Braids!

Alright. I suppose we'll start of simple. Braids!

If you don't know how to french braid yet, invest the help of your best friend and practice on her until you know how. Seriously. French braids dress up nearly any hair style and only take about two minutes once you know how.

So first off. Start with messy hair. I usually just fix my hair when it's slept on. If you try to straighten it and then fix it, chances are the style won't hold as well.

One of my favorites is the all-across braid. It starts from one ear and goes to the other. Usually I end mine on the left side, but just do whatever you like better. Start by parting your hair all the way across. I prefer to part mine right behind my ears. That way the braid tucks there when finished:


Once your part it where you want, pull up the rest of your hair- otherwise it'll get pulled into the braid and the part won't look clean. When your hair is pulled up, flip all the remaining hair to the side you want to end the braid on:

Now you're free to start braiding! If you've never braided an all-across it may take a few tries to get it right. And don't be concerned about the braid being super smooth and such. I've been doing it for two years and my braids still don't come out perfect:

Once finished you're set to do whatever you want with it. Pony tails showcase it well, but it also looks cute with your hair down. Sometimes at this point I straighten, curl, or wave my hair. But on those lazy days it makes a pony tail look like you put a little effort into it:

And so it begins.

I'm fairly sure I've been asked how to do [insert random hair style here] with my hair far too many times to count, so I've decided to start a blog featuring everything from 5 minute hair styles to ones that take closer to an hour, including pony tail ideas for those of you who work!

So I guess I'll start with the basic. Essential tools for most of the hair styles are listed below:

These are my two favorite curl care products. Tresemme Curl Care, and Herbal Essences Totally Twisted-- the foam mousse of both. Both are fairly cheap and can be found at pretty much anywhere with hair products. Even if you don't have curly hair- this is good to have on hand, because if put in before styling your hair can hold the style better. It works like a heat induced hair spray.

A curling iron! I'm serious though- don't even worry about spending money here. Most curling irons do the same job. Mine is a cheap Conair one I bought from Target. If you can find one with a Turbo setting- the extra heat blast can make the difference. I've had the same one for about 3 years now and it's still working perfectly.

On the straightener though, I would argue the opposite. It's worth spending the money to get a good one. I got a chi for my birthday two years ago and it has made all the difference. The cheap straighteners work fine if used on an irregular basis, but cause way more damage to your hair. And if you have incredibly curly hair like me, they typically create more of a frizzy mess that doesn't hold than straight hair.

Those are the main products needed. Besides that I'd have bobby pins on hand as I use them all the time.

Next up... first hair style!