hair tutorial: double braided half updo

Now I've been asked by several people to start doing hair tutorials here on the old blog, so I thought I'd finally give it a shot!  Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing, and it turns out that taking photos as you do your hair (as well as thinking about how you're going to explain what you're doing) is actually quite difficult.  Kudos goes to Jordyn for being my human tripod!

So, here's my first hair tutorial, and hopefully not my last.  If I'm feeling extremely brave in the next few weeks I might even try filming a proper video for a more difficult hairstyle.  We'll see!

Anyway.....this is a super simple and feminine hairstyle that I love dressing up or down.  I wore this hairstyle in this outfit post, with my hair straight (and one of the braids falling out. ha!).

Also, my hair is naturally curly, very fine, and on the thinner side.  So, future tutorials may work a bit better for girls with that hair type, but I'll try and be inclusive!  Hopefully Clara and I will get our act together next time we see each other, and get some tutorials going for you lucky thick haired girls out there.

For this tutorial I curled my hair beforehand, and I also used a small section of clip-in extensions to help give me a bit more thickness.  I love the look of a thick braid, although small braids can be nice and delicate as well.

1)   Whether you're going to wear your hair straight or curly, make sure it's brushed through and ready to go.  Gather up two small elastics, and several bobby pins. 

2)  Separate a section of hair near your face.  The thickness of this section will determine how thick or thin your braid is.

3)  I like to start with a bit of French braiding, and then I move into a normal braid, but starting with a normal braid here works just fine as well!  Braid all the way down your hair, and secure with a small, preferably clear elastic (unlike my glaringly white ones).

4)  Repeat steps 2 & 3 on the other side.

5)  I like to gently tug on my braid strands to loosen up the braid and add a bit of volume.  If you have super thick hair, then you may want to skip this step.

6)  Bring the end of one of your braids across the back of your head, and pin just above and behind your ear.

7)  I then twist up the rest of the braid into a loop, and pin it in place.  

If your hair isn't long enough to reach to the other side, just pin it in place wherever it ends.  

If your hair is much longer than mine, then you might have trouble hiding the end.  I suggest pinning very securely, and then doubling the end back over to the other side!

8)  Finally, bring the other braid over the end (and loop) of your first braid to hide it, and then repeat steps 6 & 7, making sure to hide your second loop under the first braid.  

You'll probably need to check it all over in a mirror to make sure no ends are sticking out.  Bobby pins are your friends!

9)  Hairspray your masterpiece, and you're good to go.

If you have any hairstyles that you'd like me to attempt, please leave a comment below.

I'm thinking that Elsa's epic braid from Frozen is next on my to-do list!

p.s. ♥ kelsey