Ever since I posted this photo of Doutzen Kroes I have been inundated with requests for this hairstyle tutorial.
It took me a few goes to work this style out but I have the tutorial below so that you can do it in your own hair. I also have quite a few styling tips that I learnt along the way that will make doing this braid a little easier.
This hairstyle is a Dutch braid, also known as a reverse braid or inside-out braid. It’s actually a very simple style, the trick is just starting in an inconspicuous place and keeping it high and round.
The first day I was practising this braid I pretty much nailed it first go. I was so excited and I knew with a few tweaks I could get in just right. When it came to shoot the tutorial it was a different story…
I love this hairstyle and wanted to wear it out after shooting this tutorial. So I put it at the end of my shoot list, as I always try and shoot a few tutorials at a time. By the time I started this my arms were already a little tired, the light was changing and I was in a huge rush. Let’s just say I had a bit trouble keeping my braid in a circle. The end result is a bit messier than I would have liked for my tutorial but at least it’s here.
My first tip is to practice and leave yourself enough time to do this hairstyle. The beginning is a bit awkward to do and your neck and shoulders can get quite a workout. Don’t go to the gym before doing this hairstyle haha!
High Crown Braid Hairstyle Tutorial
Step-by-step
As well as leaving enough time to do this style, you need to make sure your hair is prepped really well for this braid.
By “prepped” I mean that your hair needs to have some volume and hold. For my hair this means I blowdried my hair and curled it the day before, and sprayed some dry shampoo at the roots before brushing it through my hair.
For fine hair you may use a volume mousse at the roots and blowdry this into your hair. For super-straight hair I recommend curling your hair with a curling wand, making sure you curl the ends of your hair under.
- Brush all your hair to remove any knots before you begin to braid.
- Visualise where you want the braid to sit. It looks best when it sits like a halo around the crown of your head. You want to see the top of the braid across the top of your head and high at the back.
- Start the braid behind your right ear. You want to have a continuous and thick-looking braid across the top of your head so start low, behind your ear and start with a 2 inch section of hair.
- Split your hair into three and begin a Dutch braid. A Dutch braid is the same as a French braid but in reverse. Instead of crossing the hair over, bring the sections under. Cross the left under the middle, then the right under the left. On the next section, add in hair from the front from your hairline.
- Continue your Dutch braid, crossing the sections under and adding in hair from both sides.
- Curve your braid around. This is where visualising where your braid will sit helps. Around the back you want your braid to sit above the edge your occipital bone (that’s the bone at the back of your head where your head curves down).
- Once you’ve finished adding in all your hair, finish in a regular braid and secure the end with a small clear hair elastic.
- S-T-R-E-T-C-H out your braid! My favourite step! Make your braid look thicker by stretching out your braid. Pull gently at the sides and widen your braid.
- Pin the end of your braid inside to complete the crown shape. Depending on how long your hair is, tuck the end of your braid under the first braid to hide it and pin it in place. You can spiral long braids inside the first.
- Pin any loose sections and reshape your braid. After stretching your braid, you may find the hair at the front is too loose. I like to add some pins under the braid to hold the rest of my hair down. This creates a firmer base for the braid to sit up on.
Styling Tips
- As I mentioned above, prep your hair really well. Don’t underestimate this step. Freshly washed hair will be too soft and it won’t stay in place.
- If you have layers or straight hair, curling the ends of your under will stop the ends of your hair from sticking out of the braid.
- Make sure you use a small hair elastics as large hair bands will be distracting in the finished style.
- Check the braid from different angles to make sure it looks even and round from every side.
- Support the braid with extra bobby pins underneath to hold the style in place.
- If you feel like you need extra hold, finish the braid with some hairspray.
- Practice! Try it on your friend’s hair first before giving it a go in your hair. Please don’t try it in your hair when you only have 5 minutes to get ready. Give yourself a calm space to practice and learn the technique. Then when you’re in a rush you’ll be able to nail it every time.
Hairstyle variations
- Different hair lengths: I have thick hair that is around armpit length. You can do this style in hair that’s a few inches shorter than mine, but it will be easier if your hair is a couple of inches longer. If your hair is very long, continue the braid as a spiral inside the first braid. Just hide the end of the braid by tucking it under the first braid. .
- Different hair textures: If you have curly hair (like me) this style will look amazing with curls. I blowdry my hair for these tutorials so that it’s easier to see the steps. If you have straight hair, curl your ends as I mentioned before. For fine hair, don’t forget to stretch out your braid. Consider using some block hair extension pieces like these that can be incorporated straight into your braid to make it look thicker.
This is a beautiful formal, prom or wedding hairstyle. Can you imagine how stunning it would be with some flowers weaved through the braid?
But don’t be afraid to wear these upstyles with your everyday outfits. I like to keep it a little softer, which stops it feeling too formal. I wore this braid to the Hair Expo awards announcement with my ripped jeans, heels and a statement necklace.
How would you wear this hairstyle? If you try it, I would love to see a photo of your hair. Tag me #hairromance on Instagram.
Wow! So fun… did to my kids and me and looks awesome!
You did a great job! I did this on my then almost 5 year old for my friend’s wedding (she was their flower girl…and I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and the matron of honor). I added baby’s breath all around and it was as beautiful as you could imagine it was. She was angelic….but did I mention she was not quite 5 and I was a maypop? It was not the easiest thing to do on a little one, and in hindsight, we probably should’ve tried a little less ambitious hairstyle, but it’s hard to contain yourself when it comes to weddings, isn’t it?. In most cases, it really is a very simple and extremely elegant hairstyle. thank you for helping our young ladies to look like the graceful beauties that they have been created to be.
Hello,Christina! You are very beautiful! All your HAIRSTYLE are amazing and inspiring!
My curly hair arrived about the same time I retired. I’ve always had a wave in the back that made it easy to blow dry. Nothing fancy but stylish enough. No one on either side of my family has a natural curl, most are straight. I also think it is getting curlier. I wasn’t able to tame the curls like I had been so I had it trimmed by my usual stylist and now the curls are tighter and corkscrewing off the top. How come?
I do have a picture on my facebook page and one of our grandchildren is playing and twisting it.
Hi Denise, it’s always a surprise when our hair changes like this. I think it may be hormonal, and also a haircut usually takes some weight off so our curls can spring up more. Hope your curls start to even up and you enjoy them more xx
Wow! This is awesome!
How would you go about trying this with curly hair that hasn’t been brushed? Would it get too frizzy, or maybe it would have to go as a messy style? Any tips on how to section curly hair for these types of styles?
I have this in curly hair too – check it out here – https://www.hairromance.com/2016/04/30-curly-hairstyles-30-days-day-30.html. I take large sections when braiding curly hair and work with whole curls, rather than breaking up the curls which makes my hair super frizzy. Adapt the style to suit your curls and add in clumps of curls. You might have less braided sections but it will look fab with that curly texture xx
I treid this at home and despite the clear instructuons I end up with half a messy braid. I guess practice makes perfect but this is definatelly not a begginers type of hair style Love your blog!!
http://samplesqueen.co.uk/
Hi Eli, this one definitely takes practice. I’d say it took me 5-10 goes but now this style has become a regular fave that I can do in 3 minutes. Good luck! x
This braid is so pretty, so glad I found your tutorial. I’ve got waist length, gray hair, that is very thick. The braid looks really nice, and it doesn’t take nearly as many bobby pins to hold it up that I thought it would need. It makes me feel special when wearing a braid like this; like I have my own crown, haha.
Thank you for your post, pictures, and step-by-step directions. It made it much easier to understand.
Thanks so much Fey! xx
I searched the Internet for hours looking for this hair style! I’m so glad I found your site!!! This is exactly what I was looking for and this is the only place I found it. I looked at some of your other styles and I’m definitely bookmarking your site to my home screen!
Thanks so much Heather! Hope you try it in your hair 🙂 xx
I can’t get it to work, any tips idk where I’m going wrong 🙁
Hi Erin, are you confident doing a regular Dutch braid? Once you can do a straight braid, then try a curved style like this. Think about where you want the braid to sit and test out where it’s difficult to reach so you know where to swap hands. It’s impossible to braid all the way around without changing the angle of your arms and hands x
Okay thank you!
Hi there, I love this hairstyle and am thrilled I’ve grown my thick curly hair long enough (just!) to do this in my own hair. I’ve had lots of compliments on it!
The only thing I have trouble with is that after I’ve finished braiding sometimes the ‘part’ in the centre back of my head looks irregular and a bit weird. It’s probably more noticeable on me as my hair is dark and my skin is very fair. Do you have any suggestions for how to prevent or disguise this?
Hi Jess! I have the same problem even in fair hair. I try and keep the part on the top of my head, close to the braid. This means I add in less hair initially as I braid across the top. Then as the braid goes around I add in more hair and I get a full coverage of hair in the circle gap of my braid. If I can still see the part at the top, I stretch my braid to cover it. Try moving your part to sit under the edge of braid at the top and see if this works for you too x
Thank you! Will definitely give that a go. x
All I have to say is WOW I love that brade and can’t wait for more and can’t wait to try it! I have never really seen hair like that so nice job!
yep and sorry it sent again.
All I have to say is WOW I love that brade and can’t wait for more and can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Kyler xx
Oh I wish! It looks beautiful, but I am only mastering the plain old ponytail braid. Still, emailed in images of *attempts* could be humorous….
Thanks Terrie! It’s definitely a more advanced braid but with practice you can totally do this. It’s become a regular favourite of mine now (and my arms are a lot stronger for it haha)
I LOVE this hairstyle! Thanks so much for including all of the handy tips in addition to your instructions. I’ve got super straight, fine hair, so now I already have some ideas of what to do before I get started (and subsequently frustrate myself).
Thanks so much Lauren! Good luck! xx
Im totally going to use this its such a beautiful style!!
http://www.beautyandtheboy.com
Wow!!!! Amazing!!! great style! it’s so beautiful
Rosemary from Czech republik Europe
Thanks Rosemary! x
this stuff is amazing
Love this! Polished and clean, but still feels modern. I have shoulder-length fine hair — and it still worked. Thanks so much for the tutorial.
Thanks Drew! x
This is FAB. Braiding from the under side is always so hard for me though.
I am going to try it and see how it goes. It might look cute if braided from
the top too?? You never know.
JennyLeigh
http://www.jennyleighsblog.blogspot.com
Thanks! I’d love to see it if you try starting from a different point 🙂
Love it!!!,the tutorials are easy to follow step by step and as a hairdresser I have picked up a lot of handy tips and inspiration
With many thanks
Thanks so much Leah!
You did a great job on this style and totally understand the tired arms, LOL! It gets easier the more you do it, though. I do almost this type of braid a lot and I think it is a really pretty style. For my waist length hair I do what you say, and just braid it off to the end and then pin around and tuck the end underneath.
Thanks Stacy! I often think about your hair when describing variations for my hairstyles. I can totally see you in this style xx
Wow, that looks like a great style! at first it looks a bit difficult, but thanks to your thorough explanation I’m sure it will work out for me as well.
Cheers,
Juliana
Thanks Juliana! x
Oh this is gorgeous! Will definitely try this 😀
Thanks so much Avantika! Love to see a pic of this in your hair x
Wow it’s so beautiful! I would love to try it one day when I have patience not to give up after the first attempt, somedays I feel I feel like I have two left hands 🙂
Thanks Chantelle! It definitely gets easier with practice 🙂
Gorgeous! And I have to say, had you not mentioned that it was a little messier than you wanted I wouldn’t have noticed. 🙂
XOXO,
Erin
http://www.thevaughnlife.us
Aww thanks Erin! I prefer to wear my hair a little messy but I was trying to get it perfect like the original inspiration image. But comparing yourself to a picture of Doutzen Kroes does nobody any favours! 😉
Gosh, this is a really great tutorial!! I have fine and very very straight hair, so this will be a challenge but I definitely want to try it!! Thanks!!
I know right
Thank you , Thank you, for doing thus tutorial ! I hope when I attempt mine,it will look like yours. I appreciate all your hard work!
Hugs from USA, Harriette
Thanks so much Harriette! So glad you like it and hope you give it a try x