It’s time for some new “Back to School” hairstyles! I can’t believe I’m already saying that; where did the summer go?! School always started for me during the last week of August so I’m sorry if yours already has and this is a little late. I do think all three of these would work for any occasion or any day of the week though so I hope you try them out and love them as much as I do!

Half Up Fishtail Braids Instructions:

• Step 1 / After curling my hair with a 1” curling iron, I’m going to clip in three wefts of my Luxy hair extensions to add extra thickness.
• Step 2 / Next, divide off a section of hair at the crown, twist it together slightly pushing it upwards and pin it against the head with 1 or 2 bobby pins.
• Step 3 / Now divide out any hair to frame your face and pick up a small slice of hair on the left side of the part.
• Step 4 / Create a dutch fishtail braid following around the pinned crown section until it lines up with the ear. Then braid the section to the bottom in a regular fishtail braid.
• Step 5 / Go back and gently pull on the edges to make the braid a little fuller. This is easier to do as you go rather than doing it at the very end since the braid can get very tight.
• Step 6 / Then either tie off the end with an elastic band or criss-cross two bobby pins to keep the braid from unraveling.
• Step 7 / Now create an identical braid on the other side, securing the end with bobby pins.
• Step 8 / Bring the braids around the back of the head, criss-crossing them over the bobby pins from the top crown section and pin them in place with bobby pins.
• Step 9 / Brush through the ends of the braids to unravel them and that is the last step. I love this look for school but also think it would be so pretty for any occasion or day of the week.

 

Fishtail Braided Ponytail Instructions:

• Step 1 / Start by brushing all of the hair up into a high ponytail and securing it with a hair band.
• Step 2 / Divide off a small section from the ponytail, wrapping it around the band to hide it.
• Step 3 / To create a fishtail braid, divide the ponytail into two equal halves.
• Step 4 / Divide off a small section of hair from the outer edge on the left side, cross it over the top, adding it into the right half.
• Step 5 / Now cross a small section from the outer edge of the right half over the top to the left side.
• Step 6 / Continue crossing small sections of hair from the outer edges over the top to the opposite side braiding down to the bottom.
• Step 7 / Go back and gently pull on the edges to make the braid 2-3 times bigger. This is what really makes this hairstyle stand out and give it that extra wow factor.
• Step 8 / Tie off the end of the braid with a clear elastic band. I created a tiny loop with mine by pulling the hair only halfway through on the last loop.

I think this style is super sleek and would work really well if you have a gym class first or even to just get your hair up and out of the way.

Fishtail Braided Low Bun Instructions:

•  Step 1 / Begin by parting the hair where you normally prefer.
• Step 2 / Then create a vertical part from the crown down to the nape of the neck on the left and right side. This will divide the hair into three sections.
• Step 3 / Tie each section into a low ponytail, keeping them close together at the nape of the neck.
• Step 4 / Braid each of these ponytails into a fishtail braid tying them off with an elastic band.
• Step 5 / Pull on the edges of each braid to make them fuller. This will help make the bun a little bigger and more soft.
• Step 6 / Wrap each braid around the top elastic band and secure it against the head with several bobby pins.

I love how this style looks complicated but is actually really easy to do and you can also recreate them using regular braids as well!