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    1. Beauty
    2. Hairstyles, Haircuts, and Hair Colors

    How to Create a Snake Braid in Under 5 Minutes

    The zigzagging snake braid is one of those gorgeously intricate hairstyles that looks like it took a full beauty team to accomplish when it's really just a five-step kind of 'do.

    Lori Keong's avatar
    By Lori Keong
    Published 25 April 2016 In Features

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    The zigzagging snake braid is one of those gorgeously intricate hairstyles that looks like it took a full beauty team to accomplish when it's really just a five-step kind of 'do. Some snake braids S-shape all the way down the length of your hair, but if you're pressed for time, bookmark this handy guide for how to perfect a subtly sophisticated side version.

    Finger, Brown, Hairstyle, Skin, Eyebrow, Style, Nail, Beauty, Organ, Black hair,

    (Image credit: Unknown)

    Begin braiding the way you would with any other style, pulling a section of hair from the side of your head and weaving three strands together.

    Step 2.

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    Finger, Brown, Hairstyle, Skin, Eyebrow, Style, Nail, Beauty, Organ, Black hair,

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    Once you're almost all the way down the length of the section of hair (about three-quarters of the way down), separate the three strands.

    Step 3.

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    Holding tightly to the middle strand with one hand, push the length of hair all the way up to the top of the braid until your hair is tightly coiled by your roots.

    Step 4.

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    Finger, Brown, Hairstyle, Skin, Eyebrow, Style, Nail, Beauty, Organ, Black hair,

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    Here's where you get to adjust the braid for tightness. Slightly tug at the individual sections of the braid until the S-shaped coils are more spread out. The more you lengthen out the braid, the more visible the "snake" shape will appear.

    Step 5.

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    Secure the braid with a bobby pin and sweep the surrounding hair over it to cover the pin.

    What to read next
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    Voilà

    Finger, Brown, Hairstyle, Skin, Eyebrow, Style, Nail, Beauty, Organ, Black hair,

    (Image credit: Unknown)

    Your side snake braid is ready to go!

    Follow along with the full video from start to finish (that you can pause and rewind as much as you need to).

    GIFs by Katja Cho.

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