MILKMAID BRAID TUTORIAL
Hey everyone! Welcome to my latest tutorial. As you may or may not have realised, my favourite styles to do are the ones that require the least amount of time and preparation.
Over the years, hairstyling has moved away from perfectly placed and stiff styles to softer, more textural and less 'done', which is great news since most of us don't have the time to be spending hours in front of the mirror!
I'm also a big believer in working with your hair’s natural texture, rather than trying to fight it to do something it doesn't do. So, this week I'm bringing you a relaxed 'milkmaid braid' style. This style is really simple, and has been made popular by celebrities like Sienna Miller and Mary Kate Olsen. It's going to be best on long hair, but if you have short hair and have some clip in hair extensions, that will work too.
Hopefully you were able to pick up the fishtail plait technique in the last tutorial, but it would also look cute if you wanted to keep it simple and just do an ordinary plait. Good luck!
Start with clean, dry hair. Brush through, and make a centre part with a comb or your finger for a more natural look.
Fishtail plait your first section all the way down to the ends, not too tightly so that the plait has some volume to it. Secure with a small elastic band.
Do the same on the other side.
Using your hands, gently lift and pull at the plait so that it loosens and softens up. It doesn't matter if little pieces fall out and come loose! You can also add some thickening texture powder like Haze by Evo, one of my all time favourite products! This gives incredible volume to fine hair and can make it look double or triple its natural thickness! Massage it in really well so that the plait really puffs up.
Pick up your first plait, and place it around the head kind of like a halo. If you can, have a look from all angles so that you can see the most flattering place to secure it, and then using bobby pins that blend with your hair colour, pin the plait to the scalp so that the pins are invisible from the outside. Do the same on the other side too. The ends should neatly tuck in under one and other at the top you may need to disguise the bands here (or you can even remove them completely if you're having trouble hiding them).
For extra volume through the crown, sprinkle in some for texturising powder and massage it in with your hands.
Voila! And there you have it. Your finished milkmaid braid! Keep the look soft and feminine by pulling out some fine strands around the hairline.
Make sure you tag us on Instagram if you give this style a go; we'd love to see your creations! Use the hash tag #tutorialsbylaurenm and #ohhellohair.
Hair: Lauren Mackellar / @hairbylaurenm
MUA: Mae Taylor maetaylor.com / @maetaylor_makeupartist
Photos: Red Rabbit Photography redrabbitphotograpy.com.au /@redrabbitphotography
Model: Teagan Simonis / @teagansimonis
Products used:
Haze By Evo Styling Powder