Basket Braids

Here is a different idea on an old favorite.  We love doing weaving of any type in the hair so we decided to  give it a try with braids.  This one does take a bit of time so make sure you have plenty set aside.  Start by creating an off-centered part in the bang line. 

 Create two more parallel parts on both sides of the part so that you now have two long sections.  Divide each of those sections into 5 equal pieces of hair and create a 3-Strand Braid out of each piece.  You should now have 10 small 3-Strand Braids.  Now go ahead and section out a -inch hick section of hair from the part right down to the ear on each side.  (Create this part parallel to the bang line.)  Those two new sections of hair can be divided.   Make 4 equal sections on the large side of the part and 3 equal sections on the smaller side.  Braid each of those sections into 3-Strand Braids.  You should now have 7 new 3-Strand Braids along the bang line.  Take the very front braid from the smaller part and include it in with the 3 braids on the bang-line of the smaller side of hair so that you now have 4 braids along each side of bang-line. 

Grab the two bang-line braids that are closest to the part (on either side) and bring them to the back of the head where you will join them with an elastic.  Now grab the next bang-line braid on each side and pull those to the back of the head.  You will combine those with an elastic as well but also make sure to include the hair from the braid combination above it.  Do the same thing with the last two braids on the bang line so that they all eventually meet up in the back of the head and you should have 4 elastics in a row in the back of the head. 

 Start with one side of the part and grab the braid nearest to the front of the head.  Pull the braid through a Topsy-Tail and feed it with an in-and-out motion straight down through the braids that you pulled back.  When you reach the last braid you will actually feed your Topsy-Tail through the plates of the braid to hold it in place.  Unplate any remaining braid from the one you just used to weave.  Move to the next braid on that same side and weave that one as well, just be sure to alternate your in-and-out pattern. 

 Do that with the rest of the braids on that side of the head and then move to the opposite side of the head and repeat the same steps. 

REMEMBER to pull the braid right through the plating on the bottom braid to hold it in place. 

 We finished off her hair by using the Conair Spiral Curling Iron and adding some curls. 

We individually curled each of the woven braids for a fuller look.  Our final step was to add some hair bows over the elastics in the back of the head.  

Flashback Friday: Pajama Day

This is our final Flashback Friday and it's been fun to add a few of these old hairstyles into the mix.   On this particular day my daughter's school was having a "Pajama Day". 

We had talked about how she would be wearing things that she wore to bed and she quickly piped up and suggested that we put pink curlers in her hair since she wears those to bed.  I thought that was a great idea and so she went to school with pink overnight curlers in her hair.  She was quite the hit at school and she had darling curls when we took them out! 

Flashback Friday: Crazy Hair Day

My princess was 5 years old in this picture and it was her school's "Crazy Hair Day".  I asked her what she wanted to do for her big day and she came up with this hairstyle all by herself. 

We divided the hair directly down the middle and pulled each side up into a piggie.  I dried both sides and pulled out my irons - a flat iron and a ringlet curling iron.  I straightened one side of her head and then made lots of tiny ringlets on the other. 

 It was funny to see how much longer one side ended up being than the other! 

She definitely looked crazy for her big day!

Pop Diva - Straightening Tips

My princess recently saw a picture of Taylor Swift (who she LOVES) dressed almost exactly like this so she wanted to copy the look.  

I straightened her hair using a product called "Straight and Sexy" which we applied to the hair while it was still wet.  (Make sure you always protect the hair with some type of product before using hot irons.) 

 I began by completely drying the hair using a round brush and making sure to not get the hair dryer any closer than 8 inches away from her hair.   I then straightened it from root to end using a 1 inch ceramic flat iron. 

 I curled the bottom of the hair under using the same flat iron and just flipping it under at the end.  This helped to create a loose curl instead of something tight. 

Our last step was to throw on the sequin hat but this style is also beautiful with a headband.   

French Waterfall

A while ago I posted these instructions for the Topsy Tail Waterfall.  It had a very beautiful look but it was very loose so this is a bit of an updated version to that but this one does require the knowledge of the French Braid which the other does not. 

 I will give specific instruction for the hairstyle show here but you can use the French Waterfall as a headband, two braids or in any other form you like. 

Create an off-centered part that goes all the way back to the crown of the head.  Now create a parallel part 1/2 inch inside of the first and clip aside that new thin strip of hair. 

Create one more part parallel to the first two but make sire it's about 2-3 inches across the head.  Now you will create a French Braid out of the new section of hair (making sure to only gather hair from inside this parted section) and only add in hair until the crown of the hair.  Just finish plating a Regular 3-Strand Braid after that point.  Secure it at the end with a temporary elastic. 

 Now grab your Topsy Tail and that thins strip of air that you set aside.  Poke your Topsy Tail through the first plate of the French Braid and feed a bit of hair from your thin strip directly through it.

 Do this again with the second plate and so on until your entire thin strip has been fed through the plates of the French Braid. 

 Now brush all of the hair down to the nape of the neck and secure it with an elastic - making sure to include the braid.  Take the temporary elastic out of the braid and brush it into the ponytail.  Now braid the ponytail and secure it at the end with one final elastic.  Add some hair clips to finish it off.  

Boa Constrictor

*I had a really great comment yesterday inquiring about the clear elastics that we use.  The reader pointed out that many clear elastics are just as harmful as the regular elastics and will tear out the hair.  This is true and you need to be cautious when using any elastic to secure the hair.  My preference is the "Goody" brand because they are really strong and I have very little problem with the hair being pulled.  I also buy the cheaper clear elastics that come in bulk from Sally's Beauty Supply but I never reuse them.  I clip each one out of the hair using a seam ripper from my sewing kit.  This way I'm not pulling out or breaking the hair and getting everything snarled up.  Hopefully these tips will help some of you out there.*

This hairstyle is just a different take on many elements that we've used before.  We call it the "Boa Constrictor" because the smaller braids are wrapping themselves around the large braid.

 

Begin with the hair wet and section out the top of the hair by creating a part from ear to ear. 

Now divide that top section into two pieces and create a 3-Strand Braid out of each.  Secure the bottom of each braid with an elastic. 

 Pull the rest of the hair back into a tight ponytail.  Wrap your smaller braids around the ponytail (have them go over the elastic holding the ponytail to conceal it) just to see where your ends are going to land and then unwrap the braids. 

 Braid your ponytail down to the point that your ends hit and then wrap the smaller braids around the large braid once more. 

 Try to have your ends in the back of the braid and you will actually add them right in with the hair of the large braid.  Finish braiding the ponytail and secure it at the bottom with an elastic. 

1-Year Anniversary & Flashback Friday: The Long Bang

It's official we have been posting hairstyles on this blog for one year now!  There are 250 posts on our site which should give you a large variety to choose from.  It's been so much fun to have this special little something to do with my princess but it's also been fun to hear from all of you readers out there.  I get several emails but I rarely get comments and I do LOVE COMMENTS.  :) 

 For today we have a flashback from when my princess was 5 years old.  We had been growing out her bangs for a little while and decided to put their length to use. 

We pulled her hair half up and then grabbed out two small sections of her bangs.  Using a fat curling iron we curled the ends of the sections.  Pretty simple but she looked very grown up that day.  :) 

Mother's Day Do

I was so lucky to have such a wonderful Mother's Day.  My husband and kids totally spoiled me and I had a free morning to think up a fun hairstyle for the special day. 

 My princess suggested that we have the word "MOM" in her hair so we went to work making it happen.

Begin by making 3 parallel sections in the hair by creating two vertical parts.  Your middle section should be a bit thinner than the two outside sections.  Clip each of the outside sections out of the way and pull the middle section into a ponytail.  Now create a bun with that middle section.  We have used a bun mold here and twisted the excess hair around the base but if you don't have a mold you can create any type of bun. 

Move over to one of your side sections and create a horizontal part from the ear up to vertical part.  This will give you a section of hair that you will divide into two equal pieces.  Secure each piece with an elastic.  Those two elastics are the top of your "M".  Now divide the rest of the hair on that side into 3 parallel sections.   

Separate the hair from the two elastics into two equal pieces each and twist those pieces.  Have the left twist from the left elastic be included with the bottom-left section of hair that you created.  Secure it all together with an elastic.  Now combine the remaining twist from the left elastic and the inside twist from the right elastic in with the bottom-middle section of hair.  Secure that with an elastic as well.  Secure your final twist with the bottom-right section of hair and you have finish your "M". 

Move over to the opposite side of the head and repeat the same steps for your final "M". 

You now have 6 small ponytails - 3 on each side.  Weave those ponytails through each other so that the 6 ponytails end up on the opposite side of the head than where they started. 

Braid the 3 strands on each side into it's own braid and secure the braids with elastics at the bottom.  You can tie some ribbons at the bottom of your braids and add a flower to your bun if you like.

  Now you have "MOM" in the hair and it's perfect for celebrating Mother's Day!

I hope that all of you wonderful moms out there had a great day!

Flashback Friday: Getting Glamorous

Here we go again with the overnight curlers...  but they're so fun! 

My princess had some seriously thick hair as a little girl so we ended up using a couple different kinds of curlers. 

She thought we should just keep this as the hairstyle because it looked so glamorous!  :) 

She had beautiful ringlet curls the next day for her dance performance. 

 In fact, she had beautiful curls for the next few days!  (Gotta love the curling power of those sponge curlers!)

Easter Basket Bun

Here's a fun little Easter hairstyle to get you started.  I remember (in the old days) the cool plastic Easter basket that I used each year and it was pink and white and woven. 

 This hairstyle reminds me of that. 

Begin by pulling all of the hair back into a tight ponytail. 

Now separate that ponytail into 3 equal sections and create a  Regular 3-Strand Braid out of each section.  Wrap the braid over and around each other, in no particular order, and secure the ends under the bun with bobby pins. 

Now choose your ribbons that you want to use and grab a plastic yarn needle for the threading.  Leave about 3 inches of ribbon un-threaded under the bun and weave the rest around the bun in an "over/under" motion.  When you get back around to the bottom of the bun, leave another 3 inches hanging down.  Grab a second ribbon and weave it through - making sure to alternate your over under pattern.  You can weave as many ribbons as you like. 

 Once all of your ribbons have been added, gather all the 3 inch ribbons from under the bun and tie them together in a large knot to secure them from slipping out. 

We've also added a little plastic flower clip onto the bun and these little clips are really cool because they change color in the sun. 

 This is what they look like out in the sunshine and they come in a variety of colors. 

We found them at Walgreen's and they make necklaces too like my princess is wearing here.

  We love finding fun new things. 

X's & O's

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  This is our final post for the Valentine's hairstyles and it's a fun one.  Today is all about hugs and kisses so this is our "X's & O's" style. 

 

Start with a small section up front where you will create a Pull-Through that goes off to the right side.  Part the rest of the hair right down the middle and clip the left side out of the way for a minute.  Pull all of the hair on the right side of the part into a ponytail.  (Make sure to include your Pull-Through from the front.) 

 Grab a bun mold and pull it over the ponytail.  (Bun molds can be found at Sally Beauty Supply or can be made by cutting the toe out of a sock and rolling it over itself.)  Once your mold is in place you will spread the ponytail evenly around it and then slip another elastic over the hair and the mold to hold it in place. 

 Divide the excess hair from the bun into two sections and create a braid out of each.  Wrap the braids around the base of the bun and bobby pin them into place.  Now your "O" is finished. 

 Move over to the left side and part the hair evenly down the middle of the section and then again evenly across the section so that you now have 4 squares.  Leave the top-right square alone and clip the other 3 squares into their own temporary clip to keep them out of the way.  

   Begin a Dutch Braid in the top-right square and have it curve down into the inside corner.  Gather all the hair from that square and then plate the braid again 3 times without adding in new hair.  Unclip the bottom-left square and finish up your Dutch Braid.  Braid all the way to the end of the hair and secure it with an elastic. 

 Now move up to the top-left square and Dutch Braid that until all the hair has been gathered.  Plate it 3 more times OVER the previous braid.  Now unclip your last bottom-right square and finish up your Dutch Braid.    Braid all the way to the end of the hair and secure it with an elastic.

  Now fold both of the long braids up on top of themselves and secure with another elastic.  Let the ends of the hair just flip over naturally and add some ribbons to finish your "X" off. 

 Add a ribbon to the "O" as well and you're all done!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM ALL OF US TO YOU!

Here is our princess which you all know so well and she is 7 years old.

This is our oldest son who is 5 years old.

This is our middle son who is 3 years old.

This is our baby who is 14 months old.