I’m not a good braider. At my wedding, I really wanted to do God’s Knot to show our unity as one. He braided the whole thing while I giggled. He’s very frustrated with me about it still. But I’ve been practicing and getting better. So while Nina was visiting the Sunshine State, I had her show me 5 braids that were fun and easy to do this summer . . .

Head on over to her blog to get the how to on each of the 5 braids. Seriously, they’re so simple and so bangin’. For reference, my hair is fine, thick – so, so frickin thick I have too much hair, I also have long layers in the front (that’s why there is so much hair left at the end for some), and for most of these braids it hadn’t been washed in 3 days. Let’s get to the 1st of our 5 braids.

1. Messy Fishtail . . . I’ve tried a fishtail many times, but always thought my hair was too thick. The way Nina messed it up a little I LOVE! LOVE! It’s the perfect beach hair for those days you’ll be in and out of the water and need to be fashionable the entire time- just add a kimono like cover up!

2. Dorothy Braid . . . I was against this braid at first. I’m almost 30 years old – should I really be wearing pig tails. But I let her try and I kinda like it. This look is soft and very girly so the outfit should be the same, but with a little edge to it. I chose girly fabrics, designs, and kept the main color edgy black. 

3. MilkMaid Braid . . . This one is my favorite. As soon as it was up I knew it would be because it’s so versatile. Hipster, boho, feminine, edgy . . . you can wear it all those ways. Olive is so in this summer. Paired with your go to jean shorts, this is an outfit that simple accessories can take any of those different ways. a floppy hat for boho, delicate earrings and necklace for feminine, round sunglasses and boat shoes for hipster . . . on and on and on and on

4. Braided chignon . . . This is the braid I was looking most forward to. But with my hair type it wasn’t working. It looked good, but I’d never wear it regularly because of all the bobby pins we had to use. It wasn’t holding tight enough because my hair is so fine (it was also freshly washed so I’m going to try again with dirty hair). If you’re lucky with course hair, I would rock this look weekly. With high heels and a dress every. single. time.

5. Headband Braid . . . For me, this look was all about getting my hair outta my face. Days when I want my hair outta my face are days when I’ll be busy, so my outfit should follow suit. I chose light fabrics like linen and cotton along with some comfy shoes and a big tote bag for errands.

Do you wear braids a lot? What’s your favorite thing to wear with? Also, don’t forget to go check out Nina’s blog for the how to on these bad boys.