#hairoftheweek: Fall 2016 Recap

Merry Christmas! I have had quite the fun weekend and I hope you enjoyed yours as well, regardless of the holiday you celebrate. Today we are compiling all of Fall 2016 #hairoftheweek into one big post. I like to think of it as an art gallery but just my hair.

September

Braided Pull Through

9.28.16 braided pull through (x)

I feel like I say this pretty often, but this one was one of those hairstyles that is so easy I don't know how I didn't think of it myself. It's super simple and a sweet way to level up what otherwise would be, in my opinion, a rather boring hairstyle. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: regular braiding
Materials: many small elastics (depends on hair length, I used 13)
Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 minutes

October

Stacked Four Strand Fishtail

10.5.16 stacked four strand fishtail (x)

While this #hairoftheweek is gorgeous to look at, it was a bit fiddly to wear. You have to pin the four strand on the fishtail to keep it aligned with the center but, depending on how your head was angled at the time of the pinning, it would either pick up the fishtail underneath or scrunch up the four strand. Sometimes the only thing you can do is your best. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: four strand braiding, inverse fishtail braiding
Materials: 2-3 bobby pins, 3 small elastics
Difficulty: medium
Time: 15 minutes

Micro Accent Five Strand

10.12.16 micro accent five strand (x)

Ah, my first foray into five strand braids. I love four strand braids and it had been a while since I had added a new element to my repertoire and I was feeling like I was in a rut, especially because this was at the time I decided to restrict myself to side braids only this season. Learning how to do a new element opens so many doors! I am still no expert but at least I gave it a shot. Even now, the hand placement for five strands are tricky. Practice, people. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: regular braiding, five strand braiding
Materials: 3 small elastics
Difficulty: medium
Time: 10 minutes

Twist Tail

10.17.16 twist tail (x)

My personal favorite of the season! I'm not sure why I like it so much, it could be the sleekness or the photo or even the name. Gordon gets credit for that last one. I was surprised, and a little dismayed, when the Twist Tail didn't get a single vote. Then I realized it didn't even matter because I can still wear this hairstyle whenever I want. 💁 Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: fishtail braiding
Materials: 3 small elastics
Difficulty: easy
Time: 15 minutes

Carousel Braid

10.28.16 carousel braid (x)

As far as photos (and their respective captions) go, the Carousel Braid takes the cake this season. This hairstyle has been a challenge for me since the very beginning. That is not an exaggeration. Since the very first season (when I was still in high school!) I have been trying to conquer the Carousel Braid. It's been a long time coming and I am proud of myself for finally accomplishing my goal. I also managing to construct a story with the photo, employing the help of Taylor Swift, of course. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: lace braiding
Materials: 1 small elastic, 1 large elastic
Difficulty: medium
Time: 5 minutes

Knit Sweater Braid

10.31.16 knit sweater braid (x)

Happy Halloween! I am not the biggest fan of the holiday so I rarely ever make an effort to dress up. This year, however, I felt this strange need to impress my super sweet accounting professor (who is very enthusiastic about America) but even so, costumes are not my thing. I instead seized the opportunity to dress my hair up! I made sure to wear a super chunky sweater that day to make the idea behind my hairstyle as clear as possible. Maybe next year we'll see more people dressing their hair up for Halloween? Probably not, but if it happens, you heard it here first. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: regular braiding, rope braiding, four strand braiding
Materials: 5 small elastics
Difficulty: easy
Time: 15 minutes

November

Knotted Side Braid

11.11.16 knotted side braid (x)

Full disclosure: after I put this hairstyle on Instagram, I realized I had done it before, in my very first season, no less. This is the Chinese Staircase Braid with chunkier strands. Oops. However, the look is different enough and I was very pleased with how that last knot naturally covered the elastic. That is something my hair would never willingly do on its own. All that is enough evidence for me to call this #hairoftheweek a success. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: knots
Materials: 1 small elastic
Difficulty: medium
Time: 5 minutes

Feathered Fishtail

11.16.16 feathered fishtail (x)

If I'm honest I forgot to time this, but add one to two minutes to however long it takes you to do a regular fishtail. I cant believe it took me this long to think of this hairstyle because it is very, very similar to the braids I would do my freshman year of college. In fact, I prefer the clean look of the Feathered Fishtail to the alternating loops in a Feathered Braid. The good news is that if you like the look of a Feathered Braid better, you could still do that with the Feathered Fishtail. The possibilities are endless. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: fishtail braiding
Materials: 1 small elastic
Difficulty: easy
Time: ~7 minutes

Infinity Braid

11.24.16 infinity braid (x)

Another element new to #hairoftheweek! I have been doing Infinity Braids on people for years now but I never tried it on myself. I think deep down I knew it would not work. Deep down, I was right. My hair texture simply does not agree with anything that requires bendy-ness. I gave it a shot anyway and it wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't the star of the season either. Sometimes the only thing you can do is try. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: n/a
Materials: 1 small elastic
Difficulty: medium
Time: ~8 minutes

Deconstructed Fishtail

11.30.16 deconstructed fishtail (x)

Sometimes you try a million things and none of them work so, out of frustration, you just do... anything, really and miraculously, it turns out to be something. I don't know if this is true for everybody, but my fishtails are very structured and even pancaking doesn't do much for it because it's so heavy it'll weigh itself back into shape. The Deconstructed Fishtail was the only way so far I've been able to permanently change the look of a regular fishtail. It's not the most groundbreaking hairstyle I've come up with, but I think it still merits its #hairoftheweek status. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: regular fishtail braiding
Materials: 1 small elastic
Difficulty: easy
Time: 5 minutes

Fan Favorite

#tbt Feathered Fishtail

12.8.16 #tbt feathered fishtail (x)

Ah, yes. The Fan Favorite! There were a few hairstyles I thought might receive the honor but it did not surprise me when the Feathered Fishtail came out on top. I tried to change it up a little by doubling the number of feathers in the braid. You can decided whether that was a good call or not. I guess it all depends on how you prefer your braids to look in general. It was dead week. I had to work with what I had. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: fishtail braiding
Materials: 1 small elastic
Difficulty: medium
Time: 10 minutes

Bonus

Candy Cane Braid

12.16.16 candy cane braid (x)

Now that I know I can whip out this hairstyle in almost no time, I'm going to be wearing it every single time I think I might want a side pony but know that's too bland. It was a frustrating road getting to the Candy Cane Braid so I may as well milk it. Read more about this hairstyle here!

Skills: rope braiding
Materials: 2 small elastics
Difficulty: easy
Time: 2 minutes



That was quite the season! I challenged myself to do side braids exclusively and I managed it. There were times when I was totally at a loss because I have done so many side braids in the past. They were kinda my thing until I chopped off half my hair. That haircut kind of halted any side braid momentum I had going. Now that I've done eleven different side braids, I'm more ready than ever to take on some different types of hairstyles. Buns? Half updos? Things at the top of my head? The back of my head? The hair is mine for the styling. Is that how that quote goes?


Talk to you soon and happy holidays!

xo, Yvette