#CopyThat: Keke Palmer’s Fierce Fishtail Braid

Dana Oliver

Keke Palmer doesn’t commit to any hairstyle for too long, and we absolutely love her for that. Scrolling through the 23-year-old’s Instagram photos is almost like flipping through the pages of a hair magazine. She’s styled her locks long and straight, in a sleek pixie, voluminous and wavy, and in an undercut with a chunky braided ponytail. But when Palmer stepped out with this fierce fishtail braid at an Ice Age screening, we knew it was time for a crash course on this style.

In the video above, Cristina B. of the Rita Hazan Salon shows us exactly how to do a fishtail braid. Watch carefully as she recreates Palmer’s intricate plait, and read the steps below for more details and product recommendations.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Create a middle hair part (or part your hair to the side, like our model) and apply Oribe Rock Hard Gel on the crown.

  2. Add Rita Hazan Triple Threat Split End Therapy to the ponytail section to tame frizz. Then brush products through with a boar bristle hair brush.

  3. Secure ponytail right above the nape with an elastic holder.

  4. Spritz hair with a flexible-hold hair spray. (Cristina B. used Oribe Superfine Hair Spray).

  5. Wrap a section of hair around the elastic tie and stylishly conceal and secure it with a bobby pin.

  6. Divide ponytail into two even sections and create your fishtail braid, pulling small pieces from each half and wrapping around the opposite large section of hair.

  7. Plait all the way down and leave about two inches of hair unbraided. Secure the end of fishtail with a clear elastic.

  8. Gently pull fishtail braid apart for a textured, fuller braid.

  9. Add a few more spritzes of hair spray and use Oribe Original Pomade to smooth flyaways.

Related:
#CopyThat: Lilly Singh’s Über-Cool Side Braids
#CopyThat: Khaleesi’s Game of Thrones Braids
#CopyThat: Alicia Vikander’s Berry Lips

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