Hair braiding has been a part of human life for thousands of years—whether as a social art, cultural heritage, fashion, or just personal grooming preference. This particular way to wear your hair can be quite elaborate and complicated. Meet Trendafilka Kirova and her fantasy-like hair designs mesmerizing hair-braiding enthusiasts.

Originally from Macedonia, she has a master’s degree in economics and up until a few years ago, she was working as an accountant as well as an auditor who didn’t really imagine she would radically change her career. She also couldn’t guess the attention her work would receive and that her followers on Instagram would surpass 230k. We invite you to check out the pretty magical designs and let us know your favorite hair braids from the list!

#1

Image credits: another_braid

#2

Image credits: another_braid

During her first pregnancy, she took up braiding as a hobby on her own hair, learning mostly from video tutorials and getting tons of inspiration from other hairstyle designers. For Trendafilka, braiding has a calming effect. The artist felt the need for a change in her career, which happened by starting as a freelance hairstylist. During the transition period and throughout the whole creative process, she is mostly grateful to her husband for helping her with the family and supporting her dream.

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Image credits: another_braid

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Image credits: another_braid

Although her inspiration comes from various different sources, such as patterns on rugs or even tattoos, she makes sure to add her own twist to it. Despite her limitless fantasy, Trendafilka gets her followers to help her name her new hair styling techniques she comes up with, as you can imagine that she’s had to come up with quite a lot over the years. Her recent achievement was winning the #ONESHOT Hair Awards in 2019.

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Image credits: another_braid

#6

Image credits: another_braid

The mother of two now has her own studio where she works on models as well as mannequins and also runs a YouTube channel where everyone can learn how to braid more or less complex hair designs—or, well, at least give it a try. She shared that doing your own hair is actually not as easy as it may seem, mostly because you can’t see your the back of your head, so it requires a lot of patience. But a good starting point is actually a side fishtail braid, which is actually easier than doing a simple braid straight down your back. According to her, the key element is in properly prepping the hair and adding smoothing serum or spray before starting the braiding.