and slippery, it can be hard to find ways to put it up and make it stay.

We messed around with it last weekend, and came up with a way to put it in a cute messy bun in defiance of its texture (mwahaha.) Here's what we did:


Get some kind of thickening product on your hair.  A texture spray, dry shampoo, or even plain hairspray will work. Anything to make it stickier than normal.


After you've gotten some product in it, put your hair up in a ponytail as high or as low as you want your bun to be.  We opted for high.



Wrap the hair from the ponytail around the base and secure it with another hair tie. Make it as loose as you can.  Really, the only part that needs to be held in by the hair tie is the very end of your hair so that it's still in a bun shape.  You can use your fingers to mess it up and pull pieces out.

After it's all roughed up, use a couple bobby pins to pin down around your hair.  This is the part that makes it appear thicker because you're pinning a couple inches away from the actual base of your ponytail.  The messier it is, the thicker your hair will look.


Give it another dose of hair spray, and you're done!




something you need: french bobby pin

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My good friend Courtney hooked me up with a bag of pureology shampoo samples (hooray!) and as she was handing me the bag, she said "And there's a french bobby pin in there!"  Having no idea what it was, I just said "Awesome!"  When I got home, I dug that french bobby pin out, more curious than anything.

You guys. You need one of these. Or, you know, a whole box.


I have seriously thick hair.  When I try to throw my hair up into a knot, the idea of using bobby pins like most tutorials say is laughable.  There's no way it will hold all of my hair up.  

But the french bobby pin does.  Seriously.  All you need is a hair band, the pin, and three minutes for the perfect messy bun.

1. Pull your hair into a ponytail, as high as you want your knot to be.

forgive my awkward face.

2. Take your hair and wrap it around the ponytail.  Make it messy.


3. Take the pin and slide it in sideways.  I jiggle it up and down while I'm putting it in so that it grabs more hair and is more secure. Some little pieces will probably fall out, but I like it that way.



So far this is the only style I've tried, but I can't wait to experiment more!
You can get your own french bobby pin here.

Don't forget to enter my launch giveaway!  I'm giving away one of the most popular necklaces from my shop.  The giveaway post is here.



headband braid

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My hair is super thick, so I get layers cut into it to lighten it up a bit.  While layers are great for keeping my hair from giving me a migraine, they're not so great for when I try to wear a braid.  I'm sure it's happened to you - pieces falling out, bobby pinning until you can't feel your fingers.  Not so pleasant.
Well, here's a solution for when you want a side braid and your hair won't cooperate.


Here's how:
1. Put your headband on so that it goes around the front of your forehead - like you're going to wear it boho style.


2. Take pieces from the sides of your hair and flip them through the headband.  I do about two pieces to a side.  How much you use depends on how thick you want the braid to be - for a thicker braid, use less hair on the sides so that there's more in the braid.




3. Take the remaining hair and braid it!  You can do a regular braid, a fishtail, one of those ladder braids I have yet to master... go crazy.



And you're done!  Takes 5 minutes and looks fancy :)





how to: messy bun

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Yes, I know, there are approximately 82 billion tutorials for messy buns online.  Which is funny, to me: isn't the whole point that it looks "undone?" Much like no-makeup makeup, it takes a whole lot of effort to look like you didn't make effort.
Anyway, back to what I was saying - yeah, there are tons of these tutorials out there, but I was never able to make one work for me.  My hair was either too short, too long, too layered, too brown... you get the idea.
This is how I've been making a messy bun, ever since I discovered it last week.  It was a feeling akin to finding the holy grail.  It works great on my hair, and it's pretty secure, so I would assume it works well for layered hair.  Its also pretty easy to tweak if your hair is super long.

Start by parting your hair straight down the middle:



Take the two sides of your hair and tie them in a knot, like you're starting to tie a shoe.



This is where you tweak it if your hair is super long: tie two knots.  
Take the loose ends of your hair left after you tie the knot(s) and put a hair tie around them, like a ponytail.


After you add the hair tie, mess your hair around the knot and pin.  You can pin it however you want and make it as messy or sleek as you like!




This looks nice and messy, but its actually very secure and stays in all day.  You can make it fancy by adding in some braids on the sides if you like.  As always, this stays in better if you have a little texture in your hair - hello, third day hair excuses!

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around the world braid

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I have shared about my issues with growing my bangs out and how I'm dealing with it.  At work especially, having my long bangs in my face is really irritating, and I get bored just bobby pinning them back.
The other day I was messing with my hair before work, trying to find a way to put it up that I liked and kept my hair out of my way.  As usual when I start messing with my hair, braiding was one of the first things I tried. This is what I ended up with, and I've worn my hair like this about a dozen times since. It's like a half milkmaid braid - I like it better because it's not all up; there's still a bit around your shoulders.


Start by deep side parting your hair, almost all the way to your ear.  If you care about whether the part is straight, you'll probably want to use a comb, because it's hard to do with just your fingers.  Once you have it parted, start french braiding across your forehead.





Instead of stopping at your ear, keep the french braid going around your head.  Do it pretty tightly to keep it from falling apart - after the braiding is done, you can always go back and rough it up.  I prefer my hairstyles messy, so I always go back and loosen the braids up.  Grab small-ish pieces of hair to add to your braid so that it doesn't get too lumpy around the top.





Eventually you'll want to switch the side of your head you're braiding from to bring the braid around the nape of your neck. Once you get back around, there's always an annoying strand just left hanging there.  I grab it, twist it under the braid  and finish it off by regular braiding the rest of my hair.


(forgive my derpy face here)

This style is great for second or third day hair, or any time you just want it all out of your way.  Plus, it only takes about 5 minutes!










braidy lady

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My bangs are in that awkward too-long-to-leave-alone, too-short-to-go-in-a-ponytail stage.  Braids have been my friend for a while now because they hold my bangs back with minimal effort.  Leaving my hair down with the bang braids is pretty casual, so for my friend Chelsea's rehearsal dinner, I messed around with it until I had a pretty, messy, twisty fishtail going on that looked really good with my bangs braided back.
Here's how:

1. Gather your hair into a side ponytail and secure with an elastic.  Make a hole by dividing your hair into two parts between where it is secured with the elastic and your head, take the rest of your ponytail, and stuff it all the way through so that there's a twist at the top of the ponytail.




2. Fishtail the remaining hair in your ponytail.  I've tried to explain fishtailing as well as I can here.  The only difference is we aren't doing a fishtail french, so just divide your hair in two sections, take a piece from the back of one section and add it to the other, and then do the same on the other side all the way down.




Once you get the hang of it, it's super simple!

3. Add some volume by taking your hands and pushing your hair up at the roots.  Add some dry shampoo for extra grit, depending on how messy you want the end result to be.


4. Take one side of your bangs, braid, tuck the ends into your hair and pin. Do the same on the other side, and you're done!




I've worn this style tons of times because its easy and can be dressy or casual.  It's also great when your hair is dirty!