hair

THE BRAID PARADE

all photos by Kristin Ess

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Instagram was created just for posting braids, right? Okay maybe not but at least that’s what I like to use mine for. Today’s post is less about a tutorial and more a gallery of good good. I thought it would be fun to upload my favorite braid posts from my page so they’re all here in one spot. These aren’t photos that we’ve done TBD tutorials for but many of them can be done using one tutorial + another, which I will specify. I love using these photos for reference when a client is going somewhere fun like a wedding, event or even a hot date. There will be a short breakdown of how I got each look underneath each photo. Most of these are braids I did on friends, sisters, clients, co-workers, etc so may not be the easiest to do on yourself. Show one of these to your best braider friend or hairstylist and let them do their magic! Sound the horns, here comes the braid parade…

This was done on super long hair. First, I sprayed damp hair with beach spray, roughly blowdried it and made two regular fishtail braids. Then I pulled them apart to soften the look and wrapped them into a large bun in back. I used large hairpins and bobbypins to secure.

This one looks complicated but it’s not at all. I  blew the hair dry with a side part, added some waves with a 1 1/4″ barrel curling iron (this will give the braid more volume and texture), did a regular french braid going from the side with less hair crossing the back and down into a regular braid. Then did a regular fishtail on the heavier side and tucked it in and pinned it to the french braid.

Doesn’t this look complicated? It’s totally knot. Ha. Get it!? Okaaaay. Prep damp hair with some beach spray. Take two pieces and tie them into a loose knot and add a bobbypin at the middle where you tied the knot. Do the same thing with the next two new pieces (you take new pieces each time, the way you would with a french braid). Then the next two. Then the next two, etc… I would let mine be messy and each knot be slightly off center to make it look a little cooler.

I mean, let’s be honest… this just looks extra cool because my friend has purple hair. I did a one sided french braid just like the one we did HERE.

This one is fun because the messier the better. Blow dry the hair with mousse. Again, I like to give it some curl to give the braids volume and texture before I actually start braiding, so here I used a 1 1/4″ iron to wave it up before I styled it. Do a french fishtail on each side, bring them together and twist them around each other in the back, then roll them into a bun. I used no specific technique for this part, just rolled it, unrolled it, rolled it back up and pinned it when I thought it looked pretty/balanced. Use large bobby pins and strong holding hairspray to secure! If you have trouble with bobby pins sliding out, try spraying the pin with hairspray before you insert it, that will help!

I did this for Lauren on one of our Kohl’s shoots and it’s my favorite! I prepped the hair by blowing it dry with a volumizing mousse. It’s just two inside-out (somewhat loose/messy) french braids that get pinned into a low fun bun. I pulled out a couple of loose pieces and gave them a little bend with a beveled flat iron.

SO CUTE! This is such a fun topknot and looks a little different than the average one. Make a high ponytail on top of the head, use a little waterbased pomade to get better hold, do a regular fishtail, then coil it into a bun and pin! Hairspray was key with this one to keep it from loosening up.

This is obviously for a fun occasion like a football game, soccer game, whatever sport you like, it would be fun to do it with your colors. I applied the chalk to large sections of damp hair (do it on dry hair if you’re blonde so it won’t stain), then did two dutch braids and pinned them as I went along into a curved shape. As it dries, the chalk becomes more apparent.

If you’re a bad a** braider, then you’ll probably have no problem doing these but like I said up top, these are likely going to be braids you’ll want to enlist a beauty/braid loving bestie to help you out with. If you try any don’t forget to TAG US, duh. @thebeautydept on the gram. Also follow me + Amy Nadine on our personal instagram accounts for extra behind the scenes beauty photos like these! I’m @Kristin_Ess and Amy Nadine is @AmyNadine13!