Hairstyle with Braid - Wedding Updo, Bridal Hair Idea

 Hairstyles with braids will always be timeless, modern, chic, youthful, romantic and weaving in some  pretty white flowers into the braids will  instantly turn it into a wedding-bridal updo look. 



 Please note that my mannequin's hair is quite thin  and black, which therefor, does not show hair textures very well in photos, like blonde hair.  Moreover,  her hair line and  is different from our own so her scalp will be more noticeable in the photos.

I ran out of black bobbi pins in the middle of this hair tutorial so you might see a blond bobbi pin here and there, sorry! lol...

I started this blog with the intention of doing it on my own hair....then I realized, I couldnt take photo's with both of my hands busy...And this is why I ended up doing it on my doll.  Anyway, if you look at my hair parting in this photo, that's what it should look like.

Doll before photo

I didn't curl my mannequin's hair because she's not going anywhere, but you should always start off by curling your hair with a curling iron (1/2 inch rod - you want the curls tighter) for any updo hairstyles.  This will make it easier for you to manage your hair while braiding and pinning.

 

Section off your hair: Crown, sides.

Grab the back crown area and tease the roots and create a bird nest - (leave the hair in front alone, we will be braiding that into the side later)

After you tease the hell out of the roots, gently comb the top layer and start braiding it very loosely from mid shaft to the ends of the hair.  We're going for that  "Bohemian braid style".  Loose and carefree.  Tie it with a rubber band.

Next, you're going to create a french braid on each side of your temple (leave the top alone - we do this last - note my red clip), going  towards the back of your hair, stop and pin it up when you get close to the middle braid.  When both sides are braided, then you will connect all three braids - meaning, now you're going to use those 3 braids to create 1 fat braid.

For clarity,  side temple braid  ---- crown braid ---- other temple braid == created one funky looking thick braid.  (this adds texture to your updo hairstyle)

Now, grab the lower parts of the front sides and braid that towards the back of your hair - do this on both sides.  Try to create a tight braid for this area because it will make your head shape more attractive. Pin it back when you get to the end.

This is where you start creating loops, curls and more texture.  Hairstyling is a lot like sculpting, you create shapes piece by piece and pretty much do what looks right.

Mixing into this hairstyle different types of hair braid.

Grab the hair in the back, piece by piece, create different types of braids, and pin them up, down, side ways.  Then the last piece will be wrapped around the long tail.  That long piece on the side you see is the crown/front hair, which we will do next.

I'm quite fond of Taylor Swift's side swept updo styles, sweep the hair to the side and start braiding it back.

Pin it back into the cluster of braid hairstyle you have going on in the back.  You can rope it, tie it, make it as funky as you want.  Loose braids look better..

We're done!  It's not attractive to have a stick straight, thin looking tail hanging down your back, so either tease that hair and fluff it up (photo below), curl it, or tuck it in if it's too sparse.

The white hair spray that you see in my photos is my Holy Grail item, I've loved it for 10 years..  Sebastian Shaper Hairspray makes your hair feel like hair,  and has a matte finish.  You can spray the whole effing bottle and your hair will still feel soft and moveable.  It's the BEST updo hairspray you'll ever own, because it doesnt make your hair stiff, or shiny as if it's wet.   Maybe I notice things like this because I'm a pro, but I hate it when people mess up a perfectly nice updo with a bad hair spray that makes your hair look... well, like you used a whole bottle of gel on wet hair. 

 

Thanks for reading, don't forget to sub, take care! :)

Are you using the correct Straightening or Curling iron for your hair type?  Read my post about Hair Irons here  -- Ceramic and Titanium and other Irons.

Learn how to do this Chignon Updo at my new hair site.