Styling How-To: Topsy Tail Pull-Through Braid with Waves

It's no secret that braiding remains a huge buzz word in the world of hairdressing. Whether it's for social media, the runway or a wedding aisle, braids have proven their ground and earned a spot among the must-knows of the industry. In fact, we at MODERN love braids so much, we've dedicated two contests to their creation: Braids and Brides and Making Waves. In 2019, both of these contents had something else in common: Shelby Weatherholtz.

Weatherholtz is a Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, stylist best known for three things: braids, bridal and balayage. The artist ultimately won our summer contest, and it's easy to see why. She constantly blows us away with her beautiful styles with incredible color effects. 

Recently, we have been swooning over a topsy tail pull-through braid Weatherholtz posted to Instagram. Naturally, we had to ask her for the details.

To create the look, Weatherholtz says she used hero products from Alterna Professional Haircare. The products offer a solution by giving artists an arsenal of power products designed to create perfect finishes. 

"My favorite cocktail of the Alterna products has to be the Blowout Butter and the CC Cream," Weatherholtz says. "For my weddings and events on the weekends, I've been obsessing over the Sheer Dry Shampoo. It's a dry puff insteaf of a continuous spray and it just works better for my updos."

Watch Weatherholtz use her favorite products from Alterna to create this wavy braided style, and check out her steps below:

1. Start by prepping hair using Alterna Multiplying Volumizing Mist, spraying it through the hair and focusing more on the roots. Blowdry the hair, over directing it to create more volume.

2. Use a 1-inch iron and wrapp the hair around it, leaving the last 2 inches out to create a more effortless wave. Once finished, use Alterna's Perfect Texture spray to break apart those waves and add some extra grit.

3. After the curls are prepped, create two topsytails at the crown that merge into a pull-through braid.

4. Finished with High-Hold hairspray and Instant Repair from Alterna for all that shine! Add in pearl clips for an accessory.