Parandas - High braided ponytail

Lately I've been using parandas all the time, in braids, length-shortening updos and braided updos :) 

A paranda is a hair accessory, traditionally braided into the hair in India to make it look longer and/or thicker, or simply as an adornment.  It consists of three strands of coloured threads, usually with tassels at the end. 

Apart from the adornment that is having coloured wool in your braid, I love parandas because they help keeping my slippery fine-textured, straight hair in place for longer when wearing braids, and they also make my braid thicker, which I personally like. 

I have a couple of parandas, made of purple wool, without tassels. I learned how to make it thanks to this tutorial: 

I uploaded a hairstyle tutorial last week, so here's the video and a couple of pics. It's a pretty straightforward style, a braided high ponytail, and one of my favourite go-to styles, both for day-to-day activites, sword-fighting, and ranger cosplay :)

• Pic gallery:

                                 SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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A couple of length shots

Just sharing a couple of length shots from yesterday, with bonus cherry tree :)

Beribboned hair video tutorial: Braided Chinese bun

I uploaded my first hair tutorial :)! 

-Style: Braided beribboned Chinese bun, seen here

                                     

-Texture: Doable with straight, wavy and curly hair.

-Length: Long enough to braid and wrap around a hairstick.

Beribboned hair: Braids

Continuing from my former post about beribbboned updos, here are some pics of beribboned braids I have tried, also from different stages in my practising timeline :) (click or open in new tab for larger image). I'm planning some short videos showing how I braid ribbons into my hair (there are useful tutorials on YouTube as well), and I found useful help in this Long Hair Community thread (started by me) as well.

• Three-strand braid: The simplest kind of braid to add ribbons to, and the first one I tried (usually with green ribbons at that time)

• Three-strand braid as a half-up:

• French braid: You add the ribbon in the same way you'd do for a three-strand, then you start adding hair from both sides to create the French braid.

• Accent side braids:  Lots of variations are possible (two side braids, more than two  braids, combining different ribbons, tying the accents braids together to form a half-up or letting them hang loose, etc):

Accent side braids with rope-like red ribbons, this style reminds me of Celtic or Elven styles.

 

Same style, but instead of braiding, I crisscrossed the ribbon around the strand (Irish Queen cosplay/Elven cosplay):

-Two accent side-braids with leaf ribbon (and, sporadically, a dark blue ribbon), tied together at the back, for several Elven cosplays (Lúthien Tinúviel, Noldorin Elven lady, Elven ranger):

 

• Multi-braid: Ribbon can be added to accent braids at the sides, which are then braided together with the rest of the hair (see below). Other options include having side braids and adding ribbon to the general braid, instead, or combining different colours, or any variation you come up with, really :)

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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Beribboned hair: Updos

Lately, I've been favouring parandas, but I also love adding ribbons in my hair, especially for 3-strand or multi-braid styles, and updos.

Here are some of my beribboned updos, from different stages in my practising timeline :) (click or open in new tab for larger image)

I'm planning a short video showing how I braid ribbons into my hair (there are useful tutorials on YouTube as well), and I found useul help in this Long Hair Community thread (started by me) as well.

• Braided bun: I added a long turquoise ribbon to a three-strand braid and bunned it, letting the extra ribbon fall out of the bun as decoration. It reminded me of something a Jane Austen character would wear :)

• Two side braids into a flipped bun

• Braided donut bun with a leaf ribbon

• Braided top knot bun with a green ribbon for a Saint Patrick's Day look:

• Braided Chinese buns (post about the Chinese bun, both simple and braided, will be coming soon)

Tutorial of this last style:

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

If you copy-and-paste this post and/or alter it without any permission, credit or link, you're stealing my content. In that case, please stop. Please ask before using my work, or at least share it properly, giving credit to me and my blog.

January-February length update

Edging ever closer to knee, but still a couple of inches to go! It's definitely grown since Spetember, trims and microtrims included, but it's taking forever at this stage!

First pic is from mid-January (midday, sunlight outside) and the second one is from yesterday, with braidwaves (at night; braidwaves make the hemline look a bit thinner than it really is). And yes, I'm such a lazy length-shot photographer, house clothes and nightgown ftw xDD!

I've done a seasonal trim, plus a couple of small microtrims in the past three months, but I want to grow to knee, then maintain in order to thicken up the hemline, which has thinned out a bit since the Summer (probably because of the Autumn shed... ).  I'm trying out a new orange-based shampoo (D'Shila brand), meant to strengthen and give a bit more volume to fine-textured hair, and I think it's become one of my favourite shampoos. It feels and smells really great, doesn't have harmful chemicals and it actually seems to be working - my hair definitely feels better since last week, the hemline as well. I'm still not 100% happy with the hemline, but it's definitely improved after the Autumn shed, and I plan to go on a hardcore maintaining mode as soon as I get to knee (maintaining just after I hit classic on 2011 did wonders to my hemline, I hope this will be the case as well).

 #Auburn hair problems: Colour-wise, my new camera doesn't seem to be able to handle my dark auburn hair xD. Sometimes it shows up dark brown with ashy or even blue undertones (like September's length shot), sometimes it shows up really auburn and coppery, especially when it's sunny outside. Usually during the same day and with the same, or similar, lighting. Definitely not complaining about the red-oriented pics! (always craving for red hair, me xD)

New hairsticks: Gimli axe stick and Eaduard acrylic

Got two new hairsticks during the Yule period, so I thought I'd post them here :)

I've wanted to give acrylic sticks a try for a while now, so, enabled by an LHC hair swap, I got my first one. It's a gorgeous purple and blue Eaduard stick (https://www.etsy.com/shop/EaduardHairsticks?ref=shop_sugg), and it works really well for me:

Acrylic Eaduard stick in a cinnamon bun. I don't know where the blue lighting comes from, but it sorts of fits the stick's coloration xD

 The second one I got as a gift, and it's a total beauty and makes you look awesomely badass when wearing it. It's from AKCWoodworking on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/AKCWoodworking), a Gimli axe wooden hairstick. As a tolkienite and a swordswoman, I'm mightily pleased :D!