Many people look at a unique hairstyle like Ribbon-Laced Bubble Braids and think it must be an advanced braid, but it actually isn’t. This viral hairstyle looks much more complicated than it is. It’s created with small ponytails, then linked together and puffed into bubbles.
The ribbon makes it prettier, but the real secret is the order of the elastics and the fact that you shape the bubbles while you are working, not after everything is already tied down.
Tutorial
Ribbon-Laced Bubble Braid
Front
Back
As you can see from the beautiful cascading shape in the photos above, this ribbon-laced style works best on medium-to-long hair, but layered hair can wear it too. You just need to make the sections a little smaller and place the elastics a little closer together so the shorter pieces stay inside the bubbles instead of sticking out.
What You’ll Need
- A brush
- A rat-tail comb
- One sectioning clip
- Mini hair elastics or polybands: Use actual hair elastics, not office rubber bands. Office rubber bands can snag the hair and make removal much rougher.
- A light, workable hairspray
- Narrow satin ribbon (optional)
Before You Start
Start on dry, detangled hair. This hairstyle usually holds better on second- or third-day hair because it has a little more grip. If the hair is freshly washed, dry it fully first and smooth a little lightweight leave-in or serum through the mids and ends.
If the hair is very soft or slippery, mist a little hairspray at the roots before you section it. It helps the sections stay cleaner and it keeps the style from sliding while you work.
Finally, before you pick up your comb, there is one golden rule of styling you need to remember to protect your scalp and achieve the best results.
A hairstyle is not supposed to hurt. If it stings, pulls, or gives you a headache, loosen it. Pretty and painful should never go together — and the most polished results always come from clean sectioning and consistent tension, not from pulling tight.
Now that your hair is prepped and your tension is in check, let’s get started.
How to Do Ribbon-Laced Bubble Braids
Part the hair in the middle and clip one side away
Part the hair cleanly from the forehead to the nape. Then clip one side out of the way and leave the other side down. Work on only one side first. It is much easier to keep the sections neat and even like that.
Build the first row of mini ponytails
Take a small section at the front top of the head and tie it with a mini elastic. Take another small section right below it and tie that one too. Keep going down the side of the head until you reach the nape.
At the end of this step, you should have a neat ladder of little ponytails on one side. Try to keep the sections similar in size. If the hair is layered, make the sections smaller and keep them a little closer together so the shorter hair stays tucked inside the bubbles later.
Link and puff each section right away
Now take the first ponytail and the second ponytail and tie them together with another elastic. Try to place the new elastic so it covers the lower band as much as possible. That way the connection looks cleaner.
Important: As soon as you tie a section, gently pull the hair between the elastics so it opens into a soft bubble. Do not wait until the whole side is finished to start shaping. It is much easier, softer, and cleaner when you do it as you go.
After that, take the newly linked section and the next ponytail and tie them together. Puff that section too. Keep repeating the same rhythm down the side of the head until everything is connected into one tail at the nape.
Turn the loose tail into bubbles
Once you reach the nape and all the scalp sections are connected, keep going down the loose tail. Add one elastic, then gently puff that section. Add the next elastic, then puff the next section. Work one bubble at a time.
Try to keep a similar distance between the elastics. It does not have to be perfect, but even spacing always looks better. Keep the upper bubbles a little fuller and let them get a little smaller toward the ends so the shape does not look bulky.
Repeat the same thing on the second side
Now do exactly the same thing on the clipped side. Try to match the section size and spacing as closely as you can. It helps to check the hairstyle from the front and from the back before moving on.
If one side looks flatter, loosen that section a little. If needed, add one more elastic lower down to help the shape. Both sides should already look balanced before you add the ribbon.
Add the ribbon and finish the style
Cut two long pieces of satin ribbon. Take the first ribbon, find the middle of it, and slip that midpoint behind the top elastic so both ends hang evenly. Then cross the two ribbon ends down the braid, going over and under the elastics.
When you reach the last elastic, tie a small bow. Then do the same thing on the other side. Finish by smoothing the sides and hairline with a little hairspray so the hairstyle stays neat without getting stiff.
To give the look a final polish, smooth the sides and hairline with a light mist of hairspray and pat down anything that looks too fluffy at the roots. The bubbles themselves should stay airy and soft, but the base should look perfectly clean.
In the end, ribbon-laced bubble braids strike that rare balance between romantic and practical: they deliver the visual payoff of an intricate, editorial hairstyle but the technique is all about clean sectioning, consistent elastic placement and strategic puffing.
Once you get into the tie-and-puff rhythm, this look becomes surprisingly approachable and easy enough to recreate at home yet polished enough for weddings, parties, date nights or any occasion that calls for something a little more special!