Double Dutch Pigtails for Short Hair

When I cut my hair, I felt like I was saying goodbye to braids and some of the more complicated hairstyles I had come to love. For awhile at least! But in the past couple of weeks, I've realized I don't really have to say goodbye that much! A lot of my favorite hairstyles can still be pulled off with a few adjustments and some patience. Although working with shorter hair is trickier than longer—pieces keep seeming to slip out! One style I saw a lot this summer but never got around to trying was double Dutch braids, or boxer braids. With a little adjustment in the form of pigtails and some patience, this style is still possible to pull off on shorter hair.

Step One: Divide your hair into two even sections and tie off one side.

Step Two: Take a small section of hair towards the front of your head and divide it into three sections to start your braid.

Step Three: To make an inverted French braid or Dutch braid, cross the sections underneath each other. So take the right section and cross it under the middle, then the left section and cross it under the new middle piece.

Step Four: Add to your right piece of hair and again cross it under the middle. Add some hair to your left section and cross it under the middle.

Step Five: Continue braiding and working your way down the back of your head.

Step Six: When you reach the base of your scalp, tie off your braid with a small elastic leaving a little hair behind as a ponytail.

Step Seven: Repeat these steps on the other side.

That's it! This style also looks really cute with longer hair where instead of leaving little pigtails at the end, you can make two messy buns. I was nervous about trying such a complicated looking braid style on short hair, but the French and Dutch braid styles actually work a lot better than regular braids for short hair. Because you add sections as you work your way down, you don't need long hair to make the braids. If your hair feels too short and slippery initially with this style, then try prepping your hair with some volumizing powder—that will give you thicker braids and "stickier" hair that holds a style better. If you're looking for great workout hair, then try this style with a traditional French braid. Cheers, Rebecca.

Credits//Author and Photography: Rebecca Stice. Photos edited with the NEW A Beautiful Mess Presets for Lightroom.