Hairstyle Tutorial: How to do a fishtail braid

Remember when we played with hair chalk? Well it looks even better in a fishtail braid.

Hair chalk is a fun and easy (non-permanent!) way to colour your hair. You can find out how to use hair chalk here. Thanks again to Michaela from Lather Rinse Repeat for lending me her gorgeous hair for this tutorial.

As soon as I saw Michaela’s hair, I knew we had to do a fishtail braid. It’s the perfect braid to show off these bright highlights in her hair.

Although fishtail braids look complicated, they’re actually easier than French braids. Instead of working with three sections, a fishtail braid only has two sections.

Think of it as holding two ponytails, one in each hand. Then just cross a small piece of hair from one side to the other.

Hairstyle Tutorial: How to do a fishtail braid

Step-by-step

• Split your hair into two equal sections
• Holding one section in each hand, take a small piece of hair from the left side and cross it over to the right
• Repeat, crossing a small piece from the right side over to the left
• Continue crossing the small pieces over from one side to the other all the way down your hair
• Secure the end with an elastic

Fishtail braid styling tips

• Try to take the sections from the side so that the braid extends wider
• The smaller the sections, the more intricate your braid will look
• When practising on your own hair, it can help to secure your hair in a ponytail using a small elastic first. After you have finished your fishtail braid you can cut the first elastic to remove it from the finished style
• Don’t forget to stretch out your braids to make them look thicker

Fishtail braids also look beautiful to the side, and add a gorgeous texture to updos when twisted around to form a chignon.

Have you played around with hair chalk? And how do you wear your fishtail braid?