photographed by jessica attie
We asked our favorite hair stylist Erica Rae to create a new variation on the classic french braid and she surprised us with this fun “bubble braid” look. Austin fashion blogger Cyndi Huang of The Cyn City was the perfect model to rock this look with her full ombred hair. “Technically this style isn’t a braid, but it works on the same ‘section-by-section’ building principal that you’d use for a classic french braid,” explains Erica. “Instead of braiding three strands, you’re securing the sections together with rubber bands. It’s actually easier than learning to french braid!” Read on to discover Erica’s technique for the modern and fun bubble braid:
DIRECTIONS:
- Start by taking a small section of hair from the front “bang area” and twisting the tail of the section.
- Pin the twisted section back to create a “pouf” for volume. (If you have bangs then I would just leave them unpinned.)
- Take another small section from underneath the twisted section and pull back.
- Secure both sections into one pony tail.
- Grab another section below the ponytailed section and blend it with the previous section.
- Secure both sections into another pony tail.
- Repeat step 5.
- Repeat step 6.
- Continue taking sections until you reach the nape of the neck. Once you’ve reach the nape, continue wrapping the hair with a hair tie. Try to space out each hair tie as evenly as possible.
- After all pony tail sections are secure, you can then start to pull the hair apart to crate the “bubbles.”
We loved the finished look on Cyndi.
Erica’s Pro Tip: “This style will hold well without hairspray, but you might want to add some shine product to your hair before creating the bubble braid for a more polished look. You could also tuck and pin the tail of this braid under for a really interesting updo!”
