That our hair is our crowning glory, is an oft heard expression. Women with luscious long hair have always been the epitome of beauty, world over. And in the same breath, over centuries, so have the braided hair. Since the Medieval times, braids have always meant less maintenance while women went about their chores. If you were too busy to wash your hair, you merely braided it.

And yet, braids are today’s biggest trends in new hairstyles for long hair!

It is Summer …. Braids are ‘in’

Summer is fun. Summer is out in the Sun.

With all that, summer is also harsh sun playing havoc with your skin and hair, especially if you are a girl with lovely long hair. What better way to keep off the heat from your neck and back than the sexy braids.

In today’s India, braids are associated with ‘traditional’ or mere ‘boring’. Is that why we do not see too many of us in fancier avatars of this age old hairstyle at fashionable do’s or even just simply while stepping out? Wonder why one would rather choose to blend in with the straightened or curled hairstyles, instead of standing out in stunning braided hairstyles.

But in a trend world wide the medieval braids are back in fashion, or probably just never really went out. All over, women and their own style of braiding and combining braiding styles is rocking the fashion world.

So why can’t we? This summer try these new, emerging quick and easy hairstyles for girls. Some are easy to do yourself and some may need a little help. But either way, get ready to rock the season with trendy new braiding hairstyles.

Know Your Braids

Gone are the days when French braids were the only known fancy style and yes the full braided hair is not restricted only to the African American girls.

What Really is the Classic French Braid?

A slight variation of the regular three strand braid, the French thought to add a touch of class to it by starting as a regular three strand with a small section of the hair instead of the entire, gradually adding the side sections as you progress. That adds to the allure since it hugs the side of the head.

The beauty of this classic style is that you can experiment with varying styles – to hug the side of your head as a french side braid.

This is a simple and easy hairstyle to slip into either for a day outing or with the right embellishments of jewelled pins it can transform you into a diva for a night out in town.

French Braided Top Knot

The French braided top knot is the perfect choice for a day out in the sand and sun this summer. Simply braid away your bangs to keep the hair from falling into your eyes. And keeping your long hair will be easy and yet gorgeous looking by merely pulling them up into a top knot! Voila!!

French Braid Chignon

From a day at the beach, to a formal evening, the French braid chignon transforms you instantly to a chic svelte woman, who knows what she wants and is confident enough to show it. Accessorise that gorgeous chignon with simple drop earrings or to really stand out in the crowd, a lovely flat choker around your neck will do the trick! After all, less really is more, girls!

The Dutch Braid

Wait, did you not mean a reverse French braid? It is not called an “inside-out” braid for nothing. The technique is just as simple as the French, just that instead of bringing the sections of your hair over and into the centre of the braid, you take them under. That way, the actual braided sections are sitting clear on top and the hair sections sit smoothly beneath.

Fishtail Braids are all a Rage

Believe you me, the fishtail braid is easier to do by yourself that it first seems. It looks elaborate and yet it will easily become your go-to hairstyle when you are in a rush. It is truly one of the really quick and easy hairstyles for girls with long hair. Section your hair length into two. Simply take a small outer section of one side (it does not matter which side you begin with) and cross it over the remaining section and add it under the other section. Repeat this with the other section of the hair. Keep going until you reach the end of the length. It looks gorgeous if tied tight and accessorised with tiny fresh flowers, using the stems as pins to go into the braids.

The Classy Waterfall Braid

One of the latest hairstyles for the long haired girl, is the waterfall ! This is a classy look whether done across the back (the cascade waterfall braid) or by the side (the side waterfall braid). Looks stunning with either straight or slightly wavy, the length left open, it is best with very light make up. It comes across as a hairstyle for the younger lady, teamed with loose summer clothes and colourful footwear. Practice enough and your beautiful long hair will get you enough compliments to make you happy.

Changing the angle of the braids, changes the entire look from Angled waterfall to the classic waterfall perched atop the back your head.

Slight variations of this would be the Zigzag waterfall braid and the Princess waterfall braided knot.

The trick to the Waterfall braid is to use styling paste rubbed into your hands while you braid. That way, your braids will stay just the way you want them, longer.

Tousled Braids Anyone?

If you are out for a shopping trip with your besties and want a “not-so-fussy yet dressed up look”, the most trending hairstyles for the long haired girl is to go for that ‘carefully careless’ Tousled Braid. You may ask, what is a tousled braid and why would I want to do up my hair in a braid and seemingly undo it? The effect can be stunning, all you need is to have the confidence to carry it off. This is also probably one of the most versatile of the braiding styles, since it can be adapted from either the French, Dutch or Fishtail braids.

The super chic tousled look is best with long dresses and a large hobo bag or dressed up with chic dresses and strut out in style, like a celebrity. Either way, you are sure to turn heads.

 The Boho Chic

They say all of us have a bit of the gypsy. Add to that the glam factor, and you end up with the ṻber chic Boho Gypsy braid. There are no limitations on what you may want to team this amazing new hairstyle with. All you need is a bit of styling pomade in your hands while you braid, and the swooping over the front braid will add oodles of attitude to your look.

The Cutesy Bow Braids

This is the quintessential cute young missy look. Little girls do love to preen with their long hair, but it may not be easy to create a cute age appropriate look. This new hairstyle for the young girl with lovely long hair is a sure hit and also remarkably dressy too.

The Goddess Braid

If you are wondering whether you would seem vain to answer what your braid is called, trust us, it deserves the name. With a crown atop and the rest of the hair left loose, awash in all its healthy glory, this amazing new hairstyle trend is quickly catching up. Coil some fresh flowers through and no matter what your choice of outfit or accessories, you are sure to look simply divine. This is the perfect look for a music festival.

A variation of this style is the crown braid where the entire hair is braided and coiled around the crown.

The Latticed Basket Braid

This is one of the few braids you will need a friend to help you with.

Oh the glory of luscious long hair! You can set a trend of your own with this basket styled weave with the top section of your hair, letting the long wave to captivate everyone.

Box and Corn-row Braids are the Most Hip

These are probably the simplest and yet the hardest to maintain braided hairstyles, especially if you have long hair. They also take long to undo, hence the best solution is to leave them on for awhile. Regular conditioning and nourishing with oil keeps the scalp clean and hair too. Your imagination is the only limitation with this style – be it a top bun, simply left open, beaded look or a ponytail.

Quick Tips for Braiding your Long Hair, Girls!

For that quick and easy braided hairstyle, embrace these three simple tips and you are good to go:

Always start with a Simple Braiding Style

Play around with the simpler versions of the classic three strand braids – wear them in the milkmaid style with two braids pinned on the sides of your head above the years, or looping them into one long loop at the back of your head. Once you’ve mastered these, try your hand at the fishtail. There are innumerable tutorials available all over the internet. They are surprisingly easy! Once you’ve mastered the simpler styles, up the ante and build on your braiding skills, try more complicated styles.

Practice

This may not truly fall into the quick tip category, but it is a tip nevertheless. The idea is that if you wait until you need to step out in style to try out that new braid, it will most likely fail on you. So practice out the styles you like best. After all, as the cliché goes, practice makes perfect.

Be open to Experiment

Once you get the hang of trying new braiding styles, be open to experimenting. You may just stumble upon a whole new concept braid!

Care for those Rapunzel locks

What adds to the charm of those Rapunzel locks is health and their styling. Long hair is not for the faint-hearted girl, for they take great love and patience to maintain. Some pointers for girls with lovely long hair:

• Trim the length often.
• Do not brush your hair when it is wet.
• Nourish your hair regularly like you would a child.
• Avoid using the hairdryers, curling or straightening iron too often.
• Do not tie tight ponytails that stretch the strands and break them.
• Combing out long hair is an especially careful task. Section off your hair and comb out each section from root to tip.
• Wash your hair with as cold water as you can tolerate, because warm water dries off the oils and makes them dry.
• Do not towel-rub your hair while drying out, this will only lead to tangles and eventually breakage. Instead, leave it turbaned in a towel to soak the moisture and then dry out naturally.
• Do not stress tug whenever it is time to try new hairstyles. Be gentle. Always!
• Avoid perming or straightening too often. The harsh chemical products do nothing but harm.
• Do not leave your long hair open when you are out in the sun or where it may be windy and give you fly-away.
• It may seemingly look fancy, yet it does immeasurable harm to your hair. Always loosely braid it or loop it into a loose bun and cover with a scarf to protect.
• Make sure that your hair is not tangled while you sleep. Always tie a loose braid so that the tangles do not stress and break your hair strands.
• Sleep is a girl’s best friend indeed! Nothing nourishes better than a stress-free relaxed sleep and healthy lifestyle.

Do remember girls, when it comes to your lovely long hair, always be gentle.. gentle… gentle….g.e.n.t.l.e… and rock those gorgeous braided hairstyles this season!

Whatever your choice of braid, remember to ‘own’ the style.