Hair Tutorial: Romantic Braid and Pouf Hairstyle

Last week I posted this hairstyle in my stories and I got a ton of requests for a tutorial on it. I’m glad you guys liked it and I am happy to show you how to do it! This is actually not a very complicated hairstyle to do. Let’s get started.

Note: You will notice I use a hair styling tool called “hot sticks”. These are my go-to styling tool for any kind of vintage hairstyling. They are great for creating hairstyles from the 1700’s all the way through the 1940s. They are little rubber rods that you wrap your hair around and attach together at the ends. They create very tight curls and a ton of body in the hair. If your hair does not hold curl well, these are a great styling tool. If you have any interest in vintage hairstyling, I definitely suggest buying some hot sticks. You can get them from Babyliss or Conair. I use the Babyliss Hot Sticks here. I like these better than the Conair hot sticks because the Babyliss has 20 rather than 14 rollers. I have hair that doesn’t hold curl well, so the more rollers the better for me. When you plug hot rollers in, allow at least 15 minutes for them to get hot.

You will need:

Hot Sticks or A Small Curling Iron
Hairspray
Paddle brush
Bristled Teasing Comb (I use this one by Spornette)
Dry Texturizing Spray such as Kerastase Volume in Powder
Bobby Pins, U-Shaped Bobby Pins and Straight Bobby Pins

I’m going to tell you the real secret to this hairstyle before we get started. Once you get the curl and teasing into your hair, this hairstyle will come together very easily. Do not be afraid to really tease the heck out of your hair, it’s the secret sauce to this style!

1. Start off with clean straight hair. You will need to set it in curls. The best way to do this in my opinion is with hot sticks (see above note). Comb your hair thoroughly. I separated my hair into a few sections with clips so I could put the curlers in one section at a time. It doesn’t particularly matter how you section off the hair, since this is all getting combed back into a braid later. To put in the hot sticks, grab 1 inch sections of hair, lift and comb the section straight, spritz the section with a mist of hairspray, and then wrap the ends of the hair around the hot stick, making sure you tuck all the ends underneath the roller as you roll. Roll all the way to the root of the hair, and then attach the ends of the hot stick together, pulling them tight so the roll sits close to the scalp. Repeat all over head.

Alternatively, if you do not have hot sticks, you can use a small curling wand to create your curls.  Curl 1 inch sections until quite hot, and then clip the curl in place to the scalp with a metal pin curl clip. 

2. Let your curls sit for at least 30 minutes. You can do your makeup or get dressed in this time. After 30 minutes, take out the curlers, unravelling the curls gently by twirling the hair off the hot sticks. 

3. Gently brush through the curls with a paddle brush. If your hair does not hold curl well, you may want to mist it with hairspray again for extra hold.

4. Now we have to make the pouf at the front. We are going to do this by teasing the front and side sections of the hair. Take the front section of your hair and comb it forward. In small sections, tease the hair with a Sponette teasing comb by combing the section straight up, and then gently backcombing the from the roots all the way to the midsection of the hair. A great way to give the teasing hold is to spray each section with a spritz of texturizer as you tease. I LOVE Kerastase’s Volume in Powder for doing this. As you tease the small sections, pause every few sections and tease the whole section together so it forms a cohesive “pouf”. It’s going to look crazy, but you’ll make it look good soon.

5. Now that you have the teased base for your pouf, it’s time to pin the front section and side sections into rolls. Take the front section of your hair, and using the Spornette, gently comb the section back, and then push it forward to form a pompadour. Fasten this section in place with two bobby pins in a X shape.

For the side poufs, take one teased side section of your hair, and gently smooth the front of it with a comb. Hold the section out straight and carefully roll it  towards your head, making a swirl shape. Fasten this roll in place with a few U-shaped bobby pins. The U-shaped bobby pins are awesome because they hold the rolls in place without being visible. Hairspray the section once secure for extra hold. Repeat with the other side section of hair. You should have a similar look to the hairstyle above.

6. To finish the style, take the back section of hair and braid it into a low back braid. Fasten with an elastic or a scrunchie bow (the bow I am wearing is from the Laura Ashley for Urban Outfitters collection). Pull the braid loose by gently tugging on the braid for a more relaxed look.

If you wish, you can pull a few strands by your ears loose for a more romantic style.