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Hair > Articles > Updo Contest Winner: The Double-Waterfall Updo

Updo Contest Winner: The Double-Waterfall Updo

When it comes to updos, BTC Facebook fans are not to be messed with. When we held an updo contest on the BTC Facebook page last week, we opened the doors to a flood of entries that blew us away! From sleek buns to cascading curls, your creativity astounded us!

That said, the competition was steep. We had hundreds of entries and thousands of “likes,” but there could only be one winner…Erica Arroyo! And even more impressive: she’s JUST graduating from Broken Arrow Beauty College in Broken Arrow, OK!

“With my double-waterfall updo, I wanted to create something detailed that still felt soft, easy and sophisticated; something a bride might want to wear,” Erica says. “Best of all, this updo is EASY!”

Here’s you can create the updo, with directions from Erica herself!

1. Beginning at the nape, curl large, horizontal sections with a one-inch iron. Create downward-directed barrel curls from midshafts to ends. When the entire head is set and cool, gently brush through with fingers or a flat brush.

2. The first waterfall braid begins just above the right ear, progresses on a horizontal curve along the crown and ends behind the left ear. To craft the braid, isolate a section behind the right ear and subdivide into three strands like a traditional French braid.

3. Cross the left strand over the center, then cross the right strand over the center.

4. Pick up a small amount of hair adjacent to the left strand, add it to the section and cross it over the center.

5. Drop the right strand, pick up a section of equal size directly next to the dropped section and cross it over the center.

6. Continue braiding in this manner, adding hair on the left, crossing it over the center, dropping out the right section, picking up an adjacent section and crossing it over the center. Work with mild tension—enough to control the braid while maintaining a draped effect.

7. Once the braid reaches the back of the left ear, secure it with a clear elastic.

8. Create a second waterfall braid a few inches below the first, using the same technique. Once this braid reaches the left side, incorporate the tail with the tail of the previous braid and combine the two into a single, conventional braid.

10. Gather the lengths of the hair, twist them into a bun at the nape, and secure with pins. Fan out the bun to camouflage the pins.

11. Wrap the braids around the base of the bun and secure with pins. Incorporate the curly ends of the braids into the bun.