Messy but chic hair updos on lazy and free weekends

After a long work week, it's sometimes a bit of stretch to put effort into creating nice hair-dos, when all you want to do is be lazy, sleep in, go for walks or brunch, the movies ... or basically not do too much.
I'm normally a quick messy top knot type of girl when it comes to tying up my hair. But here's a messy hair up-do look that just makes you look styled without trying too hard. It only took me 10 minutes with the help of:

• A few hairpins and bobby pins
• A comb
• A couple of hair-ties
• Spray wax to help comb back any flyaways and smooth back the front part of your hair.
• (Curling tongs if you have Asian hair / hair that has a lot of flyaways)

You may have seen me attempting to French braid the back of my head, backwards, on instagram here. But this is a Dutch braid version, where the plait sticks out of the head in a 3D sorta way.  Creating a point of interest at the back of your head is fun don't you think?

1. Section just over 1/3 of your hair (from the top of your ear lobes up) off to a quick top knot in the front and if you have Asian hair like me, curl the bottom half of your un-tied hair into loose curls (this helps prevent any flyaway hair popping out of your braid).
2. Flip your head forward and start braiding from the nape of your neck until all hair is gathered up into a braid. Keep plaiting till the end of the braid and secure the end of the braid with a hair-tie
3. Release the top knot and smooth back (with the aid of your comb and a bit of spray wax) into a tighter ponytail. Use your comb and tease the ponytail in various 1" sections
4. Now gather all your teased sections and shape into a rough ballerina bun (doesn't have to be a perfect dome!)
5. Release the hair-tie from your braid, tease the whole end of it and secure it into your ballerina bun however way you like.

Voila!

{Do ya like how my laundry basket made an appearance? lol}

Sorry I couldn't take any pics of me braiding, it's already hard as it is with having dark hair! If you're not used to braiding, practice really does make perfect. I couldn't French or Dutch braid for the life of me until I learned to be a bit patient with it. Here is a nice and easy-to-follow Youtube tutorial to help you learn how to Dutch braid ... then after practice you can be braiding backwards like nobody's business. Braiding "blind" is challenging, but trust your fingers and intuition.

All you ladies with beautiful highlighted hair will showcase more of a braid. If your arms don't get too sore, you can try braiding smaller sections of hair to showcase an even more intricate looking braid.

Stay effortless chic ladies :)
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