MY DREAM BRAID

In the beginnings of my quest to become a Hair Jedi , one of the first techniques I was dying to master was the ever-elusive, big, romantic braid. C’mon! You guys know what I am talking about! Don’t even try to deny that a scene similar to this popped into your head when I described my desired first conquest: A girl is gracefully running through the forest in her white, billowy dress. As she weaves her way through the trees, both her dress and her humungous braid adorned with flowers sway gracefully in the wind. With that vivid, highly-specific picture in my head, I began many an in-depth internet search, trying to discover the secret to creating the braid of my dreams. Although I found many tutorials teaching the art of fluffing out a braid, none of them were ever detailed enough for my perfectionistic mind. I wanted a step by step guide on how to achieve my flower adorned braid, but alas, the meticulously crafted blueprint was nowhere to be found.

Well, after years and years of practice, I have finally reached my goal of mastering the abovementioned foresty-nymph braid. I have pretty much gotten it down to a science, and the dreamy braid has become a regular in my rotation. Now, because I am such a kind, kind soul, I am not going to save my tips for myself. Oh, no! Today, on the super popular blog that is Confessions of a Negative (N)ellie, I am going to teach you all of my tricks on bringing your braid dreams to life. Buckle up, and get ready to become a braiding pro!

Tip #1:Prep the Hair

This is a KEY step in creating big, voluminous braids, and one I managed to miss in my four million internet searches. In order to create our fairytale braid, your hair has to have a little bit of grit to it. The dream braid is not a hairstyle you would want to try to create on freshly washed hair, because the hair is too CLEAN (I know that sounds weird, but hang with me, kay?). When you first wash your hair it is all shiny and smooth, which we love, but it also doesn’t have a whole lot of texture to it. When you attempt to tug on the stitches of your to-clean braid, they will just slide right back into place. The slick texture of your hair leaves nothing for the edges of the braid to latch on to. However, on second and third day hair, when that New Mexico wind has added a nice layer of dirt to your mane, the pulled out pieces will remain perfectly in place.

Now, I don’t just like to rely on the New Mexico wind alone to give me that necessary texture (shocker, I know!). I like to give myself some nice smelling grit to create my flowery braid, and I have found two new products that do just that. One:The Maria Nila Dry Shampoo. This dry shampoo is different that my ride or die Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo, because it contains a more gritiness, which allows for buildable volume and texture. On the days I know I will be rocking a braid, I reach for this dry shampoo to support all of my braid dreams. Second, the Hairitage Magic Dust Texturizing Powder. Guys, this is the pixie dust your fairy-braid needs! You sprinkle it right on your braid, pat it in, and watch the magic happen. (if you want to learn about more of my favorite hair products, click here). So, in order to give yourself the best odds at creating this braid, I recommend starting on at least day two hair (remember, the dirtier the better!), and using either or both of these products (or your favorite texture spray) to give you that extra umph!

Tip #2: Don’t Braid Too Tight

Ok, so now we have our hair all prepped and ready, how do we take our braid from sad to fab? My next tip is, go easy on the braiding. I am someone who goes HAM when it comes to braiding with force, which means my braids tend to come out clean and tight. Although that is another great look, especially for race day, it is not the woodsy, billowy look we are going for today. So, when creating your fairytale braid, do it with a soft, light hand, making sure to not cinch down to hard on the stiches you are creating. When the stitches of your braid are tight and secure, it makes it very difficult to pull apart the outside edges of your braid, and that action is what gives your braid its fluffy look. Consequently, you will have a very difficult time getting that just-having-ran-through-the-forest-in-my-white-gossamer-gown look. So, take it from someone with hands of steel, go easy on your braid.

Tip #3: Pull Apart As You Go

This tip is very similar Tip #2, but it definitely merits its’ own paragraph. You know what one of the worst feelings is? With arms burning, you finally reach the end of your braid, and start attempting to pull it apart and get your princess look on, only to discover that the edges of your braid will not budge. Just as with Tip #2, waiting to fluff out your braid until the very end causes you to run into another battle with tightness. At the end of your braid, most of your stiches are set pretty securely in their place. Although you may be able to tug on the lower edges of the braid, there is very little chance in moving those top ones (at least in my experience). They, like my bum on the couch during the Holidays, are firmly rooted in place. That is why I recommend pulling apart as you go! So, let me see if I can break this down for ya (I was never super great at teaching, so bear with me)

a. Braid three to four stitches down your braid.

b. Pass the three strands of your braid into your non dominant hand.

c. Starting at the bottom, go up one side of the braid, pulling out all of the ridges with your dominant hand. Repeat on the other side.

d. Re-separate the three strands of hair into both of your hands.

e. Repeat steps until you reach the end of your braid

Pulling apart as you go allows for enough slack in the stitches to create those really pretty, full edges. Now, I have just a few more helpful hints for this section:

1. Pull on your edges with a light hand. Because of the slack you have already created by pulling apart as you go, you can easily go back and tug on a previous ridge if it is not fluffed out to your liking. However, just like toothpaste, there is no putting it back in if you release to much.

2. Don’t worry if after you resume braiding, the edges you have just pulled out seem to cinch back up a little. I almost always have to go back and tug on those ridges again, but because you have already created that slack, they are very easily manipulated into your running-through-the-forest look.

Sorry, I know that was super long, but that is because it was a super important step. Don’t worry, there are only two tips left!

Tip #4: Where to Pull

Ok, you’ve got the basic steps and prep down, now it is time to really hone in on the actual technique of pulling apart your edges. One of the biggest mistakes I made on my first attempts at the braid of our dreams was grabbing one entire stitch and just pulling away. Don’t do that! When you pull on an entire stitch, it pulls the whole strand out, leaving you with a gaping hole between the strand and the rest of your braid (see above picture). Instead, pinch the very outermost pieces of your ridge, and give it a gentle pull. This allows the inside of the ridge to continue hugging the rest of the braid, while the outside is fanned out to appear thicker and fuller.

Now, sometimes when you pull on the outer edge, you really do just pull on the very outside piece, so you get this nice little hole in the center of your stitch. Kind of like a braid-ridge-donut. Have no fear! Negative (N)ellie is here! If, when you pull on the outer pieces of a ridge, you get a donut, just move deeper into that ridge, and pull on the next closest outer piece. This will help to seal up the hole in your stitch, and make the braid look oh so full!

Tip #5: Start Where You Are

Alright, now you have my top-secret blueprint that allows me to create the braid of my dreams (lucky you 😉). However, it can be very difficult to jump right into fluffing out an intricate French braid (I seriously just mastered that beast like a month ago). I would recommend starting out with a basic, regular old braid! Put on a cute hat, throw your hair over you shoulder, and pull apart a beautiful side braid. Once you have old reliable mastered, I would recommend moving on to a Dutch Braid (on the left in the picture below), before attempting to tackle the mammoth that is the French Braid (on the right in the picture below). The 3D look of a Dutch Braid makes the ridges easier to see, which in turn makes it easier to see where you are supposed to pull the braid apart. The interwovenness of the French Braid buries the stitches, which can make them very difficult to see and manipulate to your liking. However, once you have mastered the fluffy French Braid, you truly feel you can tackle anything!

So, there are the 5 tips I use to create my favorite, forest-haven braid. Using these tips allows me to quickly throw my hair into a braid, but make it look as if I am always ready for Prince Charming to come and sweep me up onto his white horse. I don’t know about you, but that is a look I am always here for 😉 I hope these tips were helpful to you, and aid you in reaching you hair dreams! Please, if you use any of these tips to create some fairytale braids, share those moments with me! I would love to see the amazing braids you create!