5 Easy Braid Hairstyles for a More Unique Look

Kick your basic braids up a step with these 5 easy braid hairstyles for some cool new braided looks.

Braids and Fishtails are beautiful just as they are, but sometimes you want to add a little something else to your braid to spice it up. Braids have the ability to easily go into buns, side-dos, and many other styles. This is just a touch of what braids convert into. Btw, you can also add some "magic" to your hair with the mesmerizing holographic hair color. These are ordinary braids and one with a medieval touch. While these work for everyday, you can wear many of them to the office or what ever your daily life calls for. Some of them just need nice hair accessories to dress them up for a birthday dinner. You won't get bored with these 5 cool braid hairstyles.

1. How to Kick Your Fishtail Braid Up a Notch

Herringbone braids, or fishtail braids as they're also referred to as look great by themselves. But this time you get to add a bit of spice to it. You do the regular fishtail braid and then turn it into a messy/care-free styled bun which is really fun.

How to Do the Messy Fishtail Braid

You need to have your hair parted down the middle. The part doesn't have to be perfect since this is meant to have a messy look. Instead of doing a typical 3-strand braid, you do a herringbone braid. There is a tutorial for that. A summary of a fishtail braid is having 3-sections. One strand is braided over the middle section and stays put. Then hair is taken from the opposite side and braided over the newly opposite side. You are working with what started as 3-strands and becomes 2-joined sections of hair.

Making the Fishtail Braids Become a Unique Messy Bun

When you get to the bottom of your fishtail braid, secure it with an elastic. Do the same for the other side. The next step is what takes this style into a messy bun. You'll pick up the herringbone braids and start wrapping them around each other. Start with one and wrap it around itself in a bun, secure it with hair pins. Take the other herringbone braid and wrap it around the bun you just made and then secure it with hair pins. Spritz with a little hair spray to tame any fly-aways and there you go.
Lovely pictures via Join The Mood. Check out her blog for more awesome pictures!

2. No Boring Half Up Style Here

Who says half - up styles have to be boring? This one definitely isn't. Not when you have a gorgeous fishtail styled in it. You'll have people wondering how you did it. The more fish-tailed you want this to look the thinner the sections you make in the braiding. Just remember, the thinner you make them, the longer is takes.

Prepping Your Hair

Section your hair as if you are about to pull half of your hair up into an up do. You could either temporarily secure the lower half of your hair while you work on the top or just go ahead and start your fishtail braid. That is completely up to the braider. It is a lot easier to do this on hair that is tangle-free.

The Fishtail

Start with the original 3-strands of hair the fishtail braids begin with. You'll have to pull it somewhat snug in the beginning or your fishtail is going to droop a bit, so just keep that in mind. Take the opposite section over as if you are going to braid and lay it side-by-side with the section you added it to. Then grab the strand from the other side and braid it over. Now take a small portion from the combined section and braid it over the other section. So, again, you have 3-sections that combined into 2-sections. You are just taking bit pieces from each side and braiding them, much different than a regular 3-strand braid.

Finishing the Fishtail

When you have braided your fishtail as far down as you want to go, secure it with an elastic. That is it for this style. In variations of this you pull little sections of the fishtail to flatten and fatten it up. But this one just calls for your basic fishtail braid.

3. Taking Your Inverted Braid to the Side

How about instead of doing a typical braid the goes straight down your head, you braid it down the side of your head? Sound complicated? Nah. But it does give the inverted braid a fun edge. Plus, doing an inverted braid looks a lot different in general than a regular French braid, although both look great.

Starting the Inverted Braid

Separate a section off to the side of your head, keep your bangs out of the way. Get your 3-strands of hair. Instead of braiding hair over, you're going to braid under. As you braid under you pick up side sections along the way. So instead of having the braid lay flat, it will lay up creating a cool braided design on your head. This inverted braid style stops at the neck instead of continuing all the way down. You secure it with an elastic. And then if you want to add a special touch like the model did to her hair, take a pretty ribbon and tie it around the elastic. She has her ribbon tied in a basic bow. See, pretty simple and very elegant.

4. Loose French Braid with Gorgeous Braided Wrap

This is not as complicated as it looks if you know how to do a French braid and a regular braid. It's all about sectioning your hair the right way and following a couple of steps. But isn't it great how it looks all complicated? You'll use your own braided hair as the wrap around the end of your French braid, unless you decide to cheat a little and use a faux braided wrap which is entirely up to you. You do need some length with this style, or the braided wrap won't work. The model in the photo used her own hair.

Prepping for the French Braid

If you plan to use your own hair as a hair wrap, you'll need to section some hair off at the bottom left or right of your hair. Secure it with an elastic so it doesn't get confusing.

Get Your French Braid Going

Start just behind your bangs since you probably don't want to include them. Get your 3 sections of hair to start a braid with and add your first section from the left or right. As your keep braiding remember to add side sections in. The model in this photo kept her French braid on the loose side for a softer look. Stop braiding once you get to your neck. Secure it with an elastic.

Your Braided Wrap

Once you have your loose French braid secured with an elastic, take the elastic out of the section you put off to the side. Start braiding all the way down. The model in this photo has braided her hair all the way down and pulled the ends up as she secured it with an elastic. You don't necessarily have to turn the ends up, but you can if you want. Take the braided part and start wrapping it against your head around the end of the French braid. Continue wrapping it around making sure you cover the elastic piece on your French braid. Take the end of your wrap braid and pin it underneath your French braid. You can either tuck the ends of it into your French braid so it blends or tuck it under itself.

Not too difficult after all, right? And see how fantastic it looks. You are apt to get compliments on this complicated-looking hair style.

5. Bring out the Medieval Goddess in You, or At Least Your Hair

You've seen similar styles such as this on some of your favorite celebrities - Nicole Richie is one. And this model is wearing a Bohemian - like twisty braided updo. You have to have longer hair for this one - hair that is a little past the shoulders or longer is helpful.

A Little Back-Combing

Take a section from the top of your hair (past your bangs) and do a little back-combing for a little height. Pull the back-combed portion and about a half-up style amount of hair back into a ponytail.

The Twist (and middle part of the style)

Take a side section of your hair (you'll work with 3 sections) and start twisting. Now, the twist won't stay snug. You can work with the twist not staying snug and find a way to make it work for you with the rest of the style, or make 2 twists out of that section and twist them around each other into a combined twist. If you do this your twist will be secure.

Put the twisted section all the way across the top of your head and around your ear. Pin it with a hair pin. You'll need more than one hair pin to secure it. Criss-cross the hair pins over each other for a more secure hold.

Braided Section

Start on the next lower section. Begin braiding it all the way to ends. Secure it with an elastic and wrap it over the top of your head in front of the twist braid. It should go behind your ears where you'll pin it in place. Again, you'll want to criss-cross the hair pins so it stays securely in your hair.

The Second Braid

Now to the last braid. You'll again, want to braid it all the way down to the end. Secure it with an elastic and then wrap this braid all around the top of your head. BUT, this time wrap it behind the other two braids. This puts the twist braid in the middle of the two 3-strand braids. Secure this braid behind your ears the same way or a little bit above your ears.

A Little Added Flair to This Look

If you want to add a special touch to your hair, curl the side pieces of your hair for an added girlie touch. Spritz with a little hair spray to tame fly-aways and hold your hair in place.