20 Cute Party Hairstyles for Long Hair with Simple Instructions

Whether we’re talking about sophisticated dinners, chic cocktail gatherings or epic house parties – they are all great places to unwind! However, that’s the exact opposite of what you would like your hair to be doing, right? Since braids are really trendy at the moment, I’ve come to the rescue with 20 simple yet gorgeous party hairstyles for long hair you’re going to love!

Ultimate Party Hair Rules

Achieving the perfect party hairstyle is all about knowing a few useful hair styling rules – and playing by them. Here they are – all tried-and-tested by me and on my long straight hair!

20 Party Ideas for Long Hair You Can Recreate!

And now – I’ll show you how to create each of these hairstyles for a party step by step!

1. Braided Updo

1. Divide all hair into two sections.
2. Do a Dutch braid down each section, pancaking it as you go. Make sure you angle both braids slightly towards the middle!
3. Wrap both braids in a spiral around each other and pin in place. You can put the braids wherever you would like the bun to be – it’s totally up to you!

Braided Updo

2. Half Up Double Dutch Braids

1. Gather a rectangular section of hair from the forehead back to about 10 centimeters.
2. Divide this section down the middle of the head into two even sections.
3. Do a Dutch braid on each section, pancaking as you go!

Half Up Double Dutch Braids

3. Fishtail Flower Half Up Style

1. Take a large section of hair from the front of the head and create a Dutch fishtail braid, pancaking as you go.
2. When you reach halfway down the head, stop adding in hair and do a fishtail plait.
3. Wrap the fishtail around in a spiral (making sure it gets smaller as you go!) and pin in place.

Half Up Fishtail Style

4. Half Up Stacked Braid

1. Take a small section of hair from the right-hand side of the head and section it away.
2. Take a larger section of hair directly next to it and begin a Dutch lace braid across the head.
3. Tie it off after a few centimeters of plaiting.
4. Take the first small section of hair, plait it – then tie it off.
5. Pin it directly in the center of the Dutch braid.
6. Tie them together at the end!

Half Up Stacked Braid

5. Braided Flower

1. Take a section of hair to the side of your head and do a Dutch braid across your head, pancaking it as you go.
2. Do another pancaked Dutch braid underneath the first one.
3. Now take a the end of the first braid and roll it in a spiral shape to turn it into a flower.
4. Fix it in place with a pin.
5. Take the end of the second braid and wrap it around the first flower, creating an illusion of one big flower.
6. Pin it in place.

Braided Flower

6. Fishtail Updo

1. Take a section of hair from the front of the head near the forehead (where you would like the fishtail braid to start).
2. Start a fishtail braid towards the right-hand side of the head.
3. Continue braiding making sure that you use all the hair from both sides of the head (just as if you were doing a centered fishtail braid – but on the side of the head).
4. Continue the fishtail braid until you have no more hair left. Then, continue with a fishtail plait until the end of the hair – and tie off.
5. Take the fishtail plait and wrap it around in a spiral making sure that the spiral gets gradually smaller. Finally, pin it in place!

Fishtail Updo

7. Triple Ladder Braids + a Flower

1. Take a small section of hair from one side of the head and begin a twist waterfall braid across the head.
2. Tie it off as soon as you finish adding in hair to the braid.
3. Take another small section of hair from one side of the head and begin a twist waterfall braid. Except with this braid, when bringing more hair use the sections that have passed through the braid above. This creates the ‘ladder’ effect.
4. Repeat Step 3 with another small section of hair underneath to create three ladder braids.
5. Tie the ends of all the braids together into a tiny ponytail and plait the hair in the ponytail.
6. Now wrap the plait around in a spiral to create the flower.

Triple Ladder Braids with a Flower

8. Ladder Braid with a Twist

1. Take a small section of hair from the side of the head and do a twist waterfall braid.
2. Continue twisting the strands at the end for a few centimeters and then tie it off.
3. Take a small section of hair a few centimeters underneath the first one and do a lace braid. Make sure that the strands you bring in are the strands from the twist waterfall braid.
4. Continue plaiting the hair combining the end of the twist. Tie off the plait – and you’re ready!

Ladder Braids

9. Rope Braid Style

1. Take a section of hair from the left side of the head and do a rope braid, angling it towards the middle of the head. Only bring in hair from the left side of the head.
2. When there is no hair left to add in, just continue to twist the strands around each other and tie off at the end.
3. Repeat the steps with the hair on the right side – only bringing in hair from the right side.
4. Take the ends of both braids and twist them around each other to combine both braids into one at the end.
5. Tie them off – and you’re done!

Rope Braid Style

10. Half Up Fishtail Braid

1. Take a small section of your hair from either side of the head.
2. Tie these sections together at the back in the middle creating a small ponytail.
3. Flip the ponytail around itself once so you create a twisted effect.
4. Pull on the twists gently to loosen it up slightly.
5. Repeat these steps so that you have a second twisted ponytail underneath the first section.
6. Take the remaining hair from the ponytails plus the hair underneath them and start a fishtail plait, pancaking as you go.
7. Tie it with an elastic band, and – voila!

Half Up Fishtail Braid

11. Mixed Waterfall Braids

1. Take a small section of hair toward one side of the head and do a four-strand waterfall braid across the back of the head.
2. Continue plaiting it, doing a four-strand plait for a few centimeters and tie it off.
3. Go back and gently pancake the braid.
4. Take a small section of hair below the first section.
5. Do a lace fishtail braid on this section, making sure the hair you bring in is the hair from the four-strand waterfall.
6. Combine the four-strand plait and the fishtail and tie with an elastic band.

Mixed Waterfall Braids

12. Dutch Braid and Fishtail Bun

1. Take a section of hair from the front of the head and do a Dutch braid down the middle. Tie it into a low ponytail.
2. Create a voluminous effect by pancaking the braid.
3. Take the ponytail and do a fishtail plait, pancaking as you go.
4. Tie it off at the end.
5. Take the fishtail and wrap it around in a spiral to create a bun.
6. Pin it in place – and get ready for the compliments!

Dutch Braid + Fishtail Bun

13. Stacked Braid Updo

1. Take a small to medium sized section of hair from the very front of the head and section it off.
2. Take a large section of hair underneath the first one.
3. Do a Dutch five-strand braid with the large section of hair, pancaking as you go.
4. Tie it off into a low ponytail – where you want the base of the bun to be.
5. Using the first small section of hair, create a four-strand plait slightly pancaking as you go. Stop when you reach the ponytail.
6. Add the four-strand plait to the ponytail using another hair tie.
7. Turn the ponytail into a bun by twisting it around itself.
8. Pin the bun in place.
9. Pin the four-strand plait down the middle of the five-strand braid so that it doesn’t move around.

Stacked Braid Updo

14. Half Up Fishtail with a Flower

1. Take a small section of hair from the forehead to the top of the head and section it out of the way.
2. Take a section of hair underneath the first section and start a fishtail braid but only bring in hair until halfway down the head.
3. Do a fishtail plait at the end of the fishtail braid (exact same technique except you stop bringing in extra hair).
4. Take the first section and do a plait, pancaking only one side of it.
5. Wrap it around in a spiral with the pancaked side facing out.
6. Make sure the spiral gets smaller each time and that each layer overlaps the previous one slightly creating the flower effect.
7. Pin the flower in place.
8. Add a little bling if you wish!

Half Up Fishtail with a Flower

15. Cornrows and Flowers

1. Part hair to one side and section off hair that you won’t be braiding. Remember to also section off the hair that is below the cornrows and flowers which won’t be in the braid.
2. Section the remaining hair into 3 even parts.
3. Using the section closest to the part, do a really tight french braid, continue plaiting it – then tie it off.
4. Repeat this for the other 2 sections.
5. Roll up each plait into a spiral to create the flowers.
6. Pin flowers in place – and you’re ready to party!

Cornrows and Flowers

16. Stacked Braids into a Bun

1. Divide all hair into two sections.
2. Section off a relatively small piece of hair at the front of each section.
3. Using the rest of the hair in one of the large sections, do a Dutch braid pancaking as you go.
4. Repeat Step 3 to the other side of your hair.
5. Take the small section of hair at the front and plait it, pinning the plait to the Dutch braid once you’ve tied them off.
6. Repeat Step 5 to the other side of the hair.
7. Tie all braids into a low ponytail or where you would like the bun to be.
8. Take out the ends of the braids that have been tied into the ponytail.
9. Split the ponytail into two sections and twist them around each other, creating a rope braid.
10. Twist the rope braid around into a spiral and pin to create a bun!

Double Stacked Braid Into a Bun

17. French Braids and Bubble Braid Half Up Style

1. Part the hair down the middle of the head and stop at approximately one-third of the way down.
2. Take a section of hair from the right side and do a French lace braid towards the middle.
3. Tie it off once you reach the middle of the head.
4. Repeat the French lace braid on the left side.
5. Tie the braids together in the middle of the head to create a half up ponytail.
6. Measure about 3 centimeters down past the first hair band in the ponytail and tie another a hairband around it.
7. Take a small section of hair from the ponytail, wrap it around and tuck into the hairband to hide the hair tie.
8. Pull the section out gently to create a bubble effect.
9. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 and 8 until the end of the ponytail!

French Braids and Bubble Braid Half Up Style

18. Half Up Mixed Braids

1. Take a small section of hair from the right side and create a rope twist.
2. Tie it off once it is long enough to reach the middle of the head.
3. Repeat this step on the left side.
4. Take a small section of hair underneath the rope twist and plait it.
5. Tie it off when it is long enough to reach the middle of the head.
6. Repeat this step on the left side.
7. Combine all braids with a section of hair in the middle of the head, fishtail plait all of the hair and tie off.
8. Loosely pancake the fishtail braid – and done!

Half Up Mixed Braids

19. Braided Low Bun

1. Tie a ponytail about halfway down your head with a small section of hair from the crown.
2. Take a small section of hair around the front just underneath the hair in the ponytail and do a Dutch braid all the way around to where you have tied the ponytail. Make sure you only stop adding in hair once you reach the ponytail – but continue plaiting.
3. Repeat these steps with another section of hair on the other side of your head.
4. Tie another ponytail where you want the base of your bun to be.
5. Braid a fishtail into the ponytail.
6. Use a bobby pin to fix the two Dutch braids into a crossover where the first small ponytail was tied.
7. Wrap the fishtail braid around like a spiral and bobby pin it where you would like it. This is now your bun!
8. Pin the excess parts of the Dutch braids behind the fishtail bun.

Braided Low Bun

20. Half Up Pull-Through Braid

1. Section away the bottom half of your hair. Leave it down for this style to keep it out of the way.
2. Take a small section of hair from the crown of your head and tie it in a small ponytail using a clear elastic.
3. Tie another small ponytail underneath it using another clear elastic.
4. Split the first ponytail into two sections.
5. Bring the second ponytail up through the middle of the split and clip it out of the way.
6. Tie a third ponytail under the second one, making sure to incorporate the strands left over from the first ponytail.
7. Split the second ponytail into two sections.
8. Bring the third ponytail up through the middle of the split and clip it out of the way.
9. Tie another ponytail under the third one, making sure to incorporate the strands left over from the second ponytail.
10. Repeat these steps until you have used all of the hair that you wanted to have in the half-up braid.
11. Once you have run out of hair to add into new ponytails, keep repeating the same process. But this time, instead of bringing new hair into new ponytails just bring the remaining strands hanging down from the ponytail above it through the middle of the split section.

Half Up Pull-Through Braid

Hopefully, this has inspired you to rock a cool hairdo at your next party, whether it’s a themed, dinner or even Indian wedding party! If you would like to see more party hairstyles for long hair like these, follow me on Instagram @thegoodhairday! Also, feel free to send me a direct message with any questions – and I’ll be happy to help!