Super long 4-strand braid, my hairstyle today

Hi friends,

     This morning I braided my hair in a 4-strand French braid and left the tail long.  In fact it was too long to fit into the picture frame, so I held up the end and later wrapped it around like a shawl.  Braids are so versatile!

     This look and others are on my Instagram account, if you like you can follow me there as well.  My favorite place to post hair pictures is of course right here on my blog.  Come back often to see what new braids and hairstyles I have to share!  Thank you so much for following <3

@andrea.691 on Instagram

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What a nice place to relax!

My view :-)

A beautiful Micronesian sunset

Dutch braid updo

Hi everyone,

     Thank you for following my blog!  I love combining braids in different hairstyles.  In this look, I combined two Dutch braids with a center 4-strand braid.  And side buns are always a fun way to show from the front view "I have hair!" rather than most buns which can't be seen until you turn around and leave the room :-)

Mohawk Braided Ponytail~ plus what I love most about my hair

Hi friends,

     Today I braided my hair in a 4-strand Mohawk braid, and continued my braid all the way down the length of my hair.  I put my loose hair and my Mohawk braid into a mid-ponytail and braided the rest of my loose hair into two separate 4-strand braids. Then I took all 3 braids, folded them up once and made a waist-length braided ponytail.  I love the way this Mohawk braid looks when combined with a ponytail rather than a bun, like I usually do.

     On a separate note, a friend messaged me on Facebook and asked what it is that I love about my hair, and in particular what I love about having long hair.  I appreciated such a thoughtful, considerate question, and wanted to share my answer here.

• I love the color of my hair, strawberry blonde~ not quite red and not quite blonde.  
• I love when my hair is thick and even across the bottom, which is why I keep the ends trimmed.  
• I love having bangs!  And I love my accent piece that is longer on one side~ it adds interest and is a personal style statement.
• I love being able to fix my hair in so many different braids, buns, and hairstyles.  The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to styling long hair.
• I love the uniqueness of having ankle-length hair.  How fun to dress as Rapunzel for Halloween and use my own hair!
• I love having a thick braid.  I read in a book once about a girl whose braid was as thick as her wrist, and that has always been my personal goal.  
• I love that my long hair gives me a platform to meet new friends who also have long hair or are interested in long hair.  
• I love being a source of encouragement and ideas for women and girls who are trying to grow their hair long, or are looking for ideas on how to fix their long hair.
• My hair makes me feel beautiful and special, which I think is important for every woman.  I believe that each person has unique gifts, qualities, and features~ something that sets them apart from the crowd.  Hair is a woman's glory.  It makes me sad when I see a mother chop off her daughter's hair simply because it is inconvenient at times.  I think that deep down inside, every girl wants to have long hair.  I would encourage girls and women to grow their hair to a length they can manage and enjoy.  That could be any length~ shoulder, elbow, waist, knee, whatever they personally love and want.
• My hair is my canvas, my creative outlet.  I can't draw and I am not an artist, but with my hair I can create hairstyles and braids that are my own artistic expression.
• My hair makes each day interesting and new.  After finishing my morning routine, I get to decide how I will fix my hair that day and then (hopefully) take hair pictures to post on my blog and Facebook and share with my friends around the world.  I live in a very isolated part of the world, but that doesn't mean I have to be alone and removed from the rest of the world.  On the contrary, my hair has given me an opportunity to share my look and style with friends around the world almost on a daily basis.
• Finally, my hair is a gift from God who created me.  I thank Him for it, and for all the many blessings He has given me in my life.

   
     And now...my hair pictures from today!  Thank you for reading this extra-long post, I hope that it has been insightful and encouraging <3

From Instagram, working in my office

Princess-style 4-strand lace braids

Hi everybody,

     What a beautiful day, perfect for a princess-style updo.  I made 4-strand lace braids on either side of my head, then put the length of my hair into a big bun.  A friend asked how many clips it takes to hold my hair in place in a bun like this one.  Usually I make my buns with 2 medium size clips in the center, and 3 to 5 small clips.  If I have a stray section of hair, I might add an extra clip or a bobby pin to put it in place.

 

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