Oh to have this much hair! If you are blessed in the hair department, try these stunning fishtail braids for your mermaid length hair.
Australian designer Gary Bigeni launched an edited version of his Spring Summer collection in collaboration with Melbourne based artist Matthew Johnson.
Inspired by Johnson’s abstract paintings, Bigeni’s collection features bold prints. “There are lots of prints and patterns in this collection, squiggly lines, polka dots, blurred digital prints with lots of clean lines and draping to give a timeless feel,” Bigeni explains.
Gary Bigeni with his models
But let’s talk about that hair! Redken Hair Director, Lorna Evans created this messy, textured braid. “It’s sexy but not perfect,” and I agree; this is key to keeping your braids looking modern.
How to get the look
- This look is all about texture. If you have straight hair, you’ll want to add some product in to make your hair look messy. Use a volume or texturising spray throughout your hair and blast with your hairdryer to create maximum volume.
- If your hair is already a mess, you’re all set!
- Part your hair to the side. Add in some hair styling powder for extra volume at the roots. Lorna used Redken Powder Grip 03 to achieve that wispy texture.
- This style actually has two braids, a Dutch braid that leads around into the side fishtail braid, but you can just do the fishtail braid. To create the fishtail braid, split your hair into two equal sections and hold one in each hand. Start to cross a small piece of hair from one section to the other, crossing them to form the fishtail braid. Keep it tight and secure the end with a hair elastic. You can find my fishtail braid tutorial here.
- Now you need to mess it all up! Pull at the sides of your braid to make it loose and messy. You can use more styling powder to texturise your braid.
- Finish with a mist of hairspray to hold those perfectly messy flyaways in place.
Style Tip
“Creating a good foundation and getting the braiding technique right is key to this look, so use Redken Guts 10 section by section all over the head to build it up and then don’t rush the braid. Take your time to make sure it doesn’t buckle or bunch, and to help it keep its position. You can always add extra texture at the end,” Evans explains.
Do you have enough hair to do this braid? Don’t forget, you can always fake it with clip in extensions 😉
Thanks for sharing these – I have mermaid hair and I LOVE a good fishtail braid – messy or sleek. I do them all the time 🙂
Love it post! We approaching Spring here in South Africa and this is definitely a hairstyle we going to suggest to kick off Spring! Leave you feeling fun and flirty! Thanks for the amazing blog 🙂
thanks Carrina!
Love it!
I have been trying to teach myself how to fishtail braid my hair for weeks, I just cant seem to get the hang of it, just going to have to wait until my hair is mermaid length! cant wait!
SO PRETTY
Thanks Leigh! A quick tip that will help you master the fishtail braid – put your hair in a side ponytail with a small elastic first, then start your fishtail braid. Once you’re done, you can carefully snip the first elastic to remove it.
I will have to give that a go! Her hair looks longer than mine, since I think my braid would be shorter by a little bit. I love that look.
YES! Stacy you definitely have the best hair for this style x
I just love the description: mermaid-length! 🙂 I wish I had hair like that. I’m growing my hair out still and I am finally playing with all the cool hairdo’s you post on here. Woohoo. 😀
Thanks Janessa! I wish I had hair this long too, but can you imagine how long it would take to wash and style? I don’t think I have time! x
I have hair longer than that and it takes no time at all! I want to keep it long so I let it air dry, don’t put much product in it, just brush it with the Tangle Teezer and braid it before bed and it’s pretty maintenance free. I’ll put some oil on the ends or something but it really is not as much maintenance, especially since I have thick and curly hair that can go everywhere if it’s humid. It’s easier to grow it long so it pulls out some of that instead of it puffing up!
Thanks for the tips Amy! Sounds like you have a fab low-maintenance system x