#hairoftheweek: Upside Down French Braid

Happy Chinese New Year! This is always an exciting time of year and it helps me feel closer to my roots. It's fun to come together with family and go through our traditions. This feels like another fresh start -- almost as if January is a free trial and now the new year is truly beginning.

The Process:

That hair rut I've been talking about? I'm still there. At least this week I had an idea for what I might want to do. I struggled a bit with this hairstyle but it became easier with practice, which is more than I can say for a lot of the other hairstyles I've been attempting recently. I think I might have a cure for this rut I'm in but it's gonna be a few weeks until it can happen.

The Tutorial:

To be honest, this hairstyle would look much nicer if you had somebody else do the braiding for you. That could just be user error, but don't underestimate the power of sight.
(1) Brush your hair and section off your hair from your ears forward. Tie or clip that hair out of the way.
(2) Flip your head over and comb through it again if you got any tangles on the trip over. Fold yourself in half at the waist for the best results.
(3) Take a small triangle of hair at the center of the nape of your neck and begin French braiding as normal. Keep in mind, smaller pieces make for a more detailed braid and do your best to braid as close to your scalp as possible.
(4) Braid until you run out of hair. I actually stopped braiding with a little bit of loose hair left to go because I felt like I was at a good place to stop.
(5) Continue braiding normally for a few more inches and tie it off.
(6) Release the hair you sectioned off at the start and pull everything into a high ponytail. Undo the small elastic on the braid if it's in your way.
(7) Turn that ponytail into a bun or leave it as is if you so choose.

The Result:

1.28.17 upside down french braid (x)

I actually wore this for our family's Chinese New Year dinner but saved it for the actual day to post it. Didn't wear red for nothing! Don't forget to give it a like on Instagram if you haven't already!

The Verdict:

If you wanted to go for a more subtle look (and your hair isn't quite so heavy) you could opt for a ponytail rather than a bun. I actually was originally planning on a ponytail look but that clearly did not work out what with the tons of hair I have. As I mentioned earlier in this post, this hairstyle does not reach its fully potential as a DIY. You can see my left side is not so pretty. I'm not left handed. It's still passable, but imagine how beautiful it could be... Aside from that, my bun was perfect. 👌


While I stare wistfully in the distance, dreaming about this hairstyle's final form, let me know what you think of this hairstyle in the comments below! It's not very original so there's a chance you've done this hairstyle before. As always, don't forget to follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date on #hairoftheweek and keep in mind that that extra vote for Fan Favorite is still up for grabs! All you have to do is get the most first likes in the season.


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette

EDIT: I redid my bun in the evening before I went out to our family dinner and the bun came out so perfectly round that I had to share. 

Practically out the door
but still had to document