The half-up braid (that’s not really a braid)

If you love the look of braids but can’t do them in your hair, you’ll adore this easy hair tutorial.

You see, it looks like a braid, but it’s not really a braid.

If you can do a ponytail, then you can do this hairstyle. It’s that simple.

And if you saw my original pull through braid tutorial, then you’re already a step ahead on this style. We’ll follow the same technique to create this pretty half-up hairstyle.

Half-up braid tutorial (that’s not really a braid)

What you need:

• Lots of small hair elastics (I used 6 for this style)
• Hair clip – to hold sections of hair as you go

Step-by-step tutorial:

1. Begin by brushing your hair to remove any knots. (Curly girls – avoid frizz and skip this step!)
2. Create your first ponytail. Take a section of hair at the top of your head by your part and secure it with a small elastic.
3. Create a second ponytail under the first, picking up hair from underneath the first ponytail. Secure it with a clear elastic.
4. Divide the first ponytail in half, and clip the second ponytail up on top of your head.
5. Create your third ponytail including the two halves of the first ponytail. This is your first “braid” section. Include the sections from ponytail 1 and pick up more hair from the top of your head. As you can see in pics 3 & 4 above, the second ponytail is now tied between ponytail 1 to ponytail 3. You’ll repeat these steps over again to continue the style.
6. Unclip ponytail 2, divide it in half and clip ponytail 3 up on top of your head. Pick up hair from your part to your braid and combine it with the ends of ponytail 2 to create ponytail 4.
7. Repeat these steps adding in hair from the top of your head and curving the braid around your head.
8. Secure your half-up faux braid. After completing around 5-6 sections of the pull through braid, you can stop adding in hair and finish in a regular 3-strand braid. Then pick up a piece of hair from the right side of your head. Join this with your braid to secure the half-up hairstyle.
9. Stretch out your braid. My fave step! Go back and tighten up the ponytails and stretch out the sides of each loop to make your braid look thicker.

I love the look of these pull through braids and find they hold so well in my hair. They’re more secure than regular braids because of all the hair elastics. This is perfect if your hair always slips out of braids.

Let me know if you if you like this style in the comments below! If you try it, share a photo with me on instagram with the tag #hairromance xx