Tomorrow is May 25th; the 36th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi being released in theatres!  In honour of that and because I’m desperately wishing that I could be at Star Wars Weekends in Walt Disney World, it’s a Star Wars post.

Summer is coming and if you have long hair like me, that means you might be looking for a more creative way than a ponytail or messy bun to get it all up and off your shoulders.  Who better to turn to for ideas than Leia Organa and Padme Amidala?  While their hairdos are intended for people with far more hair than most of us, they serve as great starting points and inspiration.  Today, we’re going to use Princess Leia’s hairstyle from Return of the Jedi as a decently quick yet pretty way to put your hair up.

You don’t need much for this!  Just a brush, two hair ties (I use one thick and one skinny), two rubber elastics, bobby pins, and a nice big can of hair spray.

Step 1: Brush your hair out.  I prefer to do this while my hair is wet but it’s your choice.  I’m putting a picture here of my hair down to give you an idea of how much hair I’m working with here for this style.

Step 2: Put your hair in a low ponytail and then divide it into three sections.  The middle section should be decently thicker than the outer two.  How thick you choose to make the outer sections is up to you and depends on how far up on your head you want the braids.

Step 3: Do a basic braid to all three sections and braid as far down as you can.

When you finish, your hair should look something like this.

Step 4: Take the skinny braids and wrap them around your head, adjusting where you place them so that the ends will overlap.  Bobby pin and hairspray until you think they are secure.

Step 5: Wrap the fat braid in an oval around the ponytail holder.  Tuck the end beneath the rest and bobby pin securely.

And that’s it!  You now have a do worthy of Princess Leia!  Now get out there and save the Rebellion!

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