First Day of School Do

My princess insisted on walking to her first day of school and I knew how hot it was going to be outside so we chose a hairstyle that would be up off of her neck.  We started by dividing the hair into 4 equal parts - 2 on top and two on the bottom.  

Then you'll want to pull each of the sections into an elastic and use a Topsy Tail or comb to create a Pull-Through.  (On the bottom half we made Inverted Pull-Throughs.)  Next you'll want to braid each section and secure them with elastics. 

 Grab the two braids on the left half and join the ends together with another elastic.  Do this with the two on the right side as well.  Now pull the two left ends over to the right side and pull the two right ends through the left ones and over to the left side. 

 This will create a criss-crossed look on the top and bottom.  (Hopefully that's not too confusing.)  Use bobby pins to secure the elastics to the hair. 

 Now you can take the ends of the hair that is left over and create Barrel Rolls just inside the joined braids.  Bobby pin those down and well and make sure to use plenty of hair spray to keep the hold. 

Add some little clips on each side to hide the elastics and that's it!

Over the Rainbow

Pick out your favorite ribbons or coordinating ribbons for this hairstyle.  You're going to also need a thick plastic (usually light blue) yarn needle.  (Usually found in the yarn section at your local craft store or Wal Mart.)  You may also want some colored elastics like we've used, or you can use clear ones. 

Start by grabbing 1/2 inch thick pieces of hair from the front of the head and tie each off with an elastic a couple inches from the hair line. 

Do this all the way to each ear so that you create a headband of elastics. 

Now part the hair in half using whichever part you like.  (This is the "Blocks" part.)  Divide the hair from the elastics to each side equally and make a piggie on both sides of the head.  You can leave the piggie straight or finish it off with your favorite braid.  (This is the Uneven 5 Strand Braid.) 

Tip: Grab your yarn needle and a piece of dental floss.  fold the dental floss in half and then feed the bend through the eye of the needle.  Now put your ribbon through the floss, pull the floss back out of the needle and now your needle is threaded with the ribbon.  This make getting the ribbon through the eye of the needle much easier! 

 Do a weaving pattern with the ribbons - going above and below - along the elastic headband line.  Make sure you have some hanging ribbon next to each ear.  Thread your second piece of ribbon and weave it through as well, making sure to alternate the directions from your first ribbon.  Continue adding as many ribbons as you like until you've completed the look. 

 Now take the ribbons hanging by each ear and wrap them around the elastic of your piggie. Now you can tie them into a bow. 

You can add ribbons to the bottom of your piggies if you've braided them and you're all done!

Meet in the Middle

I just came across these pictures and I think this hairstyle was done sometime in January.  It's fairly straight forward but there are some helpful tips for you. 

Start by parting the hair down the middle.  (I've pulled some of her bangs into one side in the front as well.)  Now that you have your vertical halves, divide each into half horizontally so that you now have 4 sections.

  Tie off 3 of the section with elastic and begin to french braid the 4th section.  Braid all the way to the end of the hair and tie it off with an elastic.  French braid all the sections and tie them off.  (Tip:  for the bottom French Braids, have your princess lay on her tummy on her bed so that her head is upside down over the edge of the bed.  This will make doing the upside down braids MUCH easier.) 

(Okay - this part could've definitely been straighter! ha ha) Now that you have your 4 French Braids completed you'll want to combine the top and the bottom on each side by twisting the two braids around each other and forming a bun.  Secure the bun with a tight elastic.  Do the on the other side as well.  Now just choose your favorite ribbons and wrap them around the bun, creating a bow,  to finish off. 

Rock Star

My daughter decided that she wanted to have a "Rock Star" party for her birthday this year.

  I instantly knew what she was going to wear and how her hair was going to be done.  She has a bunch of fun faux hair clips that we picked up at Sally's a few months back.  (I didn't know if we'd use them much but she LOVES them!) 

We started by parting the hair and then clipping the fake hair to the front of the head .  I then twisted a small bit of hair around each of them to hide the clips. 

I continued twisting the hair until it met right over the part and I connected the two sides with an elastic, then covered the elastic with a small claw clip. 

 No she doesn't really have a tattoo and three earrings.  :)

Then I pulled each side into an Indian Braid - making sure to include the faux hair. 

I tried to get a little bit of faux hair in each of the strands of the braid.  Both braids looked a bit different but still similar. 

We finished it off with some glitter spray and some Rock Star bows.

PARTicularly PARTial to These PARTS

It's a PARTS  PARTy.  :) 

I use different parts in a lot of my hairstyles so I thought I'd kill some time while we were in our hotel and get pictures of my favorites. 

 This is the "Butt Crack"  (Thanks to my sis-in-law for the great name.)  :) 

This is the "Zig Zag".  (My princess thinks they look like "greater" and "less than" signs.)

  You can make your angle at whatever degree you like and they can be as tight or as wide as you like.  

 Here's the "Swirlie". 

Just make the "S" shape down the scalp.  

We call this one "Blocks" because it's kind of like blocks stacked on top of each other.  

 Just  create 90 degree angles down the head - making sure to keep the lines parallel. 

 This last one is the "Heartbeat". 

Notice how it's only on the top half of the head and the bottom is the "Butt Crack" part.  You can mix all different parts together for a different look. 

This is the best comb to use for making parts.  It's a rat-tailed comb that I picked up at Sally's Beauty Supply for a couple bucks but I'm sure you can find it other places as well.  I use this comb for everything and would suggest picking one up if you don't already have one.

Remember that parts can be made anywhere on the head and do not need to always be centered.  They also don't need to cover the whole head.  Be creative and you can come up with all sorts of fun stuff. 

Round Trip From California to Florida

Imagine that one piggie is Disneyland and the other piggie is across the country (or head) in Disney World.  :)  Now do you understand the name of this hairstyle?  Love this one!

  Start by parting the hair and making two ponies on each side of the head.  Now separate each pony into two halves and make each half a braid. 

Each ponytail should now have 2 braids. 

Take the inside braid on each side and cross it over to the opposite side. 

 I had to wrap the braid around the opposite pony because my daughter's hair is so long but this isn't necessary.  Now attach the braids to the ponies with elastics.  Take the braid that is still hanging and attach the bottom up to the top with an elastic.  Do this for both sides. 

Wet the ends that are sticking up and curl them down with your fingers - using product if needed.  Add some little flowers underneath the curled ends to finish it off. 

Count the Corkscrews

I love doing Corkscrews in my daughter's hair because their really fast and look pretty. A Corkscrew is a basic twist but you must make sure tht you twist the two pieces one direction and then wrap them together the opposite direction.  This helps the Corkscrew hold better than a regular twist.

Start by parting the top of the hair about 3 inches back. 

Take each side of the part and create a Corkscrew, making sure to start it without an elastic.

 When both Corkscrews are long enough to reach the back of the head, tie them together with an elastic. Make another Corkscrew out of the hair from that last elastic.

When you get to the nape of the neck, combine all of the hair into an elastic. From here you are going to make a Hawser Braid, which is essentially two Corkscrews twisted together. The hairstyle is as simple as that!