If you see me on any given day, I am wearing my hair down, either straight or curled. I rarely do anything else to it. Thus, when I saw a Braiding 101 class listed on Dabble’s website, I knew I wanted to try it.  The $35 class was an hour and 45 minutes and was held at Goldplaited in Lakeview. Goldplaited is what’s called a finishing salon, meaning they don’t cut or color hair, but they’ll style your hair and do your makeup to get you ready for events.

Gold was the theme of the salon. The adorable space had had gold accents throughout. Each student sat at white salon chairs surrounding the instructor. She first began by sharing tips for prepping your hair to braid and products that can help: mousse, texture spray, hair spray, dry shampoo and others. She also suggests tools you could use, such as curling wands, mini elastics and hair clips to separate your hair. These proved to be crucial for me later on.

For each braid we learned, she would demonstrate on herself and then we would try it on ourselves at our mirrors. We began with the Dutch braid and pulling on the braid to make it thicker. This is simple but a game-changer for me. The braids look fuller and much prettier, in my opinion.

Next we tried the fishtail braid, which I was surprised to learn is much simpler than it looks. You can also pull on the fishtail braid to make it thicker. Then we learned the rope braid, another simple braid that looks more complicated and stylish.

We weren’t limited to only learning braids. The staff also showed simple styles incorporating the braids that are perfect for both events and everyday wear. My favorite was this updo using an elastic headband.

All we did is create two fishtail braids on each side, put an elastic headband on, and tuck sections of hair into the elastic in the back. We then tuck or pin the braids in as well. SUPER EASY!

We later learned another updo incorporating bobby pins that looked much more complicated than it actually was. A bonus at the end was coaching on French braids, which I struggled with. Thanks to the help of the staff I was able to finally get one going in the last minutes of class.

The class gives you the basics that you can practice on your own to improve and put your own personal touch on. Sure, you can watch tutorials online, but having someone help me in person helped me finally grasp the braids. You can ask the staff to repeat a demo or watch you do it to get extra feedback as well.

In addition to Braiding 101, Goldplaited has other classes listed on Dabble: Highlight & Contour Makeup Techniques; Curling Iron Class; and Blowout Bootcamp are just a few.

Check out Dabble in your city to find great new hobbies and learn new skills, from braiding to painting to knife-throwing. You can also use code MARETTE10 at checkout to save some cash on your class. (An easier method if to use my referral link, which automatically populates the discount.) Dabble classes are currently available in such cities as St. Louis, Seattle, Chicago, Austin and Denver, but hopefully Dabble will expand further. Happy Dabbling!

What new things have you tried lately?

Previous Dabble classes:

 

• Intro to Climbing
• Modern Lettering
• Fused-Glass Dish Class
• Photography
• SUP Yoga
• Holiday Ornaments
• Sushi-Making