"Fan"cy

We were running a bit late for church this last week so we had to come up with a hairstyle that was fast!  We call this one "FAN"cy because it looks like a fan on top.  :)

Start by dividing the hair from one ear to the other and securing the top half into an elastic. 

 Now take a small section from that ponytail and bend it up in a horseshoe shape above the elastic.  Bobby pin it into place over the elastic. 

 Continue doing this with section of hair from the ponytail until all of your ponytail has been "horseshoed" and bobby pinned. 

 

You will end up with the ends from your ponytail hanging down over the remaining hair and a fan effect above the elastic. 

 Grab a hair clip to place over the bobby pins and hide them.  We've used some decorative hair pins here.  (Quite a few of them because my princess wanted them ALL in - you don't need this many to get the job done.)  :) 

 

This only took about 5 minutes to complete and we were ready to head out the door.  

Puffy Pull-Throughs

Here's a 5 minute style that is simple and fun. 

 

I call these "Puffy Pull-Throughs" but my daughter refers to them as "Hamster Ears". Section out the hair from ear to ear and then divide it into two sides.  We've created an off-centered part on ours so our sides are not even but you can do it however you like. 

 Pull each side up into an elastic.  Now grab your Topsy Tail and create a Pull-Through.  At this point you can either use a rat-tailed comb or your fingers but I find that the comb makes it a bit easier. 

 Hold onto the elastic in the Pull-Through and simply grab bits of hair to pull toward the forehead - loosening them from the elastic.  You can make your puffs as large or as small as you like and you can pull out as much or as little hair as you like. 

 These were so easy and fun that I will be using them on hairstyles in the future!

  We just let the rest of the hair fall down in waves but you can finish off the back in any way. 

Friday's Film: Bottom Braids & Bun

We had a bunch of requests for this video so we got right to work on making it.  Hopefully it is helpful for you.  This is the original hairstyle: Bottom Braids & Bun.  I apologize that the video is a bit dark.  I will make sure that I don't stand between the window and my princess again. :)  

This give you a nice view of the French Braids on the bottom.

Like I said in the video, the hairstyle will never look exactly the same way twice. 

Jumping the Track

This hairstyle is a combination of bits and pieces of several other hairstyles.  It's easiest to do when the hair is completely wet.

   

Start by dividing the hair into 4 equal sections by creating a horizontal part right in the middle of the head and then another vertical part from ear to ear.  Tie off the bottom right section and the top left section in temporary elastics to get them out of the way.

 

Start up on the top right sections and comb the whole section toward the bottom left section.  Make sure it is nice and smooth and then separate it into three equal sections and begin braiding.  (Be sure to begin your braid down in the corner where the two parts meet.)  Plate it a couple of times until it is in the bottom left section and then begin adding hair from that section into the plates.  Finish the French Braid and secure it with an elastic. 

Now move up to the top left section and take out the elastic.  Part out a section along the bang-line that is about 2 inches thick. 

Separate that section into three equal new sections and create a 3-Strand Braid out of each.  You only need to plate your braid long enough to reach the middle corner where the parts cross over.  

Comb the remaining hair from that section toward the bottom right section and then divide it into 3 equal sections.  Plate a braid with each section and plate it a couple of times until it is in the bottom right section.  (Go ahead and take out the temporary elastic from the bottom right section.) Begin adding hair from that section into the plates.  Finish the French Braid and secure it with an elastic. 

Spray it with hairspray for a nice hold and then add some hair clips over the two elastics.

Braid Overlay

This is one of those "accidental" hairstyles that turned out really cute.  She started the day with the small braids meeting in the back and the rest of the hair down but we still have temperatures over 100 down here so we pulled the rest of the hair into a braid and this is what it made!  I love it!

Start by creating a small off-centered part at the front of the head. 

 Create a section on each side of the part that goes down to the ear. 

 Make a 3-Strand Braid out of each section and then combine the two braids at the back of the head with an elastic. 

 You will want the braid to be combined a bit lower on the back of the head. 

 Now gather the remaining hair and divide it into 3 sections for your braid.  Add the combined braids from above into the middle section.  Now just braid the rest of the hair as usual.  I love how it absorbs the upper braids and totally conceals the elastic. 

We also tried it another day with Squish Braids and that turned out really well. 

Kind of pretty don't you think!  (An EASY!) 

Friday's Film: The Cubed Braid

*This is the last one we filmed on this dark background so you will hopefully be able to see future videos better!  Sorry I didn't think of that earlier!*
This one is a unique braid that we call The Cubed Braid because it has four equal sides that each have the appearance of a 3-Strand Braid.  It's fairly simple and hopefully the video doesn't make it seem too confusing.

We've also included some pictures of the finished product.

Notice the 4 equal sides to the braid. 

I produced some really pretty waves when it was taken out also. 

Don't forget to change where you are splitting your middle section so that the braid holds together tightly. 

It's always fun to learn a new braid!

First Day of 3rd Grade Hair

My princess started 3rd grade this week and she was so excited for her first day of school.  She had the Bottom Braids and Bun hairstyle the day before for church (which we created a video for and will be up soon!  Woohoo!) so we just used the waves from those braids.  You can also get waves by just braiding wet hair the night before or using an electric waver.

 

We wanted kind of a Bohemian look so we basically just made a short off-centered part on the top and then gathered some hair back into an elastic. 

We did leave some hair loose by the ear so that it was not a full half-up hairstyle. 

We tied a ribbon over the elastic and just let the rest of the hair fall in waves.   It was very simple but very beautiful.  It did not take very long either which is perfect for those morning that you just need to get out the door!

She had a great first day of school and had many compliments on her hair.