How to: a braid that has the romance of a Renaissance painting

With strands pulled back loosely from away the face and then woven into a pretty, relaxed braid, this hairstyle has all the romance of a Renaissance painting. That’s no accident: backstage at the Alberta Ferretti spring / summer 2014 show, Redken’s Guido Palau designed it with such a classical look in mind.

Taking the braided hairstyle into softer territory for 2014, it’s none the less a hairstyle that can be worn for fall 2013 with ease.

Get the complete how to for this romantic look right after the break.

How to: Alberta Ferretti’s Renaissance-inspired braid

Prepare damp hair by applying a good amount of volumising product from root to tip. Redken Guts 10 Root Targeted Volume Spray foam was used backstage to achieve the texture needed for this hairstyle.

Next, dry your hair with a blow dryer and a diffuser (use your fingers to comb through your hair as your dry it). Diffusers help protect your hair from excess frizz that can come from blow drying.

Once your hair is dried, apply some heat protecting spray like Redken Iron Shape 11 Finishing Thermal Spray. Then create waves around your hairline with a small sized curling iron. This will really give out that romantic feel to the whole hairstyle.

Now it’s time to work on the braid. Start by creating a messy center part and the loosely braid your hair all the way down the back. Remember to lift the front or crown section of your hair for volume.

To add to the relaxed look, pull out a few strands of your hair from the braid and let these strands frame your face. This will also loosen the braid you created.

Finish this look off by holding the style into place with a spritz of hairspray or Redken Wax Blast 10 High Impact Finishing Spray-Wax.

There’s always something about braids that make them a particularly lovely hairstyle, not to mention that they are flexible and generally easy to do. This particular take doesn’t go overboard on the historical references, but with just a few little tweaks on the plain braid, turns it into a very classically inspired look.

Source : fashionising[dot]com