MODERN editors Alison Alhamed and Lauren Quick visited Color Me New salon in Oak Forest, Illinois, for holiday-ready hairstyles with MODERN SALON 100 artist Nora Dababneh (@noradababneh) and Dorthi Kościelniak (@hairbydorthi).

Prepping for the holidays, Dababneh and Kościelniak used products and tools from MODERN SALON's Haute Holiday contest and giveaway, including some from Fave4, Ulta Beauty, TIGI, Kenra Professional, Agadir, Pink Pewter, LakmeXfusion by Toppik, Moroccanoil, Living Proof, and Hot Tools Professional.

Kościelniak created a beautiful holiday-ready updo: a braided bow style that is about as festive as it gets. See the steps and video below, and make sure you see the second look—glam Hollywood waves by Dababneh—here!

HOW-TO: Braided Bow Updo

  1. Use Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo for some grip and to soak up any oil, dirt or product on client’s hair.
  2. Have client flip hair over. Brush through with Pink Pewter Never Let Go Carbon Styling Comb.
  3. Take a triangle section at nape and take three subsections for braiding. Firmly French braid—control is important so braid looks clean. Continue braid until an inch in front of the ears. Secure braid with elastic. Mist with Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray Strong Finish, smoothing any flyaways.
  4. Have client sit up. Take a zigzag parting on each side to leave out some face-framing pieces.
  5. Shake Lakme K.Style Chalk Matte Powder at the base of remaining section, then backcomb.
  6. Brush remaining hair back to meet the secured braid, smoothing teased sections and misting Moroccanoil Luminous Hairpsray Strong Finish as you go. Gather braid and remaining hair into one section and secure with an elastic.
  7. If necessary, smooth hair with CHI for Ulta Beauty flatiron. Take ponytail in two sections down middle, brushing to smooth hair.
  8. Take Daniel Roldan Stitch crochet tool and slide under ponytail. Take one section and put through crochet loop. Pull tool through to the other side of the pony, taking hair in the loop with it. Pull and shape hair so it looks like half a bow. Secure in place with pins.
  9. Repeat on remaining section, pulling through to opposite side of pony with crochet tool.
  10. Take ends of bow that are left out and fold over top-middle of bow to create the center of the bow. Pin in place.
  11. Curl face-framing pieces.
  12. Polish and smooth with with Lakme K.Style Polish Smooth & Shine Sheen Spray.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.