We designed our first ever Camille Styles caps for this year’s #GetHealthyGetTogether and that got us all talking about our favorite ways to wear caps outside of the gym. We asked our favorite stylist Erica Rae to come up with a great hair solution for wearing baseball caps in the summer, and she created this super cool box braid on food, fashion and lifestyle PR Gal Mandy Mayekawa. “This isn’t your typical baseball cap which is why I decided to not do a typical braid,” explained Erica. “Our lovely model Mandy had the thickest, most beautiful hair that was perfect for this “box fishtail braid.”
Follow Erica’s steps below to create your own box fishtail braid:
photographed by jessica attie
Mandy wore a straw baseball cap similar to the one we featured in our 10 Best Straw Hats to Wear This Spring story earlier this year.
Step 1:
First start with a ponytail. We will be pulling the ponytail through the baseball cap so you want to keep the height of the ponytail in mind.
Step 2:
Split the ponytail into two separate sections that are equal in size.
Step 3:
Begin a regular fish tail by taking a section of hair from one side and crossing it over to the other side. As you are crossing over the hair you want to combine the section you are crossing over into the opposite section, be careful to not lose the section. Repeat this on the opposite side. It is hard to see the box braid formation in the beginning which is why in this picture we have decided to braid a few sections before describing what to do to create the box.
Step 4:
You want to start by taking the first section and crossing it “over,” repeat that on both sides and do it again for the next section.
Step 5:
You then want to take the third and fourth section and instead of crossing “over,” bring the section of hair “under” and combine it with the section on the opposite side. Repeat it again for the next section.
Step 6:
Once you have done two sections by crossing them “over” and have followed it with crossing “under” for the next two sections, you can then repeat that pattern all the way to the end of the ponytail. Secure the ponytail using an elastic tie.
Erica’s Pro Tip:
“Our model had some layers in her hair which added a bit of texture to the ponytail. If you wanted you could start to loosely pull the fishtail apart to create a fuller more textured look. You could also wrap the ponytail into a really cute bun to get a different look with this style.”
