My New Hairstyle Obsession: The Unicorn Braid

Confession: I'm sorta sick of the whole braids trend.

As a beauty editor you might think it was my sworn duty to continue leading the braid brigade with a woven crown or a multi-colored fishtail, but for me, the fad reached its tipping point about two months ago, right as "The Hunger Games" hit theaters.

After the explosion of Katniss-inspired side plaits (I'm not judging, I wore one too!), I took a much-needed break from woven effects. Then, I discovered a lovely compromise known as the unicorn braid.

The unicorn braid is a very pretty half-braid, half-twist that is also known as the rope braid. "It's this summer's fishtail braid," says Lauren Conrad's hairstylist Kristin Es, who coined its new name. "It started as a joke," she explains. "This is actually a simple 'twist braid.' I thought it looked like a unicorn horn and just re-branded it."



The easy-to-copy style employs the same technique as a traditional braid, but requires only two sections of hair for overlapping instead of three. "It's meant to be created a bit messy," says Kristin. So if you're sick of complex French braids (or still haven't mastered the technique) but love the added texture they provide, this unicorn braid is the perfect solution. Selena Gomez (left) and Elizabeth Olsen have already displayed gorgeous examples of the loose side style.

While anyone can wear the twist, Kristin says that if you're blonde or have light highlights the unicorn braid "will really show off the color." And, hair chalking is ideal for this hairstyle, too, as the bold tones will peek through at each passing, like ribbons of color.

Do you love it as much as I do? If you give it a shot, why not take a photo and post it on our facebook page so we can share with everyone! And, if you're still on the braid bandwagon, you'll probably want to check out these 8 unique styles.