How To Style A Bamboo Braid

By Jelani Addams Rosa & Powered By L’Oreal Professional Products Division

Braids are a tried-and-true hairstyling staple and for a good reason. They’re easy to create, they look insanely stylish, and work on just about every hair type and texture. As much as we love braids, we have to admit creating the same three-strand braid over and over again can get a bit boring.

If you feel like you’re stuck in a braiding rut, you’ve come to the right place. We teamed up with Emily Alders, Pureology brand ambassador and stylist, to teach you how to style a bamboo braid.

Whether you have dark brown hair or ash blonde strands, this unique braid is sure to impress your friends.

To create the sleekest bamboo braid possible, you’ll want to start with freshly washed, conditioned, and dried hair. Blow drying your strands before braiding them helps to ensure your locks are detangled and appear as shiny as can be.

Another important note: Achieving the perfect blowout is all about using the right products. from the L’Oréal portfolio of products, we recommend starting with Pureology’s Smooth Perfection Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner. The shampoo and conditioner system is formulated with camellia oil and Pureology’s exclusive AntiFadeComplex to keep unruly, frizz-prone colored hair under control for long-lasting smoothness, even through heat styling.

After shampooing and conditioning your hair, prime your locks with a heat protectant before blow drying them straight. If you have fine strands, we suggest applying Pureology’s Smooth Perfection Lightweight Smoothing Lotion. The lightweight smoothing hair lotion and heat protectant battles frizz and controls fly-aways while providing heat protection for fine to normal hair. If you have thick strands, we recommend Pureology’s Smooth Perfection Style + Care Infusion. The cream-gel blow dry and heat protectant hair product provides a defined style for 72 hours.

If you want to give your strands a bit of extra shine before you begin braiding, emulsify a pea-sized amount of Pureology’s Style + Protect Shine Bright Taming Serum in your hands and apply it throughout your strands. This anti-frizz hair shine serum uses coriander seed oil to smooth frizzy hair and add radiant shine without the unwanted weight. Now that your hair is clean, detangled, smooth, and shiny, you’re ready to begin braiding.

Brush your hair straight back and separate it into two equal sections. Allow two small segments of hair to hang loose and frame your face. Take a small piece of hair from the bottom of the right section, wrap it over the right side, under the center part, and over the left side. Then, weave the hair back in the opposite direction, going under the left side, over the center part, and under the right side.

Continue repeating these steps until you’re left with about an inch of loose hair. Secure your braid with a clear hair elastic and set your look with Pureology’s Style + Protect Soft Finish Hairspray. The flexible hold and non-drying micro-fine hairspray creates brushable, workable hold and radiant shine using natural ingredients such as orange peel.

For a final touch, give your braid a seamless look by covering the elastic with a small piece of your hair. Take a small section of loose hair from the back ends of the braid and feed the section through another U-shaped bobby pin. Allow the bobby pins to act as two ends of a hair bungee, and wrap the section of hair around the hair elastic before securing both bobby pins in place.

Interested in bamboo braids for your next special occasion? Use our salon locator to book an appointment with a stylist near you.