The French Milkmaid Braid Tutorial

As you may well know, I have been highlighting my hair for the better part of a decade. I have naturally ash blonde hair which just looks dull (or worse, dirty) if it isn't brightened up. To keep my hair at its strongest, I'm always on the lookout for advanced technology hair care products that will restore my hair. I typically take a pretty proactive approach - I don't wait until my hair is dry and brittle, I constantly maintain it with strengthening shampoos and deep conditioners. And I always use a heat protectant. Recently I've discovered the new line from Neutrogena® and I really like it--it's called Triple Repair and consists of a shampoo, conditioner, and leave in treatment that works as a heat protectant up to 400ºF. What I really like is that this system is really nourishing and restoring, but it's lightweight, which is perfect for my fine strands. It also claims to make hair 3x stronger after just one use. I'm all about instant gratification!

Milkmaid Braids

To celebrate my newly strong hair, I did a fun braid look that is a hybrid between french braids and milkmaid braids...so how about we call it the French Milkmaid?

• My hair is shoulder length so after braiding the sides individually, I made a small ponytail in the center with the leftover hair.
• I then pulled it into a tiny half bun (like you do when you're going to exercise and don't pull your hair all the way through the elastic).
• I swept and pinned the braids over and under the center loop of hair.

It really looks much more complicated than it really was! (You'll just need a lot of straight hair pins--not bobby pins.)

What do you think? I hope you like it!!

This post was brought to you by Pretty Shiny Sparkly, Refinery29, and Neutrogena!