Lazy Guide to Long Hair #2: Glaston-braiding

Armed with dry shampoo, glitter, hair crayons and thousands of bands and grips, most festival goers attempt to keep their hair looking rad for a weekend while avoiding washing/brushing it for as long as possible. For me this is pretty common practice for every day. My hair is really thick so it’s a total pain to wash and goes completely fluffy whenever I brush it. My favourite way to get all of my mane out of the way is braiding, which seems to be a hairstyle headliner at Glastonbury as well! Check out these beauties that I spotted while I was there:

I’ve put together a few little guides to my favourite lazy braid styles that can be a lifesaver when you need your hair up but are sick of ponies and buns. Before attempting these I would recommend taking off any rings. There is nothing worse than completing a 5 star braid only to catch your new midi ring in the perfectly constructed style. I would also suggest putting on some chilled out, soothing music (my choice is Alt-J) because braiding requires quite a lot of brain action and can be super stressful. Not kidding.

1. Halo Plait (for frizzy hair maintenance)

This braid always draws a lot of compliments as it looks quite complicated and high fash. It’s actually really easy once you’ve practised a few times.

– Start by parting your hair down the centre and select a small section of hair at the back of your head to one side of the parting.
-Start as you would with a normal braid but after a few folds start to work the braid up the side of your head, adding in sections of hair as you go.
-Keep going all the way around your head and then tie the end of the braid with a hairband, tuck the end underneath where you started and grip in place.
-Make sure you mess the braid up and hairspray it to reduce that milkmaid chic.
-Switching hands around is where this braid gets tricky, so don’t worry if it takes a few attempts at first. Just breathe, let Alt-J calm you down and start again.

I also normally do this as an inverse braid (adding sections underneath rather than over the top of the braid) but either way looks killer!

2. Diagonal braid (when you can’t be bothered but don’t want to look boring)

This is the same as any inverse french plait but goes from one side of your head to the other. If you have a fringe braid it into your hair then pull it out after to avoid those weird strands of hair dangling down your forehead that everyone used to have in the nineties (what actually were they?). I love this because its super fast and if it goes wrong you can just pretend it was meant to look like that.

3. Micro braid (‘the greasy fringe disguiser’)

Because you touch it and tuck it behind your ears a lot, your fringe normally gets greasy before the rest of your hair. Luckily 70s styles are massive right now so you can channel a bit of boho-hippy and tuck all the greasyness into a braid! Rub the braid with your fingers before you grip it back to make it a bit looser.

4. Fishtail plait (If you want to look posh but don’t have time to hit the straighteners)

This braid works for formal events as well as every day, just change how far along you go on the messiness scale accordingly. Keep all your sections uneven and use a toothbrush to mess up the braid once your done to avoid that try-hard Zoella vibe.

– Begin with your hair in two sections.
– Grab a piece of hair from underneath one section and add it to the other side just as you would with a normal braid.
– Keep doing this to the end of the brain, varying the size of the sections you choose.
– Back brush with an old toothbrush and add salt spray for a bit more of a beachy look.

Vivienne Westwood at Glastonbury.

Fracking. When environmental experts talked about it, I didn’t really listen. When politicians talked about it, I didn’t understand. When a fashion designer took on the subject, I was transfixed. Although perhaps slightly sad, is celebrity endorsement the way forward with these issues? I think so.

Maybe it was Vivienne’s clearly passionate and emotional delivery of her points against fracking. Maybe it is because I have so much admiration for her as a designer and as an activist. But I think the real reason I stopped and listened to what she had to say was that I trust her. She doesn’t want my vote or for me to donate money to any cause, she just wants me to care. And now I do.

‘Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.‘ BBC.CO.UK

Sat in the Engine Room at the Greenpeace Field at Glastonbury Festival, Vivienne Westwood discussed fracking, with a small audience. She looked a little overwhelmed as she entered the room, and perched fragilely on a metal chair. Wearing a long, colourful skirt, wellies, a neck scarf and a tshirt to promote Greenpeace’s cause. She explained in her charming northern burr, what fracking is and why it needs to be stopped.

I learned that if our government go forward with fracking, then 60% of the country will be affected. Large areas of the countryside in the United States have been devastated by this technique of extracting fuel and it could be the same, if not worse in the United Kingdom. The government line is that we need to extract this fuel to ensure ‘energy security,’ and then invest in renewable techniques. However, Westwood questioned why we are wasting time with this harmful method, when we could focus all efforts on clean and renewable sources. She explained that Germany produced 50% of its energy from solar panels on the rooves of houses last year and it is tragic and ridiculous that we are not doing the same.

Vivienne knew what she was talking about, even though it seemed hard for the 74-year-old to fully articulate. As well as facts, her personal thoughts were equally stirring. She told the crowd how she didn’t want the next generation to suffer from our mistakes, how she cared about not only people, but the earth too, flowers. Vivienne cares about life. The designer ended her talk by saying, ‘I want you to get a life. That’s just it really.’

You can sign an e-petition against fracking here.  https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/s/frack-free-uk  #frackfree

glastonbury style diary

I think it takes a year of festivalling to make your mistakes, learn your lessons and let what you’ve found out reflect next times bag-packing. Last time I went to Glastonbury I took way too much stuff. My rucksack was rupturing with the amount of clothes I had stuffed inside it. Not only was it a total pain to rifle through each morning, but carrying all those redundant clothes along with our tent, cider, super noodles and wet wipes was soul destroying. This year I planned an outfit for every day, right down to the knickers. I put each in a separate plastic bag to ward away the rain, and each morning was a fashion lucky dip!

Vintage bag, JuJu jellies, Topshop dungarees,  ASOS shirt and H&M bikini top.

Vintage army jacket, my boyfriend’s jumper, H&M dress, JuJu jellies.

 Vintage shirt, Topshop shorts, boyfriend’s jumper,  hunter wellies, vintage sunglasses, free hair band from work and mud splatter donated by a fellow festival goer.

My top festival tips:

– Mix and match everything.

– Expect everything to get soaked.

– Don’t bring anything you really care about.

– Go mental with accessories.

– Dont be afraid to wear your wildest garments, someone there WILL look weirder than you.

 

how to find your festival bag

It’s annoying enough when someone is wearing the same outfit as you at a party. But a festival is really just a massive party, so the odds of clashing with another camper are greatly increased. I found this year’s Glastonbury bag at a local car boot sale for £1. I was drawn to it by its 80s essence and I find it’s gold detailing reminiscent of Dolce and Gabbana medallions. Here are my tips for finding your festival bag.

1. Decide on your style. Are you a rucksack or a satchel person? Do you carry around a million things or just a phone and a fiver? Once you are focussed on the style and size for you, searching will become much easier.

2. Avoid the high street. As well as being totally bland most of the time, the high street is usually the first place everyone will look to find their festival garments. Unless you’re planning on customising, or happy to spot your clones around the fields, try to find somewhere less mainstream.

3. Consider vintage or second hand. As well as being unique, the price tags are competitive with Primark AND you won’t be carrying guilt about the environment and sweatshops around with you.

4. Think practically. This bag will be going through a lot with you. Rain, sun, mud, cider, jumping in crowds and crawling back to your tent. Yes, it needs to look great, but also needs to survive until the end of the festival.