DIY Wedding Hair: The Easy, Five-Pin French Twist

Thinking of doing your own wedding hair, or just having a styling-savvy bridesmaid lend a hand? Here's a step-by-step how-to for an easy, trendy five-pin French twist, from Heather Packer, senior stylist at the fabulous Cutler/Redken salon in New York City.

As we've discussed over at Girls in the Beauty Department recently, French twists are totally back, after shaking off their circa-1990 lameness and loosening up a bit for today's red carpet events. And I think this mussed-up one with funky teased roots makes an awesome wedding hairstyle for a slightly trendy or edgy bride. Here's the how-to:

1. Apply a volumizing spray (like Cutler Volumizing Spray) from roots to ends and blow dry your hair with a large round brush for volume. Wrap small, random sections around a 1 1/4-inch curling iron, winding them away from the face while holding the barrel of the curling iron vertically, to create tousled curls.

2. Starting on the top of your head, grab 1/2-inch to 1-inch sections back-comb (tease). Be sure to pack the back-combing very close to the scalp and go all the way around the head.

3. Gently break up the back-combing with your fingertips to create a fluffy "pillow" of hair at your crown.

4. With your hands, direct your hair into a gentle side part and smooth the hair back on one side. Secure by inserting two large bobby pins vertically up the center back of the head.

5. Direct the hair on the other side of your head to the back and create a twist.

6. Secure the twist with three large French hairpins (open pins).

7. Using your hands, finish and dishevel the look according to your taste. Then set with a flexible-hold hairspray, like Redken Workforce 09.

So there you have it. The 5-pin twist.

What do you think of this latest hair how-to from the lovely Heather? How many of you are considering a French twist for your wedding or as a hairstyle for bridesmaid duty? Have any of you worn a French twist to a wedding recently?