This clever braid iteration has immediately bumped up this cute, girly staple to Haute status, primarily because it looks more challenging than it really is (and kinda delightfully meta, right?). The style, which is little more than a curved French pigtail, is perfect for un-ironically cheesing it up during Valentine’s Day, at festivals, or technically anytime you need to show some love, which is, in this day and age, every day. Ed’s note: For this post, we decided to double up on the regular heart braid and do a two-in-one inner and outer version because one looked too lonely (we also might’ve just wanted to flex our skills and see how many braids you can fit into one head of hair). You can always simplify according to your skill level and cut to the outer heart part for a more streamlined outline. Read on for our prettiest, most lovesick tutorial yet with this heart-shaped braid:
Tutorial: How to Do a Heart Braid
Step 1: Prep your washed hair with a styling cream.
Start by washing and conditioning your hair. Try the Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter Shampoo and the Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner. These formulas work to clean and nourish your hair. Then use some of the Nexxus New York Salon Care Exxpand+ Volumizing Whip, which works to smooth and prevent flyaways without weighing hair down, a crucial step in braids that lie closer and tighter to the scalp.
Step 2: Part hair in the middle.
Using a fine-toothed or rat-tail comb, create a center part and brush out your lengths, detangling any knots. Clip up one section.
Inside Heart Shape
Step 3: Create another parting on each side, horizontal, this time.
You should end up with a loose strip of hair on both sides, resembling a headband. Clip up for now.
Step 4: Starting with the remaining inner left section, divided it into three parts.
Pinch hair from the crown and not your immediate hairline. Ideally, you should start the French braid around three to four inches behind your bang area.
Step 5: Begin your French/waterfall process, starting at your crown.
Go up towards your bang area—still staying behind the clipped-up “headband” of hair—then curve the plait towards your ears, creating an arc that is thickest at the temples and that thins out again as you go past your ears. This will be the first half of your heart braid. Note: Remember to only pinch and incorporate hair from the outside edges.
Step 6: Switch into a regular three-strand braid as soon as you go past the ear.
Secure one side with an elastic, or clip off temporarily.
Step 7: Repeat Heart Braid on the other side.
Tie the two pigtails together with an elastic.
Outside Heart Braid
Step 8: Remove the clips on your hairline.
Repeat the French/waterfall braid you did on the inner heart, and start as close to the crown as possible. Curve the plait outwards from the crown and towards the temples, using the inner braid as a guide.
Step 9: Switch to a three-strand braid past the ears.
Secure the pigtail with a clip for a gorgeous heart braid.
Step 10: Repeat on the opposite side.
Tie the two pigtails together, and incorporate the inner braid’s ponytail into the outer braid’s ponytail in one main gather for a cascading, on-trend look.
Step 11: Finish off with some hairspray.
Choose a medium-hold version that helps fight halo frizzies and protect against weather, like Dove Style + Care Extra Hold Hairspray. Looking for more tutorials like this heart-shaped braid? Check out to create these cool halo hairstyles!
