DIY Braided Beach Wave Ponytail

Happy weekend everyone!  Today I'm going to show you how to do one of my new favorite go-to hairstyles.  It's cute, quick & most importantly, easy! 

Tools needed:

-hair brush

-curling iron 

-hairspray 

-hair band 

-smoothing cream (optional)

Step 1: finish morning coffee(!) 

Step 2: brush hair till smooth, I like to use this smoothing cream for this step.  

Step 3: using a comb or finger, trace a line from the middle of your eyebrow (either side) up to your hair to create a part on the side of your head:

Step 4: (this step is optional, you can just pull your hair into a ponytail and start curling if you want to skip the braid) braid hair into Dutch braid (or any preferred braid!)  starting from the part line at the top of your forehead down to the back of your neck.  Tie off braid and the rest of your hair into a low ponytail, "fatten" the braid by slightly pulling on the sides of it starting at the bottom and working your way up.

Step 5: with a hot curling iron take a section of hair about 2in. thick and wrap it around the iron.  I usually wrap under but it will work either way.  Hold for a few seconds and then release.  The trick here is to work with bigger sections of hair to achieve lose waves, if you want tighter or more curly hair just take smaller sections from the ponytail. Continue curling till you get through the whole ponytail.  

Step 6: spray hair with hairspray.  That's it!  I usually go back and re-pull my hair into the ponytail again after curling because I tend to pull it out a little as I curl, I also "re-fatten" the braid for a bit until I get the desired volume. 

So there you go, a simple, cute & effortless hairstyle perfect for everyday wear!  Oh and bonus, it looks great the next day as well! 

~Amy