How to: Chainmail Braid

<p><strong>Step eight:</strong> Flatten the hoop that is sitting up down in the direction away from your parting and feed the hair under the first hoop and over the flattened hoop.</p>

<p><strong>Step nine: </strong>The hair should be woven through your first two hoops and it should look like this.</p>

<p><strong>Step ten:</strong> Place your third hoop over the second and weave the hair through (see picture).</p>

<p><strong>Step eleven:</strong> As you weave the hair through the third hoop pull it up to create the T-shape. Flatten the hoop down and away from your parting and weave the hair under the second hoop and over the third one.</p>

<p><strong>Step twelve:</strong> From the third hoop onwards start adding in sections of hair from the hair line, so you are braiding the hoops into the hair. You always want to drop a piece out of the bottom of the braid, the same size as the piece you pulled in from the top to avoid the section of hair becoming too wide to braid through the hoops.</p>

<p><strong>Step thirteen:</strong> Continue to braid the hair around to the back of your head (you may need an extra pair of hands for this!). You could alternatively weave into three or four rings into your side parting and secure with a clear elastic before pinning in place.</p>

<p><strong>Step fourteen:</strong> The sections will be come bigger and longer as you work around the head, and as the braid sits lower.</p>

<p><strong>Step fifteen:</strong> Et Voila: A chainmail braid! If you want to leave your hair down the rings should be woven in tight enough to stay put.</p>

<p><strong>Step sixteen:</strong> If you’d prefer pin, your ends under to create a loose up-do.</p>

<p><strong>The Look:</strong> Chainmail Braid</p>

<p><strong>What you will need:</strong>Percy & Reed Hair No Fuss Dry Conditioner, £12 (<a href="http://www.spacenk.co.uk/product/shop+by+brand/percy+and+reed/200008201+no+fuss+dry+conditioner.do">Space NK</a>)Jump Rings (from a haberdashery)HairsprayDenman Carbon Pin Tail Anti-Static Comb, £4.85 (<a href="http://www.johnlewis.com/122345/Product.aspx?searchterm=denman+carbon+pin+tail+anti-static+comb">John Lewis</a>)</p>

<p><strong>Step one:</strong> Spray the hair all over with dry conditioner. This gives hair guts but unlike dry shampoo it keeps hair looking shiny rather than powdery.</p>

<p><strong>Step two: </strong>The chainmail braid, as with any plait, can be positioned pretty much anywhere in the hair you wish. Here Adam will show you how to create a chainmail on a side parting.</p>

<p><strong>Step three: </strong>Spritz the ‘pin’ end of your comb with hairspray. You’ll be using the pin to feed the hair through the hoops and the hairspray removes any slip.</p>

<p><strong>Step four:</strong> Use the pintail comb to section the hair. Make sure the section is a little narrower than the hoops you’re feeding it through.</p>

<p><strong>Step five: </strong>Feed the first two hoops onto the section.</p>

<p><strong>Step six: </strong>Create an upside-down T shape with the hoops.</p>

<p><strong>Step seven:</strong> Next use the pintail comb to loop the hair through (see this picture and next).</p>