‘Crown’ed queens

On days when pulling your hair up to keep the hair off your face is a necessity, crown braids are THE answer! It’s the perfect solution to add a girlie texture to your updo or a chucky fish tail braid. A crown braid (or halo braid) is a beautiful style that can be dressed up or down and worn anywhere. They have become especially popular over the oast few years for girls who are going to a dance, or even an evening out!

For the fun summer days, when you want the hair off your sweaty face, it acts like your best headband, adding statement texture to your updo that is seen from every side.

Accessorize these braids with delicate rose buds or any colourful floral accessories to create a fairy tale look. Although it may look daunting to create, it's actually quite simple and makes a quick impact.

To create your own:

• Brush your hair to start with tangle-free hair.
• Part/section your hair. Your braid will be giving the illusion of a headband, so it needs to cross from ear to ear.
• Comb the section horizontally across your head, starting at the base of one ear.
• Begin braiding. Use the three pieces of hair to start a traditional braid
• As you braid, pick up small pieces of hair from your parted section in addition to your regular three sections. Work your way across your head above your hairline, adding in more strands of hair as you go.
• As you get close to your ear, finish the braid by tying it off with a small clear elastic. Repeat on other side. Wear it as criss cross style or over the head as a halo!

— The writer is a Bengaluru-based make-up artist .