Maiden braids (picture heavy)

[Rufflebutt]

Have you guys seen maiden braids? I know they aren't exactly a protective hairstyle, but I find them absolutely adorable!

http://www.maydae.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/hair8.jpg

http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8358081ff69e2016301647555970d-800wi

Basically, you make braids on the side of your head and wrap them around like hairbands. I love wearing my hair like this on my days off from work. :) I love it! How about you guys?

[mckenzie]

I've never worn this myself (yet), but it's super-cute!

[Madora]

Who said maiden braids weren't hair friendly? They're also known as Heidi braids and an easy way to wear your hair, provided you don't pull them tightly.

Most people do 2 tiers but 3 can be done if you have enough hair to pull it off.

[DarkCurls]

This is one of my favorite styles. :D And it is a protective and hair-friendly updo, if you pin all the hair up (second pic, versus first).

[redkdawg]

I love this hairstyle - it tends to be my "weekend" hair because I can put it up & it stays out of the way while I putter around the house. :)

[Kat]

I do Heidi braids for workouts. (used to be a bun, but now that we're doing a workout more likely to have us doing crunches and other stuff on the floor, obviously having a huge knob of hair on the back of my head doesn't work.) I also do it for dance competitions (after evolving through a few styles over the years to find something that will hold up to a lot of jumping up and down but doesn't take forever or a billion pins to do, Heidi braids are where I'm at right now).

I get a lot of compliments when I wear them, but that could be because it's so rare for me to wear them and people just like seeing something different-- if I always wore them, maybe I'd get compliments when I did something else. But they do sort of resemble a crown, and my mom thinks they make me look older.

[RitaPG]

That is a beautiful hairstyle. And yet I never do it, I don't know why :p

[freznow]

My goodness the second girl has a LOT of hair! I could never pull of Heidi braids very well because when my hair's split in two halves it's quite thin. As other posters have said, they can be pretty protective, but I never got them to stay very well, either. Maybe I was doing them wrong?

[OilPaint]

I've always loved maiden braids, but have never really figured out how to do it properly; nor do I have anyone here that knows how to do much with my hair to help me.

Does anyone else look at the steps and go "1.. okay 2.. okay.. uh 3?... wait.. how did we get to 5 again?" shudder: lol
I'm hopeless on this one.

[sloth]

This is a lovely hairstyle! If I have longer hair I would love to try this... and I agree with the above poster who said it looks like it would be really useful for working out! Not to mention pretty.

[IndigoOptimist]

That is so cute! I'll definatly be trying that! (providing that my hair is long enough, if not it will be some sort weird attempt)

[RedheadMistress]

- This is beautiful !

Will give it a go tonight but idk if I have enough hair haha . . it will feel like i have a comb-over . . but more like a braid-over ! :D

[neko_kawaii]

I love maiden braids! I wore them in my fifth grade school picture and was so proud to have done them myself. I did them recently while camping because I was tired of a high bun and maiden braids fit under my hat while keeping everything off my neck in the heat.

[Rufflebutt]

My goodness the second girl has a LOT of hair! I could never pull of Heidi braids very well because when my hair's split in two halves it's quite thin. As other posters have said, they can be pretty protective, but I never got them to stay very well, either. Maybe I was doing them wrong? I agree! Her hair is very thick. XD

[Kat]

Her hair is also quite loosely braided too though, which makes the braids look fatter. And, it looks like they used three braids-- so there is one braid on one side and two on the other. On the side with two, you can see where for the thicker, more-forward braid they brought some of the hair from the other side of her head over to combine with it, which is another reason that braid looks thick.

[spidermom]

I love it, but mine seldom stay pinned in place.
Darn slippy-slidey hair!