The Scorpion Braid Might Be Your New Favorite Hairstyle

Image via @MarkTownsend1 on Instagram

 

There’s been a new braid style on the red carpet lately, and we bet you’ve never seen anything like it before. We like to call it a scorpion braid, because it almost looks like the way a scorpion’s tail flips forward in attack mode. Both Jaime King and Dakota Johnson have been spotted rocking this super unique plait, but while both styles are relatively similar shape-wise, they are also really different. 

 

Dakota Johnson’s version, created by hair stylist Mark Townsend, is a a more undone look that results in a bouffant-type situation at the top of her head. The braid starts at the nape of the neck, crawls up at the center and ends in a sophisticated version of Snooki’s Jersey Shore poof. It has loads of texture and plenty of flyaways that add a cool edge to Johnson’s elegant gown. 

 

Image courtesy of The Wall Group

 

Jaime King's scorpion by hairstylist Kylee Heath is more like a corset braid and cornrow in one. Like Johnson’s version, King’s inside-out French braid works its way up from the nape of the neck, but then stops at the crown and turns into a messy top knot. Heath gives us the scoop on how to recreate this look on your own. 

 

Step 1: "I started by creating a parting from the arch of each eyebrow back to the crown of the head, creating a triangle and pinning it away,” she says. 

 

Step 2: “I then created an inside out French braid just slightly off center, starting from the nape of the neck and working up towards the crown of the head. It would be easiest to have the head horizontal to the floor and to stand in front, but we had to work together so I just created the braid with her head upright. “ 

 

Step 3: “Once I reached the top of the ear, I pulled the side sections, sprayed them with R+Co Outer Space Flexible Hairspray ($29), and combed them back, incorporating the sections into the braid.  I wanted to have the sides and top be a little more sleek.  Business in the front, party in the back.” 

 

Step 4: “I kept braiding until I reached the tip of the triangle section and then finished the braid, not adding the section that was first pinned away. I tied off the braid with a clear elastic. “ 

 

Step 5: “I, then, unpinned the last section and lightly back combed it. Then, I brushed it back, joining it to the braid and creating a ponytail. The ponytail had the braid and leftover hair in it, so I loosely twisted the pony into a messy topknot and secured it with bobby pins.  To finish, I pulled apart the french braid to create more texture and make it a little looser and bigger." 

 

Who’s going to give this awesome style a go?