3 Amazing braid ‘dos

Christmas parties and bad hair days are a bad combination, but Christmas parties and braids happen to be a very good one.

The silly season is upon us, and that can only mean one thing — your social calendar is about to fill up with Christmas and New Year’s Eve events. Make sure your hair is up to the task and impressing anyone who glances its way, thanks to three fun braid tutorials.

Supplies:

• Pins
• Hairspray
• Hair elastics

Instructions:

Part your hair in line with your ears — this doesn’t have to be perfect — and clip the rest out of the way.

Begin a Dutch braid at one end of your head. That is, take three small strips of hair. Then pass the right strip underneath the centre strip, making the centre strip the new right strip. Then pass the left strip underneath the new centre strip. Now add a little bit of hair to the new right strip and pass it underneath the centre strip, then add a little bit of hair to the left strip and pass it underneath the centre strip.

Alternate between passing the left and right strips underneath the centre strip, adding a little bit of hair with each move. As you do this, angle the braid across your head.

Keep braiding until you run out of additional hair, then plait it to the end. Don’t worry if it’s a little messy, you can fix this later.

Pin the braid behind your head, at the nape of your neck.

Use hairspray and pins to secure the braid in place and neaten fly-away hair.

Un-clip your hair and divide it into two parts.

Twist the two pieces around each other then tie them.

Twist the hair around itself until you form a bun and tie an elastic around a centimetre from the top of the bun. Wrap the end of the plait around the elastic band to conceal it and pin the hair in place.

Use hairspray to secure the style and get rid of fly-away hair.

Supplies:

• Hair pins
• Hair elastics
• Scissors
• Hairspray

Instructions:

Start by parting your hair in the middle and starting a Dutch braid (see above) on each side.

Lead both Dutch braids to the back of your head and tie them off with elastic bands.

Cross the two braids over.

Gather the remaining hair and cross the braids underneath it.

Keep crossing the braids over and underneath the gathered hair until you reach the end and tie it with a hair elastic.

Hairspray the braid in place, cut the elastics that tied together the two Dutch braids and pull them out.

Form a loop with the braid and tie it in place, leaving 5 centimetres of hair above the elastic. Then twist this remaining hair around the elastic to conceal it and pin it into place.

Use pins and hairspray to fix up any loose pieces and smooth down fly-away hair.

Get glossy locks with this DIY beer shampoo >>

Supplies:

• Pins
• Hair bands
• Hair doughnut
• Hairspray

Instructions:

Part your hair in line with your ears — this doesn’t have to be perfect — and tie the rest into a ponytail at the nape of your neck.

Thread the ponytail through the hair doughnut.

Spread the ponytail over the doughnut. Twist and wrap the remaining hair around the base of the bun.

Pin it in place.

Part the front section down the middle and make two Dutch braids (see above). Don’t worry if they’re messy, you can fix this at the end.

Take both braids to the back and pin them above the bun.

Use hairspray and pins to fix up the braids and bun.

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