The Milkmaid Crown Braid
1) Tease the crown of your hair using a tail comb.
2) Part hair down the center and separate into two even sections. Guillen applied Shu Uemura Essence Absolue oil to moisturize hair and create shine.
3) Braid both sides of hair separately. To get a unique braid texture, try using one smaller strand and two larger strands in the braid.
4) Gently loosen the braids, pulling out hair to look a bit messier
5) Cross the two braids across the top of your head in a swooping motion as seen to the right.
6) Use bobby pins to conceal any bumps created in the back of your hair
7) Tuck braid ends into the top of hair, pinning into the braid.
8) Secure with hairspray. Guillen uses John Barrett Be In Control Hairspray, $24, johnbarrettstore.com.
Side Braid Twist
1) After hair is parted on the side, start french braiding the side with more hair.
2) Stop the braid just at the top of your ear, securing it firmly with a bobby pin.
3) Working on the unbraided side of your hair, twirl two small strands of your hair creating a twist.
4) With the two twist ends in your hands, pull them around the back of your head wrapping them around all of your hair.
5) Once the ends of the twists are wrapped around your hair, pin them underneath and into the french braid.
6) Secure any loose ends with bobby pins, secure with a hairspray or styling balm.
The Fishtail Side Braid
1) Start with a side part, prep hair by spraying a dry shampoo to roots. Guillen used Show Beauty Premiere dry shampoo, $51, lookfantastic.com. Tease the crown of the side with less hair, in a diagonal pattern. Start your braid by pinning back the front strands of your hair.
2)Gather hair from both sides of your head by twisting around the back and securing with pins. Once all of your hair is together on one side, start your fishtail braid by separating your hair into two sections and pulling hair from the back to the front—as demonstrated by the model to the right.
3) Secure with an elastic, wrap a piece of hair around the elastic band and roll down.
4) Gently loosen the braid by pulling out tighter areas.
The Double Side Braid
1) Prep hair by curling with a 1 inch curling iron to create loose waves. Start with hair parted in the middle, take a small front section of hair and start french braiding away from your face. Repeat a second braid right next to the first, braiding to the mid-length point of your hair.
2) Secure ends of braids by criss-crossing bobby pins in a X formation.
3) Tuck the ends of the braids underneath the back of your hair, hiding the bobby pins.
4) Control flyaway hairs by applying John Barrett Be Hold Styling Balm, $20, johnbarrettstore.com.
Makeup by Meghan Yarde.
Lauren Alexis Fisher is the Senior Editor at Cosmopolitan, overseeing digital content across fashion, lifestyle, beauty, sex, and culture. Previously, she was the Market Editor at Harper’s BAZAAR and has written for publications including WWD, Bustle, and W Magazine. When she’s not busy taste-testing her way through every dirty martini in New York, you can follow her on Instagram for bad jokes, good outfits, and annoying vacation pics.
