4-Strand Slide-Up Braid | Pullback Hairstyles
March 10, 2013
Lately my girls and I have fallen in love with pullbacks, specifically anything that easily pulls hair to the side, or from both sides. We think these looks are so subtle and effortless, yet still put forth a polished and super-cute look!
One of my newest favorites is this 4-Strand Slide-Up Braid! Although it may seem tricky at first, once you get the hang of it… you will find this braid to be a quick style that garners a lot of attention!
We first posted the 3-Strand Slide-Up Braid on YouTube in December 2009 and it has nearly 6,000,000 views today! If you can do a three-strand braid that easily, you must be able to do a five-strand braid!
In this four-strand version, we show you two methods to create the braid… both ending with the exact same look! Simply find which one makes the most sense to you, and then go with it! {We are all about making things easier for you!}
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, 6 small hair elastics, hairspray, accessory {if desired}
Time Requirement: 5-10 minutes
Skill Level: Medium
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Part the hair and figure out where you want the braid to lay {I did a side pullback, however you can also do this braid over the shoulder with all your hair, as an accent braid going straight down, as a braided headband, or even from both sides tied together in the back}…
- Pick up a hair section that will become the braid and divide it into four even strands…
- Now you can create this braid in one of two ways… many people would naturally use Method #1, however my mind processes Method #2 better. Simply figure out which method works best for you and stick with it…
- Method #1: Take the left-most strand #1 and go “over” Strand #2 and “under” Strand #3. Then, pick up the rightmost Strand #4 and bring it “under” Strand #3 and “over” Strand #2. Repeat this pattern over and over again until you have a finished braid. {Over, under… under, over… etc.}
- Method #2: Take the left-most strand #1 and go “over” Strand #2, “under” Strand #3, and “over” Strand #4. Now, take the two middle Strands #2 and 3 and cross them so that Strand 2 is now Strand 3. Repeat this pattern over and over again until you have a finished braid. {Over, under, over, cross… over, under, over, cross, etc.}
- Continue the 4-strand braid until you run out of hair…
- Now, pinch Strands #1, 3, and 4 with your right hand and hold Strand #2 in your left hand by itself.
- Gently slide Strands #1, 3, and 4 up Strand #2 until all the hair is squished together at the top. This is what we call “snaking the braid“…
- Now, slowly pull the hair back down the strand maybe 1-2 inches or so until you reach the desired look…
- When the braid looks good to you, simply secure the ends with a hair elastic {you should have one strand longer than the others}…
- Pin the braid in place towards the back/side of head using bobby pins…
- Add an accessory as an accent.
You may choose to do a single pullback, or create another one on the other side of the head and tie them back together.
You can also creatively bring this braid up over the top of the head like a braided headband and I am sure you will receive tons of compliments! {If you do make it a headband, be sure your strands are thin so that the width of the braid is uniform all the way down, rather than wide to thin.}
Enjoy!
If you loved this hairstyle, please feel free to share!
Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
Hairstyle Video: Tween "Slide-Up" Braid
December 02, 2009
I posted a hair trick back in March called the Tween “Slide-Up” Braid. Since I had last posted this trick, moms (and some teens) have requested that I create a video to show exactly how this braid is done. I hope this helps you!
This is a fun braid as it can accent pretty much any hairdo, be the feature hairdo in a combo, or a standalone like I have done here. You could even start lower on the one side and bring it over the top as a headband. Many sites show how to do this braid and Jill recently posted her version on our Facebook page.
The end result of this braid looks so intricate that other moms will think that you had spent 30 minutes weaving it when it really only took you 2 minutes (literally) with a simple braid! Also, don’t forget to join our Facebook fanpage, Cute Girls Hairstyles! Enjoy!
Items Needed: Rat-tail comb, 1 small hair elastic.
Time Requirement: 2-3 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
Comment on this post »Teen Slide-Up Braid | St. Patrick's Day Hairstyle
March 11, 2009
Ok, so I was thinking about St. Patrick’s Day hairdo’s and it occured to me that most tweens or teenagers aren’t going to want a huge shamrock on their heads.
But they still want to celebrate the spirit of St. Patty’s day. So I came up with a couple of simple, easy tween versions. This is the first. We’ll call this the “Slide-Up Braid” hairdo. It’s SUPER easy and look’s adorable on girls of all ages!
Items Needed: Brush, comb, spray bottle, 1 rubber band, and hairspray.
Time Requirement: 3-5 minutes.
Skill Level: Easy
Begin by brushing hair. This DD has very straight fine hair to begin with so I quickly ran a flat iron over it to flatten any bed-head waves. But you can do this hairdo with long, straight, or curly hair. You can do it on short, but it’s a little harder just because you do not have much hair to work with. Part the hair on left (or right if that is your DD’s natural part)…
Section off a small chunk of hair right next to the part…
Apply a little pomade or spritz lightly with water (just to keep down the frizz). Form this hair into a LOOSE braid. You don’t want this as tight as you can do it… it needs to be a medium loose. Not crazy loose either – just look at the picture…
When you get the very end of hair instead of adding a rubber band hold the MIDDLE piece of hair with two of your fingers…
Now using your free hand, slide the rest of the braid upward. The braid will naturally slide upward along the middle strand and gather up near the roots of her hair…
Now, pull the braid slightly downward again until you think it lays right. The braid should look somewhat lace-like…
Rubber band the end of the braid. If having one piece of hair hang out of the rubber band longer bugs you simplye twist that hair up and then rubber band it all in. I never mind since I think it just sort of blends into her other hair. It’s a very cool look that seems really difficult to do – but we all know it’s a snap!
To make it festive for St. Patty’s Day, simply add a cute green ribbon. I found my ribbon in the craft/ribbon section of Walmart for $1.00. The ribbons says “Shaking my Shamrocks” which I thought was very funny and appropriate!
Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
Comment on this post »