Trend to Try: Quick Braid Updo

Do you think you’re too old to wear a braid?

Think again! Many women have grown tired of boring buns and predictable ponytails, and are looking for hip new ways to style hair to look cool and current.

Braids to the rescue!

And don’t worry: there are lots of easy, quick ways to make a braid that won’t let you look like Pippi Longstocking but will keep your hair out of your face, especially on a busy morning or a bad hair day.

My introduction to adult braids was born out of necessity: I ran in the New York CIty Marathon a few years ago to celebrate my 55th birthday. While planning what I would wear-after checking the probable weather-I decided to figure out a way to incorporate a braid into my hair to keep it out of my face, but still guarantee my hair would look good 26.2 miles and many hours later.  Knowing that the temperature would be in the mid-50s, I chose not to wear a hat because it could cause me to get overheated. I also rejected the idea of wearing my hair in a ponytail because those often end up giving me headaches, and really  – how boring! I wanted something that was practical but pretty.

My daughters suggested I sport a “hair headband” which allowed me to wear my hair loose in the back but the front pieces were french braided to create a headband, keeping everything flowing but away from my face. The morning of the race, they worked on my hair and it stayed in place for all those hours and miles.

Here’s one of my favorite ways to wear a braid . . . and I can even do it without looking in a mirror!  Check this out:

So, would you try this trend?