Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Beauty
    2. Hairstyles, Haircuts, and Hair Colors

    How to Master the Perfect Fishtail Braid

    It's a lot easier than it looks.

    By The Editors
    Published 26 July 2017 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Hair, Face, Hairstyle, Eyebrow, Long hair, Blond, Beauty, Brown hair, Fashion model, Lip,
    (Image credit: Pascal Le Segretain)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    The tightly interwoven fishtail braid gets a bad rap for looking overly complicated to try at home, but it's really just a matter of practice. If you're tired of sweeping your hair back into yet another ponytail, perfecting the fishtail braid is a crucial hair hack to learn for busy mornings.

    It simply requires an elastic band and a little patience, but once you do, you'll find an effortlessly chic style that's equally wearable for the office or a summer date. Follow along below to find out how to master this versatile style in six easy steps and don't forget to check out all of MC's braid tutorials at the bottom of the page.

    YouTube YouTube
    Watch On

    Step 1.

    Sweep hair over your shoulder into a ponytail and secure with a rubber or elastic band. Separate this ponytail into two large sections or equally sized ponytails.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Step 2.

    Grab a half-inch piece of hair from the left section. Next, cross it over the rest of the hair in the left section and pass it under the entire right section.

    Step 3.

    Next, repeat step two on the right side (in reverse), being sure to cross a half-inch piece from the right section over the rest of the hair in the right section and then under the hair in the left section.

    You may like
    • ocean water background with two girls with beach waves on top next to hair styling products for fine hair Think Beach Waves Won't Last On Fine Hair? I Found the Fool-Proof Routine
    • three women including nicole kidman, zoe kravitz, and kylie jenner each wearing a different ponytail hairstyle Your Ponytail Could Be Doing So Much More
    • rosie huntington-whitely in a sleek pony braid, hailey bieber in a slick-back messy bun and dangling earrings, kim kardashian in a black strapless dress and platinum messy bun I Asked Top Hairstylists for the Best Updo Hairstyles for Weddings, Work, and Everything In Between

    Step 4.

    Repeat this process on both sides until all of the hair is threaded together, then secure the ends with an elastic.

    Step 5.

    Cut off the elastic band you used to secure your hair at the top.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Step 6.

    Gently tug at the finished braid and loosen it slightly via the pancaked method to create a messy 'do. And, if you want a sultry, undone look like Ciara's, leave some of the hair out of the braid to majestically drape around your face.

    Fishtail Braid How-To

    (Image credit: Kathryn Wirsing)
    RELATED STORIES

    braided styles

    (Image credit: Archives)

    20 Gorgeous Braided Hairstyles to Try this Summer

    RELATED STORIES

    lip, cheek, hairstyle, chin, forehead, eyebrow, style, jaw, eyelash, hair coloring,

    (Image credit: Macall B. Polay/courtesy of HBO/Design by Kevin Peralta)

    How to Create a Khaleesi-Worthy Waterfall Braid

    RELATED STORIES

    finger, brown, hairstyle, skin, eyebrow, style, nail, beauty, organ, black hair,

    (Image credit: unknown)

    How to Create a Snake Braid in Under 5 Minutes

    Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.

    The Editors

    Marie Claire is committed to celebrating the richness and scope of women's lives. We're known for our award-winning features, thoughtful essays and op-eds, deep commitment to sustainable fashion, and buzzy interviews and reviews. Reaching millions of women every month, MarieClaire.com is an internationally recognized destination for celebrity news, fashion trends, beauty recommendations, and renowned investigative packages.

    Read more
    ocean water background with two girls with beach waves on top next to hair styling products for fine hair
    Hair Think Beach Waves Won't Last On Fine Hair? I Found the Fool-Proof Routine Wearing this look through September.
    By Samantha Holender
    two women with blow buns and low ponytails on a liquid golden background
    Hair The Reign of the Slick Back Bun Is Over Low, loose, and undone is the vibe for fall.
    By Hannah Baxter
     
     
    a pink background with three women with bleached blonde hair
    Hair The Celebrity Stylist Secret to Bleaching Your Hair—Without Destroying It In the Process Because platinum blonde looks good on everyone.
    By Bianca Rodriguez
    collage of nyfw beauty trends on a green background
    Beauty Per NYFW, We're Ditching Hair Parts and Going All Out With Eyeliner Consider this the official beauty trend report, with seven shockingly wearable looks to DIY.
    By Samantha Holender
     
     
    Latest in Hairstyles, Haircuts, and Hair Colors
    two women with blow buns and low ponytails on a liquid golden background
    Hair The Reign of the Slick Back Bun Is Over
    Nicole Kidman attends the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Hair Nicole Kidman’s Emmys Hair Has Me Ready to Retire the Slicked-Back Bun
     
     
    Lukita Maxwell at the 78th Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Hair Lukita Maxwell Just Made the Baby Bob Fall’s Most Tempting Haircut
    Zendaya at the 2026 Emmys looking over her shoulder and posing.
    Hair Zendaya's Pixie Cut Is the Star of the 2026 Emmys Red Carpet
     
     
    Latest in Features
    collage of nyfw beauty trends on a green background
    Beauty Per NYFW, We're Ditching Hair Parts and Going All Out With Eyeliner
    mariska hargitay collage from the emmys
    Beauty Mariska Hargitay and I Just Debriefed on the Emmys Over FaceTime
     
     
    two women with blow buns and low ponytails on a liquid golden background
    Hair The Reign of the Slick Back Bun Is Over
    Emmy Rossum wearing a black dress posing with her hands on her hips at the 2026 Emmys
    Beauty Emmy Rossum's Voluminous Curls at the 2026 Emmys Will Be on My Mood Board Until Further Notice
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.