Braided Crown 3 Ways: The Upside Down and Around

Here you have it, lovelies, part 2 of my first ever hair tutorial, a Braided Crown 3 Ways. I like calling this one The Upside Down and Around, because of the way you have to comb all your hair forward and hang upside down for a bit to achieve it. This is a more traditional way of achieving the gorgeous braided crown style than The Criss-Cross Applesauce and also a step or two up in difficulty. But don't let that discourage you, practice it a few times, and I'm sure you can get it down. At first I had difficulty getting the braid to lay right when I brought it around front to the top of my head and had to do it a few times every time to get it looking right. I can now get it in one go! Marvelous.

In my opinion, The Upside Down and Around is not quite as playful as The Criss-Cross Applesauce. Rather, I think the style of this one is super elegant and classy. But still the kind of classy you can pair with jeans and a t-shirt if you fancy. Try giving it a go!



1. Begin by combing any tangles out of your hair and then comb it all completely forward.
2. Select three strands of hair from the bottom center, near your neck.
3. Using these three strands, begin braiding a french braid in an inside out fashion. To do this, when you go to cross the strands of hair, bring the strand under the previous one instead of over, collecting more hair with each strand also. Braid upwards at an angle, sort of towards your ear. This is where I had trouble for the longest time. You do not want to braid straight upwards to the top of your head, rather bring it around the side a bit. Think of a halo or a crown sitting on your head and creating that roundness.
4. Once the braid has reached the top of your head, flip right side up again. Continue braiding in the inside out style, gathering the hair from the top of your head, including your bangs if you've got 'em (you can totally leave them out, if you want, don't let me tell you what to do).
5. Braid all the way across you head, eventually bringing the braid back down and back a bit. Gather any remaining hair from the nape of you neck, if any, and finish the braid.
6. Take the end of your braid and loop it around the back of your head following the pattern already there from the start of the braid. You will pin it back into itself.
7. Using a generous amount of bobby pins, secure the end of the braid in place, as well as flattening any bumps and tightening flyways. If your hair is not long enough for the end of your braid to reach all the way back around, you can secure the end into a bun, or hide the end of the braid with a cute lace bow.
8. Once pinned in place, loosen some of the loops of your braid up a bit, for a more romantic look.

There you have it. Have you worn your hair this way before?

Don't forget:
- you can see The Criss-Cross Applesauce here
- and The Bohemian Wrap is now here