#hairoftheweek: Big Dutch Halo

The weather is gradually warming up, the flowers are blooming, the sun is setting later, and I have to start putting away my sweaters or risk overheating in class. Looks like Punxsutawney Phil was right, spring is here early! It's a good thing, too, because I have been itching to get to some hairstyles I've had saved up but wanted to wear in spring. This week's hairstyle just happens to be one of them! I fell so completely in love with this hairstyle when I discovered it that I wanted to wear it as an official #hairoftheweek as soon as possible.

The Process:

The first time I tried this hairstyle was actually the day Steph and I went to go see Deadpool. I wasn't planning on doing anything with my hair that morning but after I put on my outfit, my hair just too drab. It needed some livening up for a day out on the town. I thought I was doing a hairstyle I've done a million times before but when I saw the finished product, I was surprised to realize this was new to me. Usually when I braid the front section of my hair where my bangs would be, I opt for a French braid. For whatever reason, I decided to switch it up that day. This hairstyle was originally called the Big Dutch Accent but that sounded offensive so I replicated the braid on the other side of my head and made it a halo. All in the name of political correctness. In all fairness, I do prefer the halo to the accent, especially with such a big braid. I was amazed at how big I could get my braids that, even though it's simple, it had to be a #hairoftheweek. (I went on Tumblr and I came across a gifset of Barbie's vlogs and I realized that this was my inspiration.)

The Tutorial:

The Big Dutch Halo is an original and it's a basic hairstyle taken to the next level so bear with my ramble-y tutorial. (1) Part your hair to one side. (2) Take a small section of hair on one side (I started with the bigger side) and Dutch braid, adding in pieces that aren't too large (you don't want to eat up all your hair) and aren't too small (we don't want a wimpy braid either). It's best if you don't add in too much at a time because you're going to be doing some heavy pancaking so you have a bit of a cushion there. You also don't want to be taking too little hair with each stitch because then you won't have enough to make the braid as full as possible. (3) Keep in mind the direction you want your hair to go. I chose to make the halo sit lower on my head but I've also done it higher up and it looked just as nice. Just remember that if you braid straight back, you're going to have a hard time getting the braid to lay nice at an angle and vice versa. This is extra important on the smaller side. Also make sure to match the angles on both sides of your head. That'll make the halo actually look like a halo, especially if you decide not to do the optional Step 11. (4) Stop adding in hair when you feel like you have enough for the rest of the braid to be sufficiently pulled apart. The stopping point for me on the side with less hair was the top of my ear. (5) When you've stopped adding in hair, pause and gently pancake the braid you have so far. If you wait too long to start pancaking, the braid might be too tight and difficult to work with. It could potentially mess up the entire braid. You've worked too hard to do that to yourself. (6) Continue the braid. It's okay if the pancaking you did up at the top tightens up again, at least you've still got something to work with. (7) Carefully pancake as you go and finish the braid. Before tying it off, pull it apart even more. (8) Tie off the braid. Go back and carefully pull apart the sections that are looking flat. It may seem excessive, but we need as much volume as your hair will allow for this hairstyle. The word "big" isn't in the name for nothing. (9) If you want to go with the accent, stop here, pin it under some hair and toss your hair because you're done and you look fabulous. If you're continuing on this wonderful hair journey, repeat Steps 2-8 on the other side of your head. (10) Pull the two braids together at the back of your head and position where you like them and where they line up with the angles that you established at the top. (11) I chose to include an optional addition step so feel free to ignore this if you wish. I sectioned off the top layer of the hair underneath the end of the halo and pulled it up and over the halo. A lot of hair will want to come up with this section so to keep it neat, I put my other hand where I wanted the cutoff to be and caught all the hair trying to hitch a ride with the section I wanted on top of the halo. It makes it look like you've done two accents but you don't have to worry about any bobby pins. (12) Release the small elastics on the ends of your braids and learn how to take a compliment because chances are you're gonna get some.

The Result:

3.2.16 big dutch halo (x)

If I'm being honest, I probably could've gone bigger. You can see the top of the hairstyle better in my blurry selfie here. Don't forget to give it a like on Instagram if you haven't already!

The Verdict:

You have to be very careful with this hairstyle. When you're pancaking a regular braid, you can go to town and it's kinda hard to goo too far when pulling apart a French braid, but it's easy to tell when you've gone too far because it's too far removed from the scalp. With Dutch braids, it's almost too easy to take it past its limit. Tug on a strand too much and your entire braid will unravel. Since you're pulling apart the braid so much, this hairstyle isn't really suited for bangs or layered hair. Bangs will flop right out. I guess you could try leaving out your bangs, but I don't know how that'd look. The advantage of pulling apart a Dutch braid like this is all the volume you're going to get at the top of your head, making it a perfect hairstyle for straight hair like mine or for dirty hair (also like mine half the time). The great thing about this halo is that if you're smart about your pancaking technique, even thin hair can look voluminous. It looks like you used a lot more hair than you actually did, leaving the rest of your hair free to flow in the wind. I was tempted to hold onto this hairstyle until it was properly springtime for the abundant, readily available flowers. This halo would look so lovely with some baby's breath or some other small flowers woven into it. It's such a princess-y hairstyle. Of course, thinking about incorporating flowers in my hair makes me think of San Francisco by Scott McKenzie. I can't seem to go very long without mentioning that song on xo, Yvette. No thanks to my dad, I'd bet.


This hairstyle is so wearable and I can totally see myself not only wearing it again in the future, but also building upon it. I have some things in mind already but I'll keep those ideas to myself until it's time to reveal them. I hope you like this hairstyle as much as I did and it's such an easy one to try out! I know my tutorial section looks a bit intimidating but I'd say about two thirds of it is just me talking. As always, don't forget to follow me on Instagram if you want to stay up-to-date on #hairoftheweek. Fan Favorite is coming up soon and it's your last chance to try to get first like! Be on the lookout and start thinking about which hairstyle is going to be your pick for Fan Favorite!


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette