If you think braids too loudly evoke images of girly innocence and tomboyish ways, we’ve got two words for you.
Angelina Jolie.
In the movie “Salt,” Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative whose first appearance on screen is as a striking professionally-dressed woman sporting a fat golden braid. Her styled tresses fall over her shoulder like a prehensile tail ready to whip some ass. And we mean that in a good way.
So, you’re thinking, what are your chances of emulating Jolie with a braided ’do that looks both regal and killer-sexy?
“Braids can be very feminine, elegant, versatile and classy,” says Michael Viggue, a stylist at Sally Hershberger in New York. “They can also be very sexy because they call attention to a bare shoulder.” Many celebs are currently milking different varieties of braided looks – take your pick of the rope, French, and fishtail braid – and there’s no lack of instructional how-to videos.
But, says Viggue, size matters. “Braids are far more sexy when a woman has enough hair to show off a braid’s patterns,” he says. “A puny wimpy braid doesn’t look good.” And, echoes Stefanie Henriquez, a stylist at Frederic Fekkai at The Mark, “You don’t want a ratty-looking braid.”
If you don’t have naturally big hair, says Viggue, you want to add mass. By blow-drying your hair downward while you bend your head forward, and then tossing back your mane, you’ve got instant volume, he says. For many women, this strategy is enough to fatten up the braid. If your hair is especially thin, he says, adding clip-in hair extensions may do the trick.
Clip-in extensions solve a common braid problem – the suddenly skinny appearance of the braid about midway down, resulting in a tiny tuft of hair at the end. “Women need to build a foundation so they have something to work with,” he says.
“Messy is ‘in’,” says Henriquez, and that look requires a different but easy technique. After you’ve volumized, scrunched, and messed up your hair – the bed-head look is the ideal starting point – start braiding loosely from the side, she says. But before you add the elastic band at the end of the braid, pull out some pieces or strands of hair from the braid, giving the braid a less smooth look. “You want it loose, on purpose, to give yourself a runway look,” she says. “You don’t want it too ‘done.’” Hair that’s too short to fit into the braid can be left wispy on the sides of the face.
Both Viggue and Henriquez agree that the braid is one hairstyle that can be dressed up or down, depending on one’s attire. A woman with a braid wearing a chic suit can look very pulled together, says Henriquez. And when the weather is humid, the braid can be a tidy way of capturing long hair.
She points out there’s a braid bonus – the day after you’ve sported a single braid, you’ve got some nice soft waves to show for it. But, says Henriquez, refrain from the temptation to slap a big bow, like your Mom used to do, at the end of the braid. “Less is more,” she says, noting that elegant fabric- or crystal-covered clips are a more tasteful solution.
Feeling too clumsy to execute the look? Henriquez acknowledges some women may need to experiment. “It’s tough to do on your own unless you braid a lot,” she says. “But practice makes perfect.”
Coeli Carr is a health and fitness writer in New York City.
