The Secret to Incredible Braided Hairstyles

FP Me babe Lindsey Pengelly shares the secret to her amazing braided hairstyles…

We’ve all seen them, we’ve all envied them at some point. Those thick, gorgeous braids that seem to permeate our Pinterest and Instagram feeds, the kind of braids that seem so easy in theory yet so impossible to achieve in execution. Just how do they do it? To get some answers, we turned to none other than our own FP Me babe (and hair guru) Lindsey Pengelly, who is almost always sporting a few fishtails or French braids of her own.

Lucky for us (and you) she was kind enough to share her secret weapon for achieving next-level braid status, and it’s way simpler than what you might expect. Get ready because all you need are some clip-in extensions and some practice. Read on for her tips and to learn how to recreate two of her signature styles. Take it away, Lindsey!

For these hairstyles I used Hot Head Tape-In Hair Extensions in the front of my hair to create a big boho-style fishtail braid. Below you can see the tape-in extension, which lies flat against your head and is super comfortable.

I have two clipped in on one side, two on the other, with one placed underneath the visible clip. Nearly everyone’s hair is shorter in the front than in the back, so I always use four extensions to even them out.

It’s essential to identify the best way to curl your extensions so they look natural and blend with the rest of your hair. In the photo below I grabbed the extension and added in my own hair. Always hold the curling iron upside down, open the clamp, then wrap your hair around the barrel. Hold out about an inch of your hair. and move the curling iron up and down to stretch out the curl to create waves that will mimic the natural hair.

Look One:

Step 1: After curling all of the hair, I wove a normal fishtail braid using the front two extensions, secured it with an elastic and pulled it apart for a fuller look. Without these front extensions, the braid wouldn’t be nearly that long!

Step 2: When doing a messy bun I won’t put up all of my hair at once; I take my hair piece by piece and fold it into my other hand, which creates texture. By also pulling up the extensions on the other side, the bun will look thicker.

Voila! So simple but so detailed.

My sister already owns fairytale princess hair and therefore does not need extensions. BUT, she’s always wanted to add a little contrast to it, so I used my color extensions in the front of her hair to add dimension.

The Crown Fishtail Braid is my absolute favorite! It really stands out, mainly because of the color depth created by the slightly darker extensions!

Step 1: Grab a section of hair at the top of your part, including the front extension.

Step 2: I made a Dutch fishtail… similar to a normal fishtail but, instead of braiding the strands over each other, they weave under one another.

Step3: PULL APART! This will help to create texture. And because the hair (both yours and the extension) is all one length, it will not fall out no matter how much you pull!

Step 4: This is what the first braid looks like. Repeat steps 1-3 on the other side of your head.

Step 5: Pull the fishtails to the back of your head, and place one underneath the other. For my sister’s hair, I used several bobby pins to secure the braids. I also used bobby pins to to mask the elastics.