Some ladies can curl, twist, braid and wrap their majestic manes into amazingly complex configurations. Some can’t. In the age of Instagram—wherein we’re incessantly inundated with phenomenal images of those who possess such an abillity—we’re constantly feeling the pressure to up our mane game. Lucky for us all, there are some styles that look great and remain attainable. Here, 5 impressive-looking ‘dos the average girl can do.
‘60s-Style Pigtail Braids or Twists
- Make a center part.
- Using a brush, create two pigtails and fasten each tightly with a rubber band below your ears and towards your jawbone.
- Brush each pony out and spray it with hairspray.
- Divide each pony into two sections and twist them together. Or, divide them into three sections and braid them together.
- Secure ends with a rubber band, leaving two inches of untwisted or unbraided hair at the bottom.
Photo: @chungalexa
Twisted Pony
- Create two sections of hair on either side of the head, smoothing one into a low ponytail.
- Gather the other section and from the middle of the head, twist it clockwise for a downward French twist.
- Slide one large bobby pin in vertically from the bottom. Slide additional pins in horizontally along the sides.
Photo: @thebeautydept
Twist-Back Half Pony
- Grab a section of hair above your right ear. Split the section in two, and begin twisting the two new sections together. Make sure you’re pulling the hair back as you’re twisting, so it doesn’t bulge. Twist almost all the way to the end, then temporarily clip the twist.
- Repeat step #1 on the left side.
- Bring the two twists together in the center of the head and secure them with a ponytail holder.
- Loosen the twists gently for a more textured look.
Photo: @luxyhair
Faux Puff Braid
- Pick up two sections of hair at the top of your head and tie them together with an elastic band.
- Pick up two sections below the first one and do the same thing. Then, spread this ponytail apart a bit and flip it inward once.
- Pull the second ponytail through the first ponytail, so they overlap.
- Repeat step #1 with two new strands of hair. Flip this ponytail in and feed it through the first ponytail.
- Repeat step #4 until you finish braiding all of your hair.
Photo: @neebebe
Knotted Ponytail
- Create a low ponytail at the nape of your neck, leaving two small sections of hair loose on both sides of your head.
- Tie these sections together at the back of the head in a half-knot, as you would a shoelace.
- Take two bobby pins and crisscross them through the half knot.
- Take the two strands from the tail of your knot and crisscross them underneath the ponytail. Use a tiny claw clip to secure these pieces beneath the ponytail.
- Add more hair into the strand before tying it around again.
- Repeat as many times as desired to create any number of knots you like.
Photo: @jackie_welling
