Messy Ponytail With An Accent Braid Tutorial

I am the world's biggest fan of hairstyles that add an extra something to the usual humdrum of everyday hair and that don't require ninja finger skills. This messy ponytail with an accent braid is one of those awesome hairstyles.

I've enlisted the help from my beautiful and talented stylist friend, Angie, who will be showing you the ropes on how to get great hair! She also has a fantastic YouTube channel that you should subscribe to immediately.

Learn how to get this perfectly messy, adorable ponytail below!

You will need:

Hair brush
Backcomb brush
Hair tie
Bobby pins
Dry shampoo (optional, but it gives more grip. Angie recommends Schwarzkopf Osis+ Refresher Dust)

Step 1: Part your hair on the side and spray with dry shampoo to give it some grip and texture for a messy look. Brush it through your hair so it is all settled in.

Step 2: Take the top section of your hair at the crown of your head and backcomb the layers underneath using your backcomb brush to give it some volume.

Step 3: Separate about 1 inch of hair in the front to leave out, and then grab about a 2 inch section in the middle on the side of your part with the most hair. Fishtail braid all the way down and hold it together at the bottom with a bobby pin. Feel free to loosen up the fishtail by pulling gently at the strands to fluff it up.

Step 4: Pull the rest of your hair up into a messy ponytail to about a middle height on your head. Once all the hair is gathered and in place, add in your braided accent section and secure it all with a hair tie.

Step 5: Take the pointed end of the backcomb brush and gently loosen up the hair at the crown of the head to bring some volume and dimension to the ponytail.

Step 6: Take about a half inch section of hair from your ponytail and wrap it all the way around the hair tie to obscure it. Secure the end with a bobby pin.


You now have an effortless, sexy new do that looks great for day or night! I hope you enjoy this simple tutorial and have a blast playing around with a new look. Be sure to tag me in your photos of your cute hairdo if you decide to try it out! (@alongabbeyroad)

All photos by Angie Peters. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel here!

Wraparound Twist Hair Tutorial

As a mom, you generally have two options for hair: throw it up in a ratty bun or ponytail, or hide it under a hat or headband of some sort. (It gets even more bleak if you have shorter hair like I do.) Sure, there are some mothers out there who manage to wash their hair every day and look glamorous, but I am definitely not one of those moms. 

One day after getting fed up with the same fugly hair thing going on day in and day out, I lurked through Pinterest to find a quick and cute hairstyle that works with short to medium length hair. Since I am no hair guru and don't know how to do fancy braids, I played around with some looks until I mastered a twist thingamabob that turned out to be a fantastically happy accident. And that is how the wraparound twist hairstyle was born. 

If you follow me on Instagram (you totally should if you want to see a million pictures of the two cutest fellas in the world, Luke and Wes!), I shared this hairstyle a week or so ago, and today I give you the tutorial! As promised, it's so easy a three-year old can do it. 

To do this wrap around hair style you will need:

5-10 bobby pins
Hairspray
Dry shampoo (if your hair is really fine and sleek and needs some grip)

Step 1: Brush your hair so it is smooth, and part your hair in the middle or slightly to the side. Spray in some dry shampoo if your hair is fine and needs some texture and grip.

Step 2: Grab a one-inch thick piece of hair at the top and split it into two. Starting at the top by your part, take the piece that is nearest your part and pull it away from your face, crossing it over the top of the other piece.

Step 2: Pick up about a one inch piece of hair into the bottom piece. Now twist that piece over so it is on top and pick up a one inch of hair on the bottom. (Kind of like you would with a French braid, but this is waaaayyy easier since you only have two pieces to twist the entire time.) Keep doing the cross over and pick up until you reach the middle back of your head.

Step 3: Secure the twist with bobby pins. I put about two or three short bobby pins to secure it at the back and one near my ear to keep the twist close to my head. Also, please note my lovely postpartum hair loss growing in! One of the many pleasures of having babies, which reminds me that I have the yummiest postpartum hair mask recipe coming soon. (How 'bout you, Sideburns? You want summa dis milk?)

Step 4: Repeat steps 2-3 on the other side of your head. Wrap the two twisted pieces that meet together in the back under one another and pin. Once they are both pinned in the back, go through and secure any loose ends or wacky hairs sticking out of place. Spray generously with hairspray to smooth out frizz and hold it in place.

Ta-da! You now have a fabulous hairdo that looks great, takes only a couple of minutes to do, and could easily land you a role in the next Jane Austen flick — move over, Keira!

Be sure to leave me a comment or tag me in your photos if you try this look out. I would love to see how you other gals and mamas style your wraparound twist hair! Enjoy!

Going From Blonde To Ombre

Hair color: Ion Medium Copper Blonde and Ion Dark Blonde with Ion 10 Volume Creme Developer
Lip color: Revlon ColorBurst Matte Lip Balm, Unapologetic
Rings: Seamaid Market
(And isn't Luke just the cutest? Gah, I love him!)

We enjoyed a quick vacation to Arizona over the weekend to see my sister, brother and their families. I unplugged a little bit and simply enjoyed good conversation and the bliss of doing nothing. I even saw a movie for the first time in, oh, I'd say two years? Guess what we saw? The Other Woman. It was HILARIOUS. (Show by a raise of hands if you've seen it and feel the same way.) I suppose all of the great hair and cute clothes nagged at my obnoxious need to change my hair color every six months, coupled with hanging out with my sister and sis-in-law and talking about beauty products.

After staring at countless photos of Jared Leto's hair (no, seriously), watching multiple YouTube videos on going ombré from platinum blonde, and a trip to Sally Beauty, I found myself sitting in a chair with red goo all over my head at midnight on Monday. Somehow I convinced my sister, Ginger, to do it for me (she's a perfectionist, so I figured it would turn out well) and here we are. The platinum was fantastic while it lasted, but I was sick of having consistent grow out, and it also doesn't help that I am hopelessly cheap when it comes to shelling out the cash for my hair. You'd think that I'd take more heed with such a major focal point point on my head, but I am that person who risks weirdly colored hair in trade for saving a few bones. Luckily for me, I really like how this ombré look turned out and the low maintenance of it is exactly what I need for now.

Here are a few tips in the off chance you feel an impulsive, hair-dying whim coming on and want to create your own ombré your hair look from home:

1. If you are going from platinum blonde like me and are adding color to the top, make sure you color it with a red shade first. If you just slap on brown, it will turn a funky khaki greenish color and the red acts as a filler. Yeah, you have to apply color and wash your hair twice, but it's worth it. This leads me to the second item of business...

2. Purchase your hair color from a beauty supply store versus a box color from your local grocery store. I almost bought a box of light brown from the local Walgreen's, and the clueless cashier girl told me that it would look exactly like the color on the box. Being a victim of brassy, splotchy DIY hair one too many times, I knew that probably wasn't the best advice. (Bless her dear heart, though!) Thanks to my tried and true friend, Google, I quickly learned that the red is essential.

3. Watch this video for a feel on how to do it. It also helps if you have someone do it for you. We also figured out that after applying the color with a brush, it is necessary to go back and rub and blend it with your fingers to give it a natural gradient look. Mine doesn't look perfect, but that's what I love about this hair style.

4. Remember that freshly colored hair is always much brighter and darker, and it needs a few solid days to settle and tone down. Since it can dry out your hair, I also really like this deep conditioning hair mask — it smells like Hawaii in a bottle! Good luck with your hair coloring adventures!

Easy, Effortless Hairstyles

(left to right) one. two. three. four. five. six. 

I don't know about you, but I am always on the search for easy, effortless hairstyles. Especially in the spring and summer. My hair is now short, so obviously I can only do a couple of these hairstyles, but these looks are my absolute favorite and the sort of hair doozies I always find myself pinning. Between all six of them, the depressing styling rut is a thing of legend, and you won't take a razor to your flowing locks (but it would be awesome if you did end up doing that, and I fully support the shaved head look).

1. The high ponytail. Simply pull up your hair into a ponytail on the crown of your head, and then loosen it by pulling out the hair above and underneath the band to give it some volume.

2. The messy side braid. Sweep your hair to one side. Back comb your hair a bit, and then either do a regular braid or fishtail braid. Secure with a clear band and go back and fluff it up by pulling on some of the pieces to give it a more full look.

3. Loose, tousled waves. I find the easiest way to achieve this look is sleeping on wet hair and then going through it with a 1-inch barrel in the morning to freshen up some of the waves that have naturally set in.

4. The low side ponytail. Create a deep side part, pull all of your hair to one side and secure it with a hair band around your jaw line.

5. The twisted low bun. This one looks more complicated than it is, but it is incredibly easy! On one side, take two pieces of hair and twist them, picking up hair as you go down. As soon as you reach the bottom, secure it with a bobby pin. Do this same thing on the other side and then wrap both sections into a loose, effortless bun.

6. Half up twist. Grab small sections of hair on each side, twist and secure with a bobby pin at the back. Done!

What are your favorite easy and effortless hairstyles for spring and summer?