Pulled Back Pieces

My little girls BFF wore her hair like this yesterday. Of course, we have to be just like her BFF. So we copied the do. Just two pieces on the sides pulled back. The top was still damp when we took the picture so ignore that. Wait, now you WILL be looking since I said that.

To get the hair under the two pulled back pieces to stay down, I soak the top half of her hair and then comb some Infusium through it (which by-the-way is in my list of MUST HAVES now) as well as some super strength hair gel. I comb it down as flat as I can and then pull the two pieces over it. The ends were a bit damp when I curled her hair, but it made the curls a little more defined and wavy. Once I curled the ends with the flat iron, I finger-combed them and then sprayed them with hairspray and scrunced them. Then I sprayed her entire head.

Come back on Monday. I am working on the French Twist tutorial this weekend. And on red or blonde hair. How fun!

Oh, and don't forget this shout out. If YOU have a hairstyle that you simply adore and you want the world to see it, e-mail me at blackeyedsue2 at gmail dot com (avoiding those spammers) and I would LOVE to feature your favorite do.

Two Braided Buns

Separate the hair into two high ponytails.
Divide each ponytail into two sections.
Braid each section down and secure with a clear elastic.
Wrap one braid around the base of the ponytail and secure with a bobby pin.
Repeat with the other sections.
Tie a ribbon around the base to hide the ends.

Single Braid

Sometimes simple is so sweet. Today is picture day and we have learned from past picture days that simple is the best and most classic hair to do. From the front it just looks like her hair is pulled back.

Upside Down Knots

I can't believe that I haven't shown this one before. I love this one because my girls don't have a lot of natural body...we have to fake it. I pull the hair up into two ponytails. I take my rattail comb and slide it under the middle of the ponytail and pull the elastic out just a bit. I then stick the elastic through the part that I just made.

Don't mind the off part. I'm kind of having a bad day.

To show you what it looks like underneath.

Side Ponytail

The older she gets, the more she wants trendy hair. Today it was a side ponytail.

Two 1/2 Ponytails

Another more traditional hair-do. In my opinion, my girls look best with side parts vs. center parts. I do the same thing with this style.

I Just Want My Hair Down.

Is what my daughter said to me today. Sometimes my kids get tired of my art expressions via their heads...imagine that! I willingly oblige when they ask me this. It gives me more leverage when I feel the need to create something on top of their heads.

I don't do down well. Most would think "down" means all of it down. Um, for me it means MOST of it down.

So a simple triangle ponytail up top to keep the hair out of her eyes is as "down" as she is going to get today.

Knots of Three

I pulled her hair into three ponytails on a diagnoal. Then I knotted them. Knotting...for those who are new to this, is putting her hair into a ponytail and then parting underneath the elastic and pulling the elastic through the part.

Curling Hair with a Flat Iron v. 2

Go ahead...ask me.

Let me have em! Questions that is. I will do my VERY best to answer them. I can tell you what works for me and what doesn't.

Debbie, I am working on a tutorial for the French twists. I need to ask my friend to demonstrate it for me on her daughter while I take pictures. That is one you definitely need both hands for. I am also working on a tutorial for how to use a flat iron as a curling iron. For now I will just tell you that I clamp the hair with the flat iron by the scalp. I turn the iron as if it were a curling iron and I slowly pull it through keeping the iron clamped and turning it as I move it towards the end. It is important that the edge of your flat iron have a bevel or is rounded. A sharp edge makes terrible lines in the hair. I would love to own a Chi, but I think they are a fad. I have a cheapy from Wal-Mart that has an adjustable heat setting so that I don't get the temperature up to high on my middle daughters blonde hair. Her hair seems so much more delicate than her sisters sturdy brunette hair. It is heavy and it works beautifully!

Ity...and anyone else who was wondering. I try really hard to not get the ends as wet as the crown. If I have gotten them wet...and that happens more often than not, I will pull out the blowdryer and dry them off. You just need to be careful when you do this so that you don't blow dry the hair you just spent all of that time working on into fuzz. Also, I will take the ponytail while it is still wet and I will run the flat iron over it. It makes the hair sizzle a bit (I am sure hairdressers everywhere just cringed) but it gets the excess water out and dries it up a bit.

Also another tip...that I have yet to try...but I was talking to my friend Hilary today and she said that when she gets her daughters hair wet, she squirts some "Infusium" on their hair and combs it through before she styles it. It is a conditioner. Her daughters hair rarely have static, so I am certain it works

Tiny Pony meets Curly Sue

These soft and swishy curls were created with a flat iron. I love using the flat iron! It takes about 1/3 less time than a curling iron and WAY less time than sponge rollers. I love the curl they leave much better than the alternates.

Low Ponytail

An Oldie But Goodie

This seems to be a standby in our house. I part her hair on a slant and then pull up two half ponytails. Add some delicious ribbons and curl the ends and VOILA'! Easy Peasy.

Excuse the pictures. That is what happens when she is trying to decide what would look cute for the pictures.

Ballet Buns

I love the shape of the princesses head. It is so perfect for buns. She has the head of a ballerina.

Pull this hair into a tight high ponytail. Soak the ponytail with water and separate it into three segments. Braid each segment as far down as you can and secure it with a clear elastic. Then take the braid on the right...or left...I just did the right one first. Wrap it around the main ponytail and secure it with a bobby pin, do the same with the left braid. Then take the middle braid and wrap it around the side you started with. The ends aren't so pretty because her hair isn't long enough to tuck it under and have it look pretty, so I wrapped the ribbon around the base. I love the upside down ribbon in this hairstyle.

Heidi of the Alps

My mom used to do my little sister when we were little. She was the only one of us who had hair long and thick enough to do it. I was so jealous! Now that my babies have hair, I am focusing my unrequited love for this do onto them.

How to...

Here is my "how to" segment.

This was recently left in one of my comments

"It is here where I need a bit of advice if you don't mind. I can't ever seem to get the hair to sleek back as perfectly as yours looks in the pics. What is your secret...if you don't mind sharing. I use the spray bottle and the comb and I have used the detangle spray on occasion. Both of my girls have really thick hair. I would love any words of wisdom you might be able/willing to offer." This coupled with the same question from another friend.

My answer, a dripping wet head and max hold hair gel and a FINE toothed comb. If it is not fine, you can't get their hair as tight. Also, you can't be afraid of pulling their heads around a little bit. My kids have tough old heads. I am afraid I would die if they had tender heads.

I am seriously NOT kidding when I say wet hair. If I had my way, I would wash my girls hair before I did their hair EVERYDAY! Since they get their baths at night, this is not happening. I have a rather large spray bottle and I am not kidding when I say that I fill it up every three days.

Spray around the hairline first. Then comb the water into the hair. I do this a couple of times. Then I take the gel and I use about the size of a nickel and I rub it in both of my hands and rub it into their hair, then I spray hairspray on it as well. Lots of product...good thing I buy the cheap stuff. I save my $$$ for good shampoo and conditioner for their hair. Heaven knows they need it.

I pull their hair into whatever concoction I have thought up that day...spraying with water as needed...and then after I am all done, I spray with hairspray again.

Their hair drys into the shape if I make sure it is wet first.

I should just note, it doesn't matter how nice you get their hair, the minute they put their heads in the carseat, it is static city.

But hey, you tried. Right?