Get out of a hair rut – Braided Ponytail Hairstyle Tutorial

Sometimes you find yourself in a hair rut. Wearing the same style every day is boring so try this braided ponytail tutorial for a fun twist on a simple style.

Why not take your regular ponytail and dress it up with a Dutch braid.

A Dutch braid is the reverse of a French braid. It’s sometimes known as a reverse or inside-out braid.

I love this braid as it stands out and looks beautiful when it’s stretched out. You’ll be surprised at how thick you can make your hair look by stretching out a Dutch braid.

Now you may have noticed my hair is a little bit longer than normal for this tutorial. I was kindly sent some hair extensions from Irresistible Me and I’m kind of obsessed with this mermaid length hair. I’m really impressed with the amount of hair that are part of this set and it’s great quality. I’m wearing the honey blonde and it matches my hair colour almost exactly. It’s great to be able to wear them straight out of the box but if they don’t match, you can have them coloured to be an exact match for your hair.

There are 10 wefts as part of this clip-in set and I was a bit overwhelmed with what to do with all this hair so I thought I’d try a simple twist on an everyday hairstyle.

Although I have super long hair in this tutorial, this tutorial will work in any hair length that can do a ponytail. It’s not just for long hair.

Braided Ponytail Hairstyle Tutorial

What you need:

• Hair elastic
• Bobby pins (just one or two)

Step-by-step tutorial:

1. Part your hair just to the left of centre. Flip your hair over to the right to keep it out of the way for now.
2. Start your Dutch braid. Take a 1-2 inch section of hair by your part and split it into three equal sections. Cross the right section under the middle, then the left under the right. On the next section, pick up some hair and combine it with the next braid section. Keep crossing the sections under and adding in hair from both sides of your braid.
3. Stop braiding just past your ear. Stop adding in hair to your braid but continue in a regular braid for an inch or so. You want your braid to reach the back of your head.
4. Stretch out your braid. While holding the end of your braid with your right hand, use your left hand to stretch out your braid. Pull at the sides of your braid to make each section wider. Keep adjusting the braid until you get the thickness you want.
5. Flip back the top section of your hair. Use the top section of hair to cover up the side of your braid so that the hair sits right next to your braid.
6. Gather all of your hair into a ponytail. Secure it with a hair elastic. I’ve used an invisibobble. I like to position this ponytail just above the occipital bone (that’s the bone that sticks out at the back of your head). You can wear a high or low pony if you prefer.
7. Cover your hair elastic. Take a piece of hair from the underneath of your ponytail and wrap it around your hair elastic to cover it. Pin it in place with bobby pins.

Styling tips

• Having trouble pinning your hair around your hair elastic? Check out my tips for the perfect ponytail here.
• Keep stretching at your braid. You can make your braid much thicker than you imagine. Hold the end of your braid and pull at the sides to keep the tension in your braid but still widen it. A bit like adjusting shoelaces, you need to keep stretching up and down your braid until you get the result you want.
• Want more volume? You can backcomb the root of your hair in the top section to add more shape and volume to your hair.

Product tip

A little styling powder really helps to stretch out your braid and keep it in place. My fave is this one (which is a bargain) and this one has a cool and easy to use nozzle.

So tell me, do you ever find yourself in a hairstyle rut? Have you tried clip in extensions for a new look?

I was sent these extensions for free but am really liking them. You’ll see them in more tutorials on Hair Romance and you can get your own set at irresistibleme.com.