#hairoftheweek: Sleek Headband Braid

I'm stuck in a hair rut. As hard as I try, nothing seems to work and inspiration has been doing everything in its power to evade me. I don't know how to pull myself out of this block but I'll keep practicing and holding on to every sliver of creativity for dear life.

The Process:

I tried a lot of hairstyles this week but none of them were working out. Frustrated, I resorted to one of the hairstyles I wore on my Norwegian Escape Cruise this past summer. There were a couple I came up with for that cruise and I've been saving them for a rainy day as a backup. The rainy day has come and I am grateful for my past self. I came up with this hairstyle when I tried on one of my dresses and immediately imagined myself accessorizing with this Headband Braid and a choker. I never got around to finding a choker, but the hair was easy to take care of.

The Tutorial:

You can wear it in the rain. You can wear it on a train.
(1) Brush your hair and part it down the middle.
(2) Here you can either go ahead and start braiding or you can section off an inch and a half to two inches at the front of your head, tying the rest in a ponytail to keep it out of the way. I chose to freehand it because the extra step was just too much work for me.
(3) French braid your hair starting at your part line and keep it at the center of your allotted section of hair. Try to keep it tight!
(4) Usually I'll stop adding hair where my hairline changes direction (you can clearly see that angle in the photo) but since this is meant to look like a proper headband, I added hair in until my temple. Be careful here that you're putting this hair in as streamlined as possible. Otherwise there will be a very obvious bump. This also means you should be angling your braid in line with your hairline. Note: I chose to leave a little bit of hair just over my ear out of the braid because that's one less potential bump to deal with.
(5) Braid normally for a few more inches. You want enough braid to take it to the center of the nape of your neck. Tie it off
(6) Repeat Steps 3-5 on the other side.
(7) Tuck the leftover hair behind your ear as tightly as possible and bring the braids back over it. Keep it smooth.
(8) Get the rest of your hair out of the way and bring your two braids together at the center of the nape of your neck underneath the loose hair. Cross the braids and tie them together as close to your scalp as you can get it.
(9) Release the elastics on the individual braids if you so choose (if your hair is thick enough it will cover those tails up for the most part) and love having your hair out of your face all day long.

The Result:

1.12.17 sleek headband braid (x)

When I asked Gordon's opinion, the first thing he said was that it looked French. I rolled with it. Don't forget to give it a like on Instagram if you haven't already!

The Verdict:

I am so glad I already had this hairstyle in my arsenal. It's super versatile and, while I chose to wear it with straight hair (the reason why I called the look "sleek"), it would also look gorgeous with loose curls. I don't know what else there is to say about this hairstyle. You can expect this hairstyle to stay in place all day. It's sturdy and gorgeous and also a lifesaver for second day hair.

The Sleek Headband Braid is so simple and classic, no words are necessary. Ironically, I just wrote, and you just read, a whole blog post worth of words about it. Let me know what you think of this hairstyle in the comments below! I'd love to hear your thoughts, especially if you try it! As always, follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date on all things #hairoftheweek and don't forget the person with the most first likes at the end of the season gets an extra vote for Fan Favorite!


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette