Beauty Confession: I Braid My Hair With a Toothbrush

My beauty confession: I always use a toothbrush when I braid my hair. Yup. Let me explain.

We’re in the age of messy hair, y’all. Imperfect locks are being favored over carefully crafted ‘dos, which means that lazy-girl-approved hairstyles are totally acceptable — and trendy — these days. Yaaaaas.

I, for one, am someone who does not wash her hair more than twice a week (usually). I find that after a few days, my hair’s texture (paired with my dry shampoo hack) has that perfect grittiness which lends itself well to a slew of tousled styles. One of my go-to hairstyles for dirty hair is the classic side braid — although I’m ready to test this method out on some next-level braids too. The secret to achieving that perfectly imperfect look? A toothbrush and two super simple steps.

Step 1: Braid Your Hair

Knot your hair into any type of braid. This hair hack works for all types of styles, but it doesn’t get easier than a good ol’ three-strand braid.

Step 2: Backcomb That Ish

Now, using a toothbrush, begin texturizing your braid. Work the toothbrush into your braid, backward, moving up the shaft of your hair toward your head (versus working your way down). I know this feels like you’re effing your braid up, but that’s kinda the point here. You can even wiggle the tip of the toothbrush in each fold of your braid to thicken it up.

If you’re after a slightly messy, chunky hairstyle that’s on-trend and insanely easy to create, a toothbrush is a must — you can see my un-toothbrushed (um yes it’s a word) braid on the left, and my texturized look on the right. You can apply the same toothbrush technique to a slew of looks that will leave you with a unique, knotted vibe that’s way cooler than a pin-straight, perfectly structured ‘do. The toothbrush basically acts as a mini teasing tool for your hair, so apply that same logic. Happy brushing ;)

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