#hairoftheweek: French Four Strand Accent

The way schedules work out between Winter and Spring leaves no time for rest in between the seasons but I'm more than happy to jump right in. There are so many amazing hairstyles out there just waiting for me to try them. It's only the first week and we're already having such warm, sunny weather. We've been having a warm winter so fingers crossed for a warm Washington spring as well. Lord knows we don't get it as often as we deserve.

The Process:

If you've been reading xo, Yvette, you've probably heard me declare my love for the four strand braid on more than one occasion. While I love them, I haven't ventured far into the realm of the four strand. For this week's hairstyle, I was inspired by Kayley Melissa's tutorial on a Four Strand Lace Braid, but I didn't replicate it. The way she did it in her video looks gorgeous with her hair, but that's just not physically possible for my hair. That's just the way Asian hair is. The laced strands would slip out if I even dared to move my head. It's also not quite as interesting since my hair is all one color. I have to rely on the shininess and the lighting at different angles to give my hair dimension.

The Tutorial:

As I said in my previous section, I found inspiration in Kayley Melissa's video, but I changed it enough that you should definitely keep on reading to see my adaptation. (1) Take a two inch chunk of hair about an inch back from your hairline. (2) Divide the large chunk into four strands. It's okay if your third strand (going away from your face) is a little bigger than the rest because it's the only strand that will not have hair added in. Otherwise, try to make all strands equal size. (3) Braid one stitch from the front going over, under, over then swap that first strand with the fourth strand and braid that under, over, under. (4) Now you should be back at your face-side. Swap the fourth strand with the second strand and pick up some hair to add in before you begin weaving over, under, over again. (5) Repeat the pattern, adding in hair when you swap strands. I stopped adding hair in at just below my temple. (6) From there, four strand braid normally. Tie it off when you run out of hair and you're ready to go!

The Result:

3.30.16 french four strand accent (x)

Not to bring (extremely basic) math into this, but because there are an even number of strands, it's actually French in the front and Dutch in the back. Cool, huh? Don't forget to give it a like on Instagram if you haven't already!

The Verdict:

I don't know how I would make it happen, but this technique on a four strand braid would look so good as a headband. I haven't done one of those in a while... You'd definitely have to plan where you want your headband to go though because there is no budging once you've established the French/Dutch braid. I love, love, love how well it kept the hair out of my face, especially the baby hairs. All the while, there was always enough give to maintain the volume. This hairstyle is extra cool because your eye can follow the small third strand going down the braid and since it's the opposite direction of the rest of the braid, it catches the light differently as well.


I loved having the chance to play with four strand braids because they really are one of my favorites. Maybe one day I'll graduate to the five strand! I've yet to try it out but it can't be that hard, right? While I changed the hairstyle I got inspiration from to suit my needs, it ended up looking like a lace braid anyway because with a normal braid, one side would look like it was Dutch braided while the other side would look like a French braid. I could be singing praises about this hairstyle all day but for now, let me know what you think about it in the comments below! And as always, don't forget to follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest #hairoftheweek! A new season means there's a new Fan Favorite vote up for grabs. Make sure you get as many first likes on #hairoftheweek photos as you can by turning on my notifications (that's probably annoying to hear with the upcoming Instagram changes). Best of luck!


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette

P.S. This has nothing to do with my blog (and I wasn't asked to plug this store), but I wanted to throw it out there because I feel it's relevant. Mother's Day is coming up sooner than you think and jewelry is your mom's (or anybody you know's) thing, I would highly suggest you check out Yellow Raspberry Jewelry on Etsy. All the pieces are gorgeous, handmade, and one-of-a-kind. (There are also some items on sale right now so there really is no better time.) There's no reason why you should be the person scrambling to get a last minute Mother's Day gift when you've got plenty of great options!