The Ade Braid or 'Whip My Hair'

I love having long hair, but I also love putting it up, especially in the summer. One summer, probably ten years ago, I started just twisting my hair and clipping it up with clips or bobby pins. I loved the way it looked and I loved the way that it stayed up so neatly. I could hike all day and my hair would still look exactly as it had in the morning. I began doing it fairly often, and one of my friends coined it the ‘Ade Braid’ (since my name is Adrienne, I often have friends who shorten it to Ade, Adge, or just A). 

I often get compliments when my hair is up like this. When I was in New York City one day this year, one person even snapped a few photos of it. Anyway, I’m surprised that I have never seen anyone doing anything like this. Maybe they have and I’m just not in the fashion world enough, but just in case anyone wants to ever try this, I thought I’d include a few how-to photos. I was visiting my sister this weekend with my mother and she snapped a few photos this morning as I was getting ready. Even though it looks fairly complex, it only takes 10-15 minutes. Sometimes I can even do it in around 5 if I don't do as many twists.

 I usually do this with wet hair, often because I've just gotten out of the shower... but I also find that it holds tighter when you start off with wetter hair. My hair wasn't wet this morning, but I did wet it down a bit before I started. To achieve this look, you simply take a strand of hair, twist it as shown in the picture and then clip it up on top of your head. 

Here, I've shown a few strands done. Sometimes I just leave it like this too, which is also a cute look. 

You then just continue to twist and clip. 

And then finish by putting bobby pins over any loose hairs. 

That's it. How easy was that? And it doesn't have to be perfect. That's the idea. It's kind of a unique and messy look that you can do every day or even for a special occasion. 

Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and that you try it out some time. 

This post is part of Much Love Monday, so here is my heart. If you thought my hair was twisted and whipped up, Willow Smith's hair is crazier. By the way, how crazy is it that this ten-year-old's single, 'Whip My Hair' reached #11 on the charts! I guess when you have the parents she does, you're bound to have both talent and connections.

Have a lovely Monday filled with Much Love! 

A Whole Lotta Love,

Adrienne