This braid is similar-looking to a conjoined double Cobra Braid, only the stranding is different and very tricky.
This is not a new braiding technique, but the braid should be included on the list as one of the most beautiful braids out there!
I first saw this technique in video form on YouTube in Spanish back in July by a talented braider named Diana Rojas. Our version uses the technique diagonally across the back and ending in a braided bun for an absolutely gorgeous updo! {The braid would actually look great in any number of hairstyle combos.}
Tag your own photos of this hairstyle with: #CGHZipperBraid
We imagine this hairstyle as being a perfect updo for Prom, Homecoming, or any other formal occasion. You are going to simply LOVE IT!!!
My first huge tip is to wet down the hair before braiding. For braids that involve multiples in stranding, we find that this helps the braid be more clean and crisp in the final look.
As you braid, you may find a few “sharks” {parts where the hair sticks up like a shark fin in water} will appear. Simply comb them towards the braid and tuck them under it, to help hide them.
This is an expert-level braid that can be difficult the first few times, but is easy each subsequent attempt and truly amazing if you know how to do it! Again, the first few stitches are the most difficult, so keep practicing until you get it!
CGH3 has worn this to school a few days over the past few months. The girls at her school loved it so much that they were taking photos of them on their phones and texting it to their friends.
Apparently the photos spread to older sisters, who then showed the photos to my twins at their Junior High asking them to show me the style! My twins and CGH3 thought that was so funny how fast it spread, and came back full circle to us!
Enjoy!
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, 1 hairband, 3-5 bobby pins, hairspray {if desired}.
Time Requirement: 8-10 minutes
Skill Level: Hard
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Begin by wetting down the hair… Start with a small section near the top of the head, and divide into three strands… Now, take the middle strand and take it over the left strand… Then take the new middle strand and take it over the right strand… This completes your first stitch of the braid. Now take the new middle strand and take it over the left strand again, then take it under the two strands to the right, and have your daughter hold it {this secures the first stitch in place, without slipping}… Pick up a tiny section of hair on the right side of your head, which will be come the new strand. Next, take this piece over the middle strand and then under the left strand, and ask your daughter to hold it… Up until this point, you have been prepping the base stitches for the core braid. Now you will begin the Zipper stranding… Pick up hair on the left side of the head, take it over the middle strand and under the right strand, and ask you daughter to hold {she will now have two strands of hair in her right hand}… Take the first strand she was holding, and bring it UNDER the new strand you just gave her, and add it to the middle strand… This will create a little sandwich around that strand of hair. Pick up more hair on the right side, and take it over the middle strand, and then under the left strand, and have your daughter hold this second strand… Now, take the first strand of hair from her, and take it UNDER the second strand you just gave her, and add it to the middle strand {from this point, the braid is repetitive}… Continue to repeat Steps #11-12, and 14-15, until you run out of hair {as you go, the braid will continue to take form and look more and more like a zipper}… Feel free to finish it off with an elastic for a ponytail, add a bow, or continue with a simple braid and twisting it up into a bun {as we did in the video}. Use bobby pins to secure any option bun in place. Add hairspray {as desire}.Please feel free to leave me a comment below letting us know what you think of this Zipper Braid Updo! As always, if you loved this hairstyle, please feel free to share it!
Happy Hairdoing!
This past week, my twins BrooklyAndBailey shared a Book Review video, sharing their thoughts on John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, and Marie Lu’s Legend!