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!
Starburst Crown Braid | Updo Hairstyles
March 03, 2013
Perhaps my “most requested” hairstyle ever, has been this Starburst Braid!
We have been asked for it for nearly two years, and we actually filmed a tutorial of it the same day we filmed the Dutch Crown Braid back in Oct 2011.
{My girls and I liked the Crown Braid better that day and decided to upload it instead, because we were not huge fans of the hole on the top of the head like in the Starburst Braid.}
I am not kidding when I say that in the past two weeks or so, I must have been tweeted, facebooked, or emailed versions of this hairstyle a hundred times!
So yesterday, CGH#1 and I decided to re-film the tutorial with our better camera, lighting, and angles… than we used 1.5 years ago. {My friend at Princess Hairstyles has a great tutorial of this braid as well!}
We hope you girls will like this one, and if you do… please feel free to share! If the social media requests are any indication, this style should be a very popular one!
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, 2 small hair elastics, hairspray {if desired}.
Time Requirement: 5-8 minutes
Skill Level: Medium
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Begin by brushing the hair to make sure there are no tangles and the hair is straight…
- Now, separate off {part} a large circular section {Part A} right on the crown of the head, and secure with an elastic {the thinner the elastic, the better, so you don’t end up with a cone-head look}…
- You should also now have should a second section of hair {Part B} about 2 inches wide all the way around the outside of the head…
- For the next step, take the hair in the ponytail and let it fall down over the elastic and drape evenly around the head {this will cause all the hair to hang in your face, which is ok for now}…
- Now, grab a small section of hair in Part B, just behind the left ear and begin a regular French braid. As you add in hair to the top strand, grab a small section from the ponytail and add it in. When adding hair to the bottom strand, pull in hair from the outside/frame section {Part B}. Try to keep the French braid running right around the part line, which essentially helps to hide the part line…
- Continue Step #5 as you work your way around the entire head, in a circle, until your reach the beginning of the French braid…
- Finish off the remaining hair into a Simple Braid, and secure with an elastic…
- Now, take the end of the Simple Braid and tuck it up and under the starburst strands of hair to hide it. Feel free to adjust the braid until it sits well hidden {this creates the illusion that the braid never ends}…
- Finish off by securing the two ends of the Starburst with a few bobby pins.
Enjoy!
Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
Comment on this post »Romantic and Edgy 2-in-1 Side Swept Look | with Kandee Johnson
February 24, 2013
We are so happy to introduce you to a YouTube icon, and a good friend of mine, KandeeJohnson! {You can also find more of her on Kandee’s blog.} She is one of the most influential makeup gurus on YouTube, and a fellow mommy, too {four children}!
We want to give our sincere thanks to Kandee for helping us with this collaboration and for being such a wonderful friend!
For this hairstyle tutorial, we wanted to show you two different side-swept looks, romantic and edgy, that are equally beautiful using my twins as models.
The first look on CGH#2 is more like something you would see on Taylor Swift, and the second on CGH#1 like something Rihanna would wear.
Over on Kandee’s channel, she shows us how to complete the looks by applying each girls’ makeup to match the hairstyle. You can watch her video here…
Here’s how to get each hairstyle:
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Romantic Side-Swept Hairstyle
Items Needed: Curling wand, brush, 3-5 bobby pins, hairspray {if desired}, and a headband, if you want to accessorize.
Time Requirement: 10 minutes (curl time included)
Skill Level: Easy
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Begin by curling your hair to your liking {You can use a wand, curling iron, rollers, or a no-heat curling method. I did tighter curls for this look, think Taylor Swift curls, to give it more of a romantic and girly feel}…
- Do a deep, side part and sweep your hair behind your head to the other side and let lay over your shoulder {we left her bangs down on her forehead and swooped them to the side as well. We also left a few bangs out on the opposite side of her face. Leaving the bangs on the face softens the look and adds to the romantic feel}…
- Using bobby pins, begin to pin the hair so that is stays sitting over your shoulder {it took about 4 bobby pins for me. Make sure you cross your bobby pins for extra security, and don’t panic if you cannot hide the bobby pins perfectly. On this style you will likely see the bobby pins, so make sure you use bobby pins that match your hair color}…
- Add hairspray the hair to give it a little more structure and hold…
- To finish the look, I added a flower headband on CGH#2 that is super cute and something that Taylor Swift would likely wear with this hairstyle. {You can find the headband on Etsy.}
Don’t you agree that this hairstyle would look adorable with a cute summer sun dress? Side-swept hairstyles are “in” right now, so I expect to see a lot of these when the weather gets warmer!
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Edgy Side Swept Hairstyle
Items Needed: Curling wand, brush, teasing brush or comb, 3-4 bobby pins, and 1 hair elastic.
Time Requirement: 10 minutes (with curl time)
Skill Level: Easy
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Begin by curling your hair to your liking {you can use a wand, curling iron, rollers, or a no-heat curling method. I used a curling wand, but I made very loose, soft curls so that it looked a little more natural and less styled}…
- Do a deep side part and begin to tease your hair to add volume and fullness on the top and side. Remember this is an edgy look so you want lots of volume. We even teased her bangs up and over to give a more dramatic look…
- Once you have teased the hair, sweep it all behind the head and over the opposite shoulder…
- Then, pick up a section of hair behind the ear {the side without the hair} and begin a small simple braid…
- Braid it downward around the back of the head and let it fall near the nape of your neck…
- Secure the end of the braidwith an elastic for added security.
- Now, using bobby pins, begin to pin the hair so that is stays sitting over your shoulder. It took about 4-6 bobby pins for me. {This may be a little harder to pin because you are also pinning the braid. Make sure you cross your bobby pins for extra security and do not panic if you cannot hide the bobby pins perfecty. On this style, you will also still likely see the bobby pins so make sure you use bobby pins that match your hair color.}
- Add hairspray the hair to give it a little more structure and hold.
Don’t you agree that this look would be great with some jeans or cut-off shorts, a cute skeleton or print t-shirt, and red nails?
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Please do not forget to check out Kandee’s tips for applying makeup to match these two hairstyles over on her YouTube channel! Again, you can see her fun video here.
If you liked these hairstyles, please do feel free to share! Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
Comment on this post »Faux Fishtail Braid | Easy Braid Hairstyles
February 17, 2013
Today’s video features CGH#1 filming her very first tutorial!
If you are like me and my girls, you love fishtail braids… but fishtails can take “soooo looooong” to style! We have shown you before how to create fake fishtail braids, but this technique is so easy and super fast!
My twins love this style because it’s so fast and easy, but looks so much like a fishtail that sometimes people cannot even tell a difference!
CGH #1 wanted to show all of you this braid because it is a morning go-to style when you are in a hurry because it can be done in “2 minutes or less”!
Items Needed: Brush, 1 small hair elastic, hairspray {if desired}.
Time Requirement: 1-2 minutes
Skill Level: Very Easy
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Begin by sweeping the hair over to one side and over the shoulder {your hair can be curly or straight to begin with… either one looks great}…
- Take you thumb and forefinger and push them through the back of your hair to the front of the hair…
- Then, using those two fingers… grab the bottom of the ponytail and flip it through the hole created by your fingers…
- Make sure and hold the hair securely after the first flip, so that the twist generated by the flip does not unravel {This one can easily come undone if you don’t hold it tight. Also, don’t worry if the flip is down away from your head a bit}…
- If you feel that the flip is down too low simply reinsert your thumb and forefinger again through the hair {make sure you don’t go through the exact same spot!} and pull the bottom of the ponytail through once more {you want the new flip to be slightly off from the original one}…
- Give the hair a slight tug downward to help straighten out any excess bumps or thickness in flips {you will notice that once you have created a flip or two, your hair will likely hold its shape and often won’t even come undone if you let go}…
- Continue down the ponytail, adding as many flips as you wish by using the same method as above. {Please make sure each time you are instering your fingers through the ponytail, that you do so in a slightly different spot. This help the hair hold, and creates the fishtail braid-like look.
- When you run out of hair, secure the the bottom with an elastic.
- Feel free to loosen any pieces or tug on the edges of the fishtail to create a messier more romantic look.
Also, we present to you our four favorite names for our new family puppy… from the over 16,000 fan suggestions you left in our last video. Our four favorites are Chewy {from Chewbacca in Star Wars}, Thor {because this little guy is so tough}, Mousse {play on words for a tough Moose and the mousse foam used in hair, and Braidy {play on words for Brady, the boy’s name, and “Braid”y, since we are huge fans of braids!
For the next week, are allowing our fans to vote for their favorite from among those four names, and we will announce the new puppy’s name in our next video! Be sure to comment on YouTube below the video with your vote!
Enjoy!
If you liked this hairstyle, please do feel free to share! Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
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