Slanted French Braid

Please ignore the epic amount of mess in the background of this picture. Suffice to say it was a busy day, and I had to get ready for a formal in no time flat. Accordingly, no time to blow out my hair all smooth or curl it nicely. Hence I created an elegant take on a traditional french braid.

• To start, I parted my (one day dirty) hair on the side and brushed out all the tangles.
• I took a decent section of hair from the front of my head. Imagine looking at the top of your head and draw a triangle along your part a couple inches back, along your front hairline to about opposite where the part is, and connected on a slant. That's what you want to start with.

• Begin french braiding that side as if you were going to do two braids, but when you get across the top of your head, start aiming the braid to end on the opposite side of the nape of your neck.
• When you get to the back of your head, begin incorporating hair from the other side of your part. This will help the braid travel and make the style more cohesive.
• Once you get to the nape of your neck, all your hair should be incorporated. Secure with an elastic. I added a ribbon for some added interest and elegance.
• If you have shorter pieces in your hair or fine hair, spray the front and top lightly with hair spray. If your ends are frizzy, you can add a smidge of taming cream. I used Dove Frizz Control Therapy taming cream.

Tip: if your ponytail is just static-filled, not frizzy, run a fresh dryer sheet down your ponytail. It will take away all the static.

Also, this only looks better as the night goes on and it gets a little messier and relaxed!