The celeb-inspired fishtail braided bun
While most of the time we’re looking for quick hairstyle solutions that will get us out the door in a tick, sometimes there are occasions that call for styles that are a little more intricate and take a teeny bit more patience to create.
Enter the fishtail braided bun, most recently seen on Riley Keough on the Cannes red carpet. Jen Atkin, celebrity hairstylist to the stars (have you seen the ponytail she created for Bella Hadid?), was the woman behind this next-level bun, and she was kind enough to take to Snapchat to share how you can achieve this look.
Note: This is definitely a style that works best on long hair, so if you’ve got short hair or medium hair and love the idea of a fishtail braided bun, you can try using this technique on a half-ponytail to create a small bun.
1
Create some volume
Before blow-drying your hair, spray a volumising mist, like Matrix Biolage VolumeBloom Full-Lift Volumizer Spray, from roots to ends.
2
Tie your hair back
Once your hair is dry, use a snag-free hair elastic to secure a low ponytail at the nape of your neck.
3
Smooth down any fly-aways
Once you’re happy with your ponytail, distribute a cream through the lengths to smooth down your strands. Atkin used Kardashian Beauty Smooth Styler Blow Dry Cream.
4
Start your fishtail braid
Split your ponytail in half, then take a small outside section of hair from the right section and bring it into the centre, incorporating into the left section. Then, take a small outside section of hair from the left section, and bring it into the centre of the right section. This may sound a bit confusing at first, so you can watch the process in action here, or see a helpful illustrated how-to fishtail braid here – the technique is the same.
Repeat the process until you reach the bottom, and secure with another hair elastic.
5
Pin and secure
Twist your fishtail braid around the based of your ponytail into a bun and secure with 555 Ripple Pins 2 inch bobby pins. Use a strong hold hairspray, like TRESemmé Salon Finish Extra Hold Hairspray to keep the style in place.
Main image credit: Getty
