Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I'm just going to go ahead and say that I have very little emotional or cultural tie to this holiday, but I love the story of St. Patrick and I love an excuse to hang out with some of my favorite people. Today we went to the St. Patty's Day parade in downtown Raleigh (a fantastic place which you should visit) and I decided to try out some version of the maiden braid, or the braided headband. There are tons of variations on this, but I thought I would share what I did today and maybe you can try it out!
Bonnie's Braided Headband
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| Yup, my roots are struggling and I see something has landed in my hair. Typical. To begin, let me say that most tutorials I have seen on the web suggest that you begin by braiding hair on both sides of your hair. This is how I began, but I actually decided that it was too bulky for me, so I only braided one side and simply wrapped it around the top of my head. |
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| Side note: you probably want to a.) Use your normal hair product on your roots before starting and b.) put your makeup on before starting. Didn't do either of those, obviously! Also ignore that braid, since I ended up only braiding one side of my head. |
1. Start by sectioning off the pieces of hair you that want to hang around your face (I used bobby pins). This is a guide for where you will wrap your braid. Also section off a good portion of the top layer of your hair, as well as the the crown as seen below. This will keep the overall shape natural, as well as help with any tangling while you braid.
2. Find a small section of hair somewhere either above or near your ear and braid it all the way down to the tips. Secure with an elastic band. (I used the small clear elastics...the kind that remind me of the bands I used to have to wear when I wore braces lol). Don't worry about the rubber band, it is temporary. Braid another section closer to your face, about 1 or 2 inches higher. The top of this braid needs to be underneath your top layer of hair so it will not show.
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| (Ok, so this part I came back and photographed at the end of the day. You see that my hair is not sectioned like it was earlier...but calm down...you get the idea. ) |
3. Twist the two braids together, and wrap them across the top of your head like a headband. Use the sectioned pieces as a guide.
4. Secure the ends of the braids underneath your top layer of hair with one or two bobby pins, and when you are happy with the placement, go ahead and gently pull the rubber bands out.
5. Release all the sectioned hair, and your hair should fall in place as naturally as possible around the braids. If the beginning and ends of the braids are showing or are bulky, reposition them until they are hidden underneath the top layer of hair.
If you have highlights or blonde chunks like I do, try to braid those pieces to create more contrast. I loved how this turned out mostly because of the blonde pieces. You can always clip in colored extensions, or use a temporary hair color (sold at places like Sally's Beauty Supply or Ulta) to add some drama.
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| Photo taken during the St. Patrick's Day parade! And while we are at it, this is what I wore today! I just bought this skirt and top at Target so yay for a day where you wear green! Tucking the shirt in was a new thing for me, and thank goodness for my trusty brown belt! We spend pretty much all day in downtown Raleigh with friends and my sister...and of course Ms. Lucy Lu the First who is sporting her bee-yu-tiful green bow. |
Top: Target
Skirt: Target
Leggings: Wal-Mart
Shoes: TOMS
Sunglasses: Charming Charlie
Lucy's St. Patrick's Day Bow: Taken from the gift wrap box
If you are interested in more maiden braid or braided headband tutorials, check out this one over on A Beautiful Mess.
And Dawn...just in case you thought I forgot about your shout-out...
HEY ROOMIE!!!!!!
I hope you enjoyed this post full of grainy iPhone pics from my bathroom and vague hair styling instructions. Only the best for you my friends.
Calm Down.
Bonnie
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