#hairoftheweek: Half Up Snake Accent

What a long week it's been. This week was my first full week of classes and I underestimated the toll two 8am classes a week can have. Slap another early morning for community service on Saturday? I'm pooped. Thankfully this week's #hairoftheweek is one that's so easy that you could do it half asleep. Don't worry, it takes longer to type out the name than to actually do this hairstyle.

If you missed the start of Fall 2015, you can find the Variety Bun here! Per usual, the start of the month means I round up all the books I read in the previous month in my monthly Wrap Up. I'm pretty proud of September, if I do say so myself.

The Process:

I discovered the snake braid years ago and I thought it was the coolest looking thing but I never wore it out of the house because whenever I styled it, I would pin it under some hair to cover the elastic. What that ended up doing was creating the lump on the side of my head so thick that looked like a tumor. Since that's the only way I've seen other people wear a snake braid, I never thought to do anything different. Over the summer, my hair was extra fluffy after a shower and to rein it in, I thought I'd do a half updo with a braid to spice things up. Then in a stroke of genius, I pushed the braid into a snake braid and a new hairstyle was born. Whenever I come up with a hairstyle, I always end up asking myself what took so long for me to figure it out.

The Tutorial:

The Half Up Snake Accent is ridiculously simple. Know how to braid? Can you pull your hair back? You've got this one in the bag. (1) The first step would be to section off the hair that will become the snake braid. I went from the peak of my eyebrow to my side part and an inch or so back. Use your best judgement when deciding how much hair you want to use and don't worry if you took too much or too little because the next step is to braid! (2) Divide your hair into three EQUAL sections. You want them as similar to each other as possible. (3) Braid your hair as you normally would. I chose to take my pieces over each other and be sure to tighten as you make your way down your braid. The snake won't turn out if it's too loose. (4) You don't want to go too far because if it's too long, the elastic will show from underneath the hair you're going to pull back. I stopped when I hit the bottom half of my ear. (5) Don't tie it off yet! We're not quite done. Hold on to the middle strand and push the two outside strands up towards the base of your braid, but don't let them unravel! (6) Once it's all bunched up at the top, guide it back down until you're satisfied with the shape of your snake and tie it off there. (7) When I practiced this hairstyle, I pinned it to my head while I worked with the pull back but the day of, I left it free because I found that the bobby pins would stick out from under the pulled back hair. I guess what I'm saying is that this step is optional. I pinned it after I finished anyway. (8) Moving on to the next element, take the front pieces of hair framing your face on both sides and pull them back straight so they meet in the middle and tie it off. Make sure you didn't catch any hairs from the back of your head when tying it because it's gonna hurt when you try to flip it. You could twist the pieces as you bring them back but the look isn't as clean and it's harder to control. (9) After you've made sure your mini-ponytail is in the clear, bring the tail up, over, and pull it through (like this). (10) The final step is to give your hairstyle a once-over. If everything's the way you like it, you can pin your snake braid to secure it (taking it back to step 7) and pull out pieces to frame your face if that's your jam. All done!

The Result:

10.7.15 half up snake accent (x)

I can't think of a single occasion this hairstyle wouldn't be appropriate for. Don't forget to give it a like on Instagram if you haven't already!

The Verdict:

I found this hairstyle to be very wearable and very classy. It looks like a simple half-updo until you see the accent. With my hair texture, light hits the braid at different places and angles that make it even more interesting to look at. The great thing about the snake braid is that it looks so complicated but those in the know know that it's just a regular braid with a twist. Or a push, I should say. I'm glad I finally found a way to wear a snake braid without looking like I had a growth coming out the side of my head. It wasn't a cute look. That just could've been because my hair is so thick. Either way, I much prefer this variation. This way, my hair is out of my face on all sides. It's also such a quick hairstyle that you could do it even if you're running late. I could use as many quick hairstyles as possible. Morning can be unpredictable.


As always, follow me on Instagram to keep up with #hairoftheweek and remember, the more first likes you get in the season, the higher the chance of you winning that extra vote for fan favorite! Don't forget I've linked this blog to Google+ so you can follow xo, Yvette in the sidebar!


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette