Waterfall Braid Tutorial

One of my favorite last-minute work hairstyles has been the waterfall braid. It keeps my hair out of my face and is a great option if I don’t have time to wash and blow-dry. A little dry shampoo, waterfall braid, freshen up the curls and G2G.

Waterfall braidIt also looks insanely complicated. 

When I first saw these braids (and the double waterfall braids: swoon!!) on Pinterest, my madre was over and I asked her to have a look.

“How in the world do you do that?!”

“Easy- you add to the top, drop the bottom and make a new piece as the bottom piece.”

My madre mystifies me with her hair knowledge. Within about 2 minutes, my hair was in a perfect waterfall braid and she explained what she did as she went along.

So I made a quick little how-to video for ya.

How to Do a Waterfall Braid on Yourself

 

Tips to Create Waterfall Braid

-Think of it like a sideways French braid, but instead of adding to both sides, you add to the top piece, cross it over, drop the bottom piece, and from the bottom portion of hair, you grab a small bit that will be the new bottom piece. Cross it over the middle (which will be the piece that’s dropped next).

-Perfect with straight, wavy or curly hair

-As you add to the top, smooth that piece with your hands so you don’t have funny pieces sticking out of your head

-Practice makes perfect! Practice French-braiding as the first step, which is kind of tricky to do yourself if you’re not used to it. Once you’ve got the hang of that, move on to the waterfall braid

waterfall braid tutorial

Hope this helps a little <3

xoxo

Gina

Next week’s hair how-to will be how to save your hair at the gym, but please let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see!

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24 Comments

  1. Megan on June 5, 2012 at 5:40 pm

    I love this! I wish my hair was long enough!!!:

  2. Shari on June 5, 2012 at 5:43 pm

    Thank you for the video! I love this style and have been wanting to try it for weeks, but have never been able to do it properly. Fingers crossed your tutorial will change that! 🙂

  3. Lindsay on June 5, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    Love your hair how-tos! Can’t wait to give this a try! Thanks Gina!

  4. Ashley on June 5, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    LOVE this. And you are so lovely! 🙂

  5. Ali on June 5, 2012 at 6:15 pm

    I for one am LOVING these “how to” hairstyle videos 🙂

  6. Michelle M on June 5, 2012 at 6:38 pm

    I wondered how you did that braid. I’m going to have to try it now. Thanks for the step by step!

  7. pluvk on June 5, 2012 at 6:43 pm

    I noticed this hairstyle on one of your other posts, and I absolutely loved it! Thanks for posting the how to. I don’t know if I can pull it off, but I’m going to try!

  8. Michelle on June 5, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    That’s gorgeous! I love it!

  9. Kristen on June 5, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    I’ve been rocking your waves for the past several days and I’m pretty much obsessed. It’s such an easy casual or dressy hairstyle.
    Now I have another new style to try. This braid is a beautiful summer look.

    I have a request: red carpet messy bun. I try this and it just looks like I’m about to go to the gym. I love how on celebrities it looks really elegant yet fun and sexy. I would love to see a how-to for it.

    • Fitnessista on June 6, 2012 at 11:02 pm

      ohh love that idea! ok 🙂

      • Fitnessista on June 6, 2012 at 11:03 pm

        and i’m so glad you like the waves!!! let me know how the waterfall braid turns out 🙂

  10. Maura @ My Healthy 'Ohana on June 5, 2012 at 9:15 pm

    I’m totally at a loss with my hair…I just wash, dry and go everyday. I will have to try this for a special occasion 🙂

  11. Abby @ Change of Pace on June 5, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    I love these hair how-tos! And I love waterfall braids.
    Even with the great video, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to make it nicely on myself. My hairdresser made one for me before a Christmas party, and I loved it!

  12. kari on June 5, 2012 at 9:49 pm

    so pretty Gina and thank you for showing us how to style our hair.

  13. Shelley on June 5, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    Beautiful! I chopped & donated my locks earlier this year, & now my hair’s too short. When I grow it out again, I’ll have to try this!

  14. Melissa on June 5, 2012 at 11:09 pm

    I cannot WAIT for your gym hair post. As a girl prefers to wash my hair only 2x/week, this is muuuch needed.

    • Melissa on June 5, 2012 at 11:10 pm

      *who* prefers. woops.

  15. Pure2raw twins on June 6, 2012 at 7:48 am

    We will have to give this a try. Though you make it look so easy 🙂
    xoxo
    twins

  16. Stephanie @ Legally Blinde on June 6, 2012 at 8:36 am

    That looks so cute, and very polished! Thanks for sharing your technique. Looking forward to the gym hairstyle post!

  17. Laura @ My Pink Thumb on June 6, 2012 at 9:03 am

    hmmm I’m intrigued! I am always so boring with my hair that is straight as a board. I think i’ll have to give this a shot!

  18. Jen Correa @ Mom's Gotta Run on June 6, 2012 at 10:37 am

    I love this. Thank you!

  19. Beverly on June 6, 2012 at 10:57 am

    Love the softness and feminity of this braid style. Thanks to your tutorial, I think I might just be able to pull it off!

  20. Grace (Graceful Eats) on June 6, 2012 at 10:41 pm

    Thanks so much, Gina! I’ve been wanting to learn the waterfall braid and I feel brave enough to tackle it. Love the hair videos! 🙂

  21. Laura on June 7, 2012 at 8:13 pm

    Gorgeous! I might give this a trial run tonight. I have very thick, long corkscrew curl hair, which I always think looks a bit silly in regular French braids since they turn out so thick (like about six inches wide thick), and buns and ponytails are always really heavy on my scalp, so maybe this would be a better option. Thanks! 🙂

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