
If, one year ago, you would have told me two French braids, joined together and coiled into a bun, could be a practical, everyday hair style, I would have been rather incredulous. I mean, honestly, this is a style one could wear to a wedding or fancy tea party, but everyday–? But that would have been before my sister Erica began experimenting, branching out in her French-braiding techniques. As one who has not yet mastered the art of doing a single French braid on myself, I still do marvel at the the skill and dexterity required to French braid down both sides of the head. Erica has proved to me, however, that, with enough practice and patience, one may gain the confidence to create this style every day–be it for a formal wedding, or for keeping your hair out of your eyes while you dust the house!
Princess Anne Braids with Bun
or Erica Berge’s Fail-proof Method for Inspiring Hair Envy in Dexterity-Challenged Older Siblings
Note: To create the Princess Anne with bun, you truly ought first to master French-braiding your own hair. Detailed instructions and photos can be found here. It could take a couple weeks of steady practice before you feel confident enough to move on to double French braids, which are a required skill for the Princess Anne.
Step One — Gather the following hair styling tools: pick comb, barrette or hair clip, two small hair bands, 6-10 hair pins.

Step Two – Use the pick comb to part your hair down the middle of your head, all the way to the nape of your neck.

Step Three – Gather a small portion of hair from one side of your head. Divide this portion into three sections. Cross over with the section closest to your ear, then with the section farthest from your ear.



Step Four – French braid down the side of your head, adding small pieces of hair to each section before crossing it over.


Step Five – Stop braiding when you have added all the hair from one side of your head. Now, this next part is important: Secure the two outside strands of the finished braid inside the barrette. Keep the other strand free, but don’t let it get mixed in with the hair on the other side of your head.
Step Six – Repeat the process for the other half of your hair, but when you get to the end of the braid, don’t clip two of the strands into a barrette — hold onto ‘em and read step seven…

Step Seven – Keep holding onto those two outside strands, and with your other hand, combine the two middle strands into one. Your hair was divided into sixths, now you’ve made the sixths into thirds! Wow, I can do math! Hair styling is very educational.

Step Eight – Remove the barrette. Braid your thirds together, as far down as possible. Note on the two hair bands suggested: As you near the end of your braid, you might notice your hair is in different lengths, which makes it difficult to braid down as far as you’d like. Here’s a tip: Use your first hair band to secure the braid, then braid the tail down farther, securing this mini-braid with the second hair band.



Step Nine – Coil the braid into a tight bun and secure it with the hair pins. Add a couple of hair-sticks, or trim with a little bunch of silk flowers, and you’re ready for that wedding or tea party! A quicker, more stable version, which will stay in place through a whole day of active housework, uses about five mini jaw-style hair clips to secure the bun.

Looking at Erica in the mirror in the mirror in the… No, wait…

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