How to Do a French Twist with a Hair Pin

The French twist is everywhere right now, and for good reason. It looks like it took real effort, but it's one of the fastest updos you can do once you understand the shape. The trick isn't the twisting. It's the pin.

Start with hair that has a little texture in it. Fully smooth, freshly washed hair tends to slip out of a twist, so if your hair is very clean and slick, a texturizing spray or a bit of dry shampoo worked through first will give the pin something to grip. Gather your hair into a low ponytail at the nape of your neck, then twist the whole ponytail upward in one direction, rolling it toward your head as you go.

Once it's twisted up, tuck the ends under and hold the roll flat against your head with one hand. This is the part where most people reach for a handful of bobby pins and start jabbing at it from every angle. That's usually what makes a French twist look messy instead of polished. Instead, slide a French pin vertically through the base of the roll, angling it down and catching the hair underneath the twist as well as the twist itself. One well placed pin does more work here than five scattered ones.

If you have thicker or longer hair, you may want a second pin a few inches above the first to anchor the top of the roll. Fine or medium hair usually holds with just the one, as long as it's angled correctly and catching enough hair beneath the twist.

The reason a French pin works so much better than a standard bobby pin for this style is the shape. It's built with enough length and tension to hold a rolled section of hair in place without pulling at the root or slipping out as the day goes on. A short, flat pin just doesn't have enough to grab onto in a twist this dense.

Once it's pinned, you can leave it clean and sleek or pull a few pieces loose around your face for something softer. Either way, the twist should feel secure enough that you forget it's there, which is really the whole point of a good hair accessory.

Read our full guide to using hair pins, or see how the same twisting technique showed up in Desi Lydic's Emmys hair.