#hairoftheweek: Spring 2015 Recap

Oh my goodness. How is it possible that another season of #hairoftheweek is over?! How is it possible that my first year of college is over?! Since school is out, we won't be jumping into another season. Now that it's summer, I'm taking a hiatus to gather up some ideas for hairstyles so that come Fall 2015, we can hit the ground running.

If you're not up to date on all the previous seasons of #hairoftheweek, what are you waiting for? I've covered Spring 2014, Fall 2014, and Winter 2015. If you're new to #hairoftheweek and want to get caught up, I have a post on the origins. Don't forget to get your vote in after you've read this post if you haven't already!

April

Reverse Pull Through

4.1.15 reverse pull through (x)

For whatever reason, I always seem to have a rocky start every time I start a new season of #hairoftheweek. If you remember my whole naming situation, you'll know that I am still ashamed about it. Despite my blunder, I still really liked this one. I'd consider it a basic (there's another hairstyle this season that uses this pull through as its foundation!) so it's a good one to have in your arsenal. I thought the way I did this one would be easier but after having done the Stacked Pull Through, I discovered that I was sadly mistaken. Ah, well. What's done is done and now I know. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: n/a
Materials: as many elastics as you need (I used twelve)
Difficulty: easy

4.8.15 dutch fishtail (x)

Dutch Fishtail

What a gorgeous hairstyle. I wore this hairstyle for Mikaela's birthday and I felt so glamorous. It almost looks like a snake or something. It did have its fair share of flyaways, but that's to be expected of any fishtail braid. I'm definitely looking forward to wearing this sometime on vacation. I thought about wrapping the tail around my head and make it a Dutch Fishtail Halo, but alas, my hair is not long enough. (If my hair isn't long enough, whose is?!) Read more about this hairstyle here! (Mikaela was here (: This is her favorite hairstyle.)

Skills: fishtail braiding
Materials: one elastic
Difficulty: easy

Dutch Side Pony

4.17.15 dutch side pony (x)

Another hairstyle dedicated to another angel of a human, Allison! I had been waiting for this Hokies shirt (and the rest of that care package) for a while. When I first heard Allison was going to send me a Hokies shirt, I got to work coming up with a hairstyle for it. I included Allison heavily in the creative process and I like the way it looks, although it doesn't look its best in the Instagram photo. My main goal was to get the word "Hokies" in the picture. In the actual blog post for the Dutch Side Pony, however, there is a better picture of the hairstyle itself. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: Dutch braiding, regular braiding
Materials: two elastics
Difficulty: easy

Crochet Loop Braid

4.24.15 crochet loop braid (x)

This hairstyle was a lot better in theory. I was eager to try this one because it was different from anything I'd done before but it did not turn out the way I envisioned it. It still looked okay, but maybe I was hyping this hairstyle up too much for myself. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: crochet loop stitch
Materials: one elastic, several bobby pins
Difficulty: medium

May

Stacked Pull Through

5.1.15 stacked pull through (x)

Not sure why, but this hairstyle reminds me of flowers. It might just be because I associate it with the flowers in the background, but there's something sweet and lovely about this one. This hairstyle was super easy and once you've finished the pull through portion but haven't yet begun the braid, holding it out to the side and letting those strands fall makes it looks like a dinosaur's rib cage. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: pull through technique, Dutch braiding
Materials: as many elastics as you need to complete the pull through plus two more to tie off the braid
Difficulty: easy

Rope Accent Fishtail

5.7.15 rope accent fishtail (x)

The return of the fishtail! I love having accents within a hairstyle that makes it interesting to look at. My favorite part about this braid is how the rope braid in the center interrupts the fishtail without disturbing it. Does that make sense? Your eyes are drawn to it but it looks like it belongs. I don't know. I do know that it was fun running my finger down the center of this braid. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: rope braiding, fishtail braiding
Materials: two elastics
Difficulty: easy

Criss Cross Fishtail

5.15.15 criss cross fishtail (x)

I do love me some fishtails. This braid was an idea that was bouncing around in my head for a couple years but I never actually got around to trying it out. Somehow I knew that it would work but I didn't test it. Through the process of trial and error, I found that it was easier for me to begin with an inverse fishtail and transition to a regular fishtail. I also learned that I cannot transition back. I don't know why it's so difficult for me, but no matter how hard I try, the point where it crosses completely falls apart within fifteen minutes. Not sure how the other transition is able to work, then, since it's the same exact thing but on the back of the braid. If anything, that should be the one unraveling because it rubs against my shirt. Ah well, at least it looks cool. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: fishtail braiding, inverse fishtail braiding
Materials: one elastic
Difficulty: medium

Centipede Braid

5.24.15 centipede braid (x)

This is the hairstyle I wore for my birthday! It took some time but I wanted to have something special for my nineteenth. I was a little bit surprised when I practiced this hairstyle and it was not at all difficult. While it did take a good part of an hour to complete (I restarted one of the fishtails because it wasn't up to my birthday standards), it was well worth it, especially for how well it held up. I didn't take it out until past midnight so I was wearing this hairstyle for nearly fifteen hours. That is some pretty great wear time, especially for a fishtail hairstyle. (And can I just mention how awkward a position I was in to get this picture? If I held that position any longer I surely would've been sore the next day.) Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: fishtail braiding, regular braiding, four strand braiding
Materials: five elastics (four of them are placeholders)
Difficulty: easy (if you know how to fishtail and have time on your hands)

Half Loop Braidback

5.27.15 half loop braidback (x)

This hairstyle is so different from any other hairstyle I've done before, mainly because of its position on my head. The hairstyles I typically do are side braids or something close to my head. I love that it looks like a crown or a halo on my head. If I hadn't done the entire length of my hair and ended it earlier, I could've make it short enough to actually make it a crown. OH then I could string flowers through the loops and make it an actual flower crown! Okay so that's a new hair idea. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: feathering technique
Materials: two elastics (one is a placeholder)
Difficulty: medium

June

Lace Up Braid

6.4.15 lace up braid (x)

As Amy put it, this hairstyle is pretty much a hair blanket. You can really make this braid as wide as you want (throughout the day I kept massaging it and it ended up being a lot wider than it is in this picture). What I love about this one is when you get it right, it actually looks like a legit six strand braid. I think it'd be cool to go beyond the regular three strand braid and try lacing up two four strand braids. I'll have to experiment with this one. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: regular braiding
Materials: three elastics (two are placeholders)
Difficulty: easy

Fan Favorite

6.11.15 #tbt centipede braid (x)

It was no surprise to me that this hairstyle won fan favorite. It's definitely the busiest of the season and has garnered the most attention out of the ten. While I'm a little sad it's no longer just my birthday hair, I'm glad more people got to experience this braid firsthand. The more exposure it gets, the better. I got at least three double takes while wearing this braid. The Centipede Braid also gives me plenty of opportunity for self promotion. You like my hair? You should check out my blog. #noshame. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: fishtail braiding, regular braiding, four strand braiding
Materials: five elastics (four of them are placeholders)
Difficulty: easy (I know it doesn't look like it but trust me)

Bonus 

6.16.15 lopped off (x)

As much as I love my hair, it was definitely time to do something different with it, and what better time than the end of a spring season? Now I have all summer to let it flourish and grow into a (hopefully) workable length by the time October rolls around. When I decided I was chopping it off I thought it'd be fun if I made it a complete surprise for all but two people. I'm really excited about my short hair (even though it's about medium length) (it reaches my armpits) and it'll be nice to have a lighter do for the summer. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: courage, n/a
Materials: a hairdresser
Difficulty: easy (if you're ready for it)


Now that you've had a chance to review all the #hairoftheweeks from this season, make sure to get your last minute vote in if you haven't already! Every vote counts! Voting will officially close three hours after this post goes live so let me know as soon as possible! And remember, this post will be updated for the Fan Favorite and the Bonus #hairoftheweek so don't forget to check back in the next couple weeks!

I have some pretty great memories associated with the hairstyles from this season's #hairoftheweek. It's cool how I can look back at each hairstyle and remember exactly what I was doing that day. Thank you to everybody who helped me either with workshopping a hairstyle, filter game, or even just liking my Instagram posts! I appreciate all of your help and participation. We aren't quite done yet, but I already can't wait to jump back into #hairoftheweek in Fall 2015!


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette