Marvel Releases a Yelena Hair Tutorial from ‘Hawkeye’

The instructions for the “Yelena Belova-Inspired Round and Fishtail Braid” (which is by Lauren Murray and features a combination of two styles) begins with creating a “front poof” by gathering hair above your forehead, twisting it, pushing it forward slightly, and securing it with bobby pins. You can see some of Lauren’s specific tips to enhance the look with flyaways and a comb in the full tutorial.

Although braiding in general takes practice, the next steps involve taking a small amount of hair from the right side of the front poof and braiding it into a small fishtail braid (which is similar to a Dutch braid). Try to keep the braid tight and small for contrast against the main braid to come.

The next suggested step is brushing your loose hair to make it easier to braid before dividing your loose hair into four parts, with two on each side of the “center poof”.

Next up is the round braid, which is the star of the show and makes a big visual impact! For anyone new to round braiding, “think of the first section on each side of your head as section one with the sections next to it as sections two, three, and four in each direction. Take the first section on the far right side of your head and bring it underneath the second and third sections of hair. Once that first section is underneath the third section, bring the first section up and over, wrapping the first section over the third section”.

After that round raiding on the right side, repeat on the left side; according to the instructions, you should continue to “move that first left section under the next two adjacent sections, and then wrap the first section over the third section”.

Now you’ll just continue braiding your hair, thinking Yelena thoughts about macaroni and cheese or avenging Natasha all the while, but you’ll add more loose hair as you’re proceeding little by little, “similar to braiding a French or Dutch braid”. Keep the braid as tight as you can and try to take some time adjusting the braids in the process so that there are no visible bumps.

Once you’ve gone far enough down the back of your head, you can continue braiding until shortly before the ends of your hair. Then, use an elastic to tie the braid, and tug the braid very gently to enhance its volume. Now you’re ready to share comedic banter with Kate Bishop and fight your way through some bad guys in style! Is this Disney princess style? Perhaps not — but it’s certainly fierce, and you didn’t even need any hair product! Add some natural makeup and a leather jacket to really channel Yelena.