Stacked Braids | Cute Braided Hairstyles
February 10, 2013
A few weeks ago, we posted a video called the Ladder Braid Side Ponytail, and it received a lot of positive feedback!
In fact, one of our fans, Ceridwin, adapted the feather braid technique to create a new, beautiful “stacked” braid look, and sent us a photo on Twitter!
I loved it so much that asked her to tell me exactly how she did it so that I could teach you! She agreed, emailed me her instructions, and here you go!
You simply create a large feather braid, with tiny strands coming off each stitch from both sides of the braid. You then go back and Dutch braid the feathered strands on top of the regular braid, and then pancake the latter. Further instructions are below…
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, 1 small hair elastic, hairspray {if desired}.
Time Requirement: 5-8 minutes
Skill Level: Medium
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Begin by brushing the hair and pulling it to wherever you want the braid to lay. {In the video, I did the hair straight down the back, but a side braid would also be very cute.}
- Using all of your hair, section it into three strands and create the first “stitch” of a simple braid…
- After the first stitch, on every outside edge, you will begin creating a Feather Braid… {On the left-most strand of hair, pull out a sliver of hair off the top and lay it to the side. For a DIY, you can use a clip, teeth, or extra hands to hold the strands out of the way.} Also, for this braid, I chose to feather off larger strands at the top and smaller feathers as we worked our way down…
- Now cross that outside strand over the middle to become the middle strand….
- Then, go to the right-most section of hair and pull out a sliver of hair off the top and lay it to the side, and cross the remaining strand over into the middle…
- Repeat these alternating steps until you run out of hair.
- Secure with an elastic. You should have a normal-looking braid with feather strands of hair coming off both sides of the braid all the way down. {Kind of looks like a feather, huh? LOL! That’s why we call it a Feather Braid!}
- Now, pick up the top two feather strands of the left and the top feather strand on the right.
- Begin a Dutch braid using those strands. {When you need to add hair into the braid, use ONLY the other feather strands of hair on both sides of the braid.}
- When you run out of feather strands, finish off with 2-3 stitches of a regular braid….
- Then, undo the original hair elastic and secure both braids together with that same elastic.
- You should now have two braids right on top of each other, the Stacked Braids.
- To help the Dutch braid stand out just a bit more, you may choose to “pancake” the bottom braid edges, as I did, by gently tugging on the elbows to make them a little more puffy. {This helps add to the overall illusion of braid awesomeness!}
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!
Feather Waterfall & Ladder Braid Combo | 2-in-1 Hairstyles
January 28, 2013
You are going to absolutely LOVE this hair tutorial because you’ll learn two amazing-looking hairstyles using essentially the same basic techniques!
This hairstyle also incorporates three braids… the Lace Braid, Feather Braid, and Ladder Braid. {If you are confused by any of these techniques, we have previous tutorials of each individual braid you can check out by clicking the links above.}
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The Feather Waterfall
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, 1 hair elastic.
Time Requirement: 5 minutes
Skill Level: Medium
**Bonus: If you have had a hard time in the past mastering the traditional Waterfall Braid, this is a great technique that looks nearly the same… but might be easier for beginners!
- Pick up a small section of hair near the front of the part line and divide it into three strands…
- Begin a regular braid by creating one stitch…
- Now, add in some hair ONLY to the top strand. {A Lace braid is when you only add hair to one side of the braid, unlike a traditional French/Dutch braid where you would add hair to both sides.}
- Once you’ve added in hair to the top strand, cross that piece over the middle strand…
- Then, pull a tiny section of hair off the bottom strand before crossing this strand over the middle. {This is called a Feather Braid, because the tiny pieces fall off the braid much like a feather with its spine.}
- Continue to add hair to the top strand, removing out tiny sections from the bottom strand, as you work your way around the head…
- When you get near the opposite ear, stop adding in/removing hair, and continue a normal braid down the strands and secure with an elastic.
You have now created the beautiful Feather Waterfall braid!
For a very gorgeous look, one that will certainly turn heads when you walk around, use this Feather Waterfall hairstyle as a base and continue below …
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Ladder Braid Combo
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, 2 hair elastics.
Time Requirement: 5-8 minutes.
Skill Level: Medium
For purposes of creating this hairstyle, you will need have the Feather Waterfall Braid done {see instructions above}…
- Take the first five feathers, or so, and flip them up and over the head to keep them out of the way while you begin your second braid…
- Pick up another small section of hair, 1-2 inches below the other braid, and begin a regular braid with one stitch…
- Now, add in hair from the top…which essentially creates another Lace Braid. {The difference is that you will only be adding in the “feather” strands from the first braid.}
- Continue braiding, adding in a feather strand into each top strand of the Lace Braid, as you go. This is creating a Ladder Braid, with the feather strands now becoming “rungs” on the ladder…
- As you braid, try to keep the braids about 1-2 inches apart to allow the ladder effect to remain…
- Continue ladder braiding as you work your way around the head.
- When you get near the opposite ear, stop adding in hair and finish off the strand into a normal braid…
- Secure with an elastic.
You have now created an unbelievable, eye-catching Ladder Braid Combo!
CGH#3 wore this hairstyle to the Kid History Episode #10 Premier this past Friday night, and women were commenting and taking pictures of it all night!
Here is the video tutorial…
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!
Comment on this post »Twist-Braided Heart | Valentine’s Day Hairstyles
January 06, 2013
I love Valentine’s heart hairstyles!
Of all the holidays, Valentine’s Day is my favorite theme for styling hair… there is something simply cute and romantic about hearts in hair!
This year, we wanted to do a heart hair tutorial mature enough for an older teenager or mom. This one is perfect!
We love how the braid actually “turns in” on itself, leaving your friends wondering how you did it! Much different than the flipped-under ponytail we showed you in our very popular Flip-Braided Heart tutorial a few years ago.
I saw photos of a version of this lovely style on the Hairdresser on Fire website and decided to film a video tutorial for all of you!
You also could do this with Fishtail or Rope braids for a slightly different look!
Enjoy!
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, 2 small hair elastics, 2-4 bobby pins, hairspray, fabric ribbon or bow {if desired}.
Time Requirement: 5-7 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- After brushing the hair, divide it by parting directly down the middle from forehead to mid-back of head…
- Then, section off the top half of the hair so that you now have three sections… the bottom half of the hair as one, and the top half of hair divided down the middle as two sections…
- Now, gather one of the top sections and begin braiding a simple braid as close to the inner corner of the middle part as possible and temporarily secure it with an elastic…
- Repeat step #3 on the other top section, again, braiding the braid as close to the inner corner of the middle part as possible and secure with a hair elastic.
- Now, take the right braid and twist it around itself clockwise toward the right side of head. Use a bobby pin to secure the curve to create the right crest of the heart…
- Take the left braid and twist it counter-clockwise toward the left side of the head and use a bobby pin to secure the left crest of the heart {as you did in step #5}…
- Now, bring the ends together to finish off the bottom shape of the heart.
- While holding the ends together pull off both elastics and secure the braids together with only one elastic…
- Lastly, feel free to use hairspray and then finish off the cute heart by adding an adorable ribbon or fabric bow as an accessory.
Video Tutorial:
I have a few other ideas we will be testing out in the next few weeks, but in the meantime… be sure to check out our other Valentine’s Day hairstyles!
If you liked 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!
Comment on this post »DIY Dutch Waterfall Braid | Cute Braided Hairstyles
December 09, 2012
Last week I showed you how to create the Dutch Waterfall Braid on my daughter…
Because it is a tricky braid to learn, and because so many fans are asking for it, this week’s tutorial will show you how to do it on your own hair {DIY}!
You can see that it is the exact exact same technique, but they key to mastering the braid is learning how to “feel” for the stranding in your own hands, and without being able to see the back of your head.
Trust me, this is a braid that everyone is going to comment on! Please do not get discouraged and give up if the braid does not turn out perfect the first time! ☺ {Practice always makes perfect!}
In last week’s tutorial, I ended my daughters Dutch Waterfall Braid with a simple braid and elastic band. In this tutorial, for a more mature look, I chose to end the braid behind my left ear using two bobby pins in a crossed pattern. Once you master the braid, you can pretty much end it in any creative way you wish!
Steps:
- I started by straightening my hair, but I really think this braid would be lovely on curly hair as well. I also teased the top of my hair to create a little extra volume {creating a more mature, softer look}…
- Begin by picking up a small section of hair where you want to start the braid {I started on the front, above the right eye}…
- Divide this small section into three strands…
- Begin a normal dutch braid. This means that the middle strand will always go OVER the outer strands {or you can say the outer strands will always go UNDER the middle strand}…
- Do one complete stitch by taking the middle strand over both outer edges once…
- You now drop the middle piece and let it fall out of the way…
- This is where it gets a little tricky… now pick up a small section of hair to add back into the braid and add it back as the MIDDLE piece. Do NOT add it as the bottom piece or the braid won’t work. You have basically just dropped the middle strand and replaced it with a new strand in the exact same location.
- Now take that middle strand and cross it over the outer bottom strand. This will create the outer edge that pops out of the braid…
- You then add hair to the top-outer strand {this is exactly what you would do with a regular Dutch braid) and cross the middle strand over that one…
- You have now just finished your second “stitch” at this point.
- Repeat steps 5-7 over and over again until you get to a point where you want to finish off the braid. I tried to create a diagnol line going from my right temple to my left ear.
- When you get about 2 inches behind your left ear, twist up a small section of hair up from the left side and clip it out of the way using an alligator clip. We will use this piece later to hide the bobby pins…
- Now take two bobby pins and pin the remainer of the braid right behind your ear {making sure to “cross” the bobby pins for added security}. Your ear will also help hide the bobby pins…
- Release the clipped hair from the clip and allow it to fall freely over the bobby pins.
- Now adjust the braid and the rest of your hair to your liking, and add hairspray {if desired}.
If you are looking to use this hairstyle to attend a wedding or school dance, you may choose to curl the falling strands with a wand!
Enjoy!
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, 2 bobby pins, 1 alligator clip, hairspray {if desired}.
Time Requirement: 5 minutes
Skill Level: Hard
Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
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