The 9-Strand Braid

You're probably thrown off by the nae but this hairstyle is as easy as they come.  My princess has been dying to do this for a while now and here it is. 

 Gather all the hair up into a tight ponytail. 

Now grab 1/3 of that ponytail and make a regular 3-Strand Braid. 

 Now divide the remaining ponytail in half and create 2 more braids. 

Once you've got all three braids, braid them together. 

 Pretty simple right! 

 It's funny because it's so easy and everyone kept stopping her to try and figure it out.  :)

Kiddie Korners

Begin by parting the hair exactly down the middle. 

Set on half of hair out of the way with a clip and grab two small section from the bottom of the head on the opposite half.  Each of these sections will be made into a Corkscrew.  Once the Corkscrews are about 6 inches long, grab an alligator clip and pin it on the bottom of the two to keep them from unravelling while you continue.  Take the rest of that half of hair (the side that you just pulled your two sections from) and pull it into a tight piggie tail. 

Unclip the other half and pull out two small sections from the top of the head.  Create to more Corkscrews and when they're about 6 inches long you will pull them over to the piggie tail on the opposite half and add them in with another elastic.  Now Pull the remaining hair up into another tight piggie. 

 Grab those two bottom Corkscrews that you set aside early and pull them across to the other half and add them int the piggie with another elastic. 

We finished off our piggies with a 5-Strand Braid which is one of our favorites. 

 Hopefully that makes sense and the pictures should help.  Let me know if you have questions!

Church Curls

Here's a really simple hairstyle that's great for those times when you want something a little more elegant. 

Start by separating a section of hair about 1/2 inch thick along the bang line.  Now grab your favorite headband and slip it into the hair just behind that divided section. 

Divide the section of hair into two pieces making sure that one is larger than the other. 

 Start with the smaller side and create a French Twist (a Corkscrew that gathers hair as it grows) with the first part of the hair and then move into a Corkscrew.  Have your princess hold it while you move to the other side. 

 Because this section is larger, you will divide it in half and create two Corkscrews.  The top Corkscrew will begin with a French Twist as well but the bottom will just be a Corkscrew alone. 

Pull all three Corkscrews to the back of the head and join them together with an elastic.  We finished off the look by adding curls with a ringlet curling iron.  We sprayed it really well for hold and her hair was beautiful all day long.

Jail Bird Braid

I love the look of this one and my daughter said it looked like the braid was in jail - hence the name.  :) 

 First you'll want to part off one inch all the way along the bang line.  Now divide that inch strip into 7 equal squares.  (Be sure that one of your squares is in the very center.)  Tie each square back into a small elastic and when all of them are done, sweep them forward and out of your way.  Now divide out 1 1/2 inch strip of hair right along side your first inch of hair so that they are parallel.  Set the new section aside with the 7 little ponies and pull everything else back into a ponytail and secure it with an elastic. 

 Now go back to that 1 1/2 inch section and begin at one ear and create a French Braid all the way to the other ear.  Finish plating that braid all the way to the end of the hair. 

Now pull that braid back into the ponytail and secure with a second elastic. 

Go ahead and bring those front 7 small ponies over the French Braid and pull them back into the ponytail as well.  This gives you the "jail bars" look.  :) 

We finished off her ponytail by doing an Uneven Braid but each time I plated the thick strand, I would pull at it a little bit to make it stick out farther.  This gave it just a bit more of a defined look. 

And there you have your Jail Bird Braid.

Super Simple Braid Wraps

These are perfect for those days when you realize that you only have 5 minutes until school starts!  :)  

We had some really great waves left over from the French Pull-Throughs yesterday so we decided to make good use of them. 

 Start by parting the hair in half and then creating two side piggies.  Take a small section of hair from below the elastics on each piggie.  Create a regular 3-Strand Braid and plate it as far down as you can. 

Take the braid and wrap it around the elastic until it is completely hidden.  Now poke your Topsy tail through the bottom of the piggie and through the elastic.  Feed the remaining braid through the loop on the Topsy Tail and then pull it through the elastic.  This will hold securely for the whole day and there's nothing else that has to be done to it. 

This is a great little idea to pack away for those "hurry up and get ready" days that seem to come way too often!  :)

French Pull-Throughs

This hairstyle is courtesy of my cute friend Nancy who is very creative! 

Start by parting the hair right down the middle. 

 Now gather up a small section in the front on one of the halves and tie it off with an elastic.  Do the same on the other side - making sure to keep the sections parallel. 

Now use your Topsy Tail and create a Pull-Through. 

 Gather two small sections just under the previous sections and make sure to include the hair from the first Pull-Through.  Secure with an elastic and create another Pull-Through. 

 Continue adding hair and creating Pull-Throughs until you get to the bottom of the scalp. 

 After your final Pull-Through you will want to braid the remainder of the hair.  and secure it at the bottom with an elastic.  Grab your Topsy Tail again and create an Inverted Pull Through up by the bottom of the scalp.  Make sure to only pull the ends of the braid through and not the entire braid.  This will create a Heidi Braid on each side. 

Tie your favorite ribbons around each Heidi Braid and curl down the ends for a fun look. 

Jumping Through Hoops

This braid is actually a combination of two different braids - a regular 3-Strand Braid and the Pull-Through Braid. 

 Begin by pulling all the hair over into a side ponytail. 

We didn't do anything fancy with the front of her hair but you could always add a small pull-through or braid when doing it yourself. 

Divide the ponytail into two equal pieces.  Braid one piece with the 3-strand Braid and the other with the Pull-Through Braid.  (Instructions for the Pull-Through Braid can be found over on the sidebar in the June posts.) 

 Now you're going to weave the 3-strand Braid in and out through the openings in the Pull-Through Braid. 

Your finished product will be something that no one has ever seen before. 

We had a lady at the store inspecting her braid trying to figure it out.  It's always fun to try something different.