Lesson 84: Front Half Pony with Twist Crossover

Start with the front section of hair from temple to temple in a piggy.

Next make row on each side with a french hawser twist.  Twist them down the ends a bit and secure (temporarily).

Gather the hair up from ear to ear to make a front half piggy.  Include the hair from the forehead, but not the twists.

Twist up the twists tighter by turning them, and then cross one over the other.  Wrap them around underneath the piggy, and band them together.

Undo the bands at the ends of the twists.

Here is where you can add a decoration if you wish, or just leave it how it is.  I'm using our new Lilla Rose Flexi-Clip.  (Belle and I really like fairies.)

Product Review: Lilla Rose Flexi-Clips

I'm excited to try out my new hairdo-dads from Lilla Rose.  They are flexible infinity sign shapes with a metal pin that goes through.  I've been testing them out on a few different styles lately.  If you head over to their website via the link above, they have some tutorials on some basic styles you can do with this.  Lilla Rose graciously sent us three sizes to try out so I could share my opinion with you.  We have an extra-small, small and medium.  The one in the picture here is an extra-small.  There are different things you can do with the different sizes, and the size you need will depend on the length and thickness of your hair, and also what you want to do with it.  I have been using this extra-small for a front-half pony in my own hair.  It is actually just a little bit too big for Belle's hair in a front half pony because it slips down a little (but doesn't slide down at all in mine).  I taught her how to split the tail in two and tug them away from each other to make it slide back up.

These hair clips remind me of my mother's old "stick barrette" that she used to wear a lot in the 80's.  It was an egg shape piece of thick leather with a hole punched in both ends for the wooden stick to go through.  She did the "tails up" style with it.

At last I have found a solution to the problem of heavy hair wrecking the cascading curls style.  Follow the directions for this post, but then add a flexi-clip above the pull-through for added stability.

I like these hair clips because they are useful for common every day hairstyles.  They are quick and easy and make a simple style look nice.

Lesson 83: Christmas Bows

Here's a simple twist on the hair bow to make it more appropriate for Christmas: use gift bows!

I tried to stick a bobby pin through the staple, but that didn't work, so I put a clear elastic around some of the loopies of the bottom layer (mine had the rectangle sticky pad ripped off, but you could keep it on) and then wrapped the elastic over the piggies.  These are mini gift bows, but you could use a big one on a ponytail or braid.

Lesson 82: Christmas Poinsettia

I am sad that I cannot find a picture of the awesome hairstyle I did last year, but I'll explain it here.  Belle's hair is too short now.  If anybody tries this out, please send a pic for me to post it here.

To do the poinsettia, basically follow the same directions as the sea star in this post.  But instead of only 5 loopies, do more like 15-20 small ones.  Arrange them at random instead of evenly, and overlapping.  In the center, you could pull some of the yellow/gold ball thingies from the center of a fake poinsettia and stick them in with a bobby.

This one looks pretty neat and gains attention when you go out.

Lesson 81: Cornrow Headband with "Hair" Bow

This is a style that can only be done on really long hair.
Begin with Barbie bangs, as described in this post.  Part a row parallel to the part already in the hair, and then pull the rest of the hair back temporarily.  Beginning near one ear, dutch braid the row until you run out of hair above the ear.  A cornrow is just a skinny dutch braid.

Braid all the way down and add an elastic.

Bring the end of the braid around the back and up to the side above the ear.  Divide the tail end into two sections, loop each in half so the ends cross over, and use a mini clip to hold the bow shape down to the scalp.

Let down the rest of the hair.

Lesson 80: Sock Bun with Hawser Twist

This style is similar to the last post I did for the Barbie hairstyle.  These pictures are from about a year ago, and I don't have step by step, so refer to the last post if you need to.

Start off by parting the hair at the side in front and making a box shape down to one ear.  Keep this hair out of the way while you put the rest into a high ponytail.  Stick the ponytail through the sock form (a rolled up sock with the toe cut out).  Smooth the hair evenly over the sock, and then add another hairband around the whole thing.  (Do not cover the bun with another layer of hair like the Barbie style--this one has the doughnut shape showing.)

Do a french hawser twist with the bang section you parted out by adding hair only to one side as you cross so that the twist lays over the part.  Continue twisting the ends, and add a small elastic.  Wrap the twist around the sock bun beneath the loose ends, and pin it in place.  Do a french hawser twist around the sock bun with all the loose ends.  Tuck the tail under to hide it.  Pin it all in place.  Tape the twist with a long ribbon.  (I wrapped the extra long ends around the whole thing this time.)  Add a bow or flower to cover up any messy spots.

Lesson 79: Bun with Ribbon Wrapped Twist

This is the Barbie hairstyle I named "Yet Another Musketeer" (number 10) in this Barbie Hairstyle post.  It isn't exactly the same, but close enough for me.  This special guest is my neighbor friend.  She asked me for help to do her hair for a dance competition.  She said that it lasted for her second day of dancing, and she just needed to spray some flyaways after she slept on it.
Start with a ponytail.  Next you'll need to use a sock to form the bump.  Cut the toe off a sock and then roll it until it looks like a doughnut.  Put the tail of the ponytail through the hole.  Spread the hair over it evenly, and then add another hairband.

(I guess I should have taken some more step by step pictures, but I didn't have a whole lot of time.)  Grab up a portion of the hair from below the bun, pull it up over the top, and arrange it to cover up the doughnut.  Add a small hairband (clear is best).

Tuck the little tail in under the bun, or if you can use it the next step.  Now you will need to do a french hawser twist around the bun.  Take up two sections of hair from beside the bun.  I did it on the side, but taking it from the top may make it less visible where you start from.  Twist each section one direction, then wrap them together in the opposite direction.  Add more hair to the sections as you continue twisting around the bun.  When you run out of hair to add in, keep twisting the ends together and put a clear hairband in the end.  Wrap it around the bun and tuck the ends underneath to hide them.  Use bobby pins to hold it all in place.

Now get a long piece of ribbon.  I didn't measure when I cut it off the spool, but just guessed and ended up with way too much.  Better too much than not enough.  Use a craft needle to sew around the twist.  This is called hair taping.  Tie the ends together and tuck them underneath to hide.  Use hairspray to keep the top layer of hair on the bun from sliding and showing off the doughnut shape underneath.

Crazy Hair Day

Red Ribbon Week (Say No to Drugs!) was last week, and the school had a crazy hair day.  This was our invention.

I braided her bangs, did a zigzag part, put plastic drinking cups on either side, brushed the hair over the cups, and put in hairbands.  I wrapped a pipe cleaner or two around the hairband and braided them in.  One braid I formed into a zigzag, and the other a corkscrew.  On one end, I spread the tail out and sprayed it with spray gel.  The other I added a poof.  I wrapped the bang braid around one cup and clipped it in place.  Very weird.

She Changed Her Mind

Before:

Like I said before, Belle said that her long hair was starting to bug her.  She decided she was ready to take the plunge and go for the whole ten inches to donate to Locks of Love.


Drum roll, please....


AFTER:

She loves it!  I really like it, too, though it does limit my creativity a bit.  It's a lot faster to brush, wash, and dry, and I don't have to worry about braiding it before bedtime.  She looks fantastic, I think.  There is still plenty I can do with it.

I wonder if I will be able to find anything out about what little girl receives her gift.

Donate to Locks of Love

 Belle is beginning to get tired of her long hair, and she says it bugs her.  She's ready for a cut.  I did a search to find out what the minimum requirement is for Locks of Love.  They say 10 inches.  Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to medical treatment.  Belle said she'd like to do that another year and not cut that much off yet.  But if you are interested, you have to cut the hair after you put in a hairband (so it isn't all loose), stick it in a bag and a padded envelope, and mail it to
234 Southern Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2701
See locksoflove.org for more details.

Lesson 78: Worm Bun/ The Brain

This style is fun to do.  I gave it a gross name for Halloween, but it would actually be cute for a flower girl or other special occasion with little flowers or ribbons stuck in it.
Begin with a ponytail.  Divide the tail into a few sections.  I used four, but if you use more the twists will be thinner and give it a more detailed brain/worm effect.  Twist each section all the way to the end, and then keep twisting it tighter and tighter until it starts to curve and make loops.  Tuck the end into the hair band. 

Repeat until you have used up all the hair.  Pull the ends that are sticking out underneath the twisties, and pin them in place with bobby pins.  Arrange the loops however they look nice, and then pin them down nice and neat.

Halloween Requests?

With Halloween approaching, I am wondering if there is anybody out there that needs specific help on a costume hairdo.  I can't promise anything, but just leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

Lesson 77: French Hawser Twist

I don't actually know what this is called...  It is a hawser twist, but you add hair with each cross like a french braid, but a french twist is a completely different style, so I'll just call it a french hawser twist.  Before you try this one, make sure you know how to do a simple hawser rope twist.

There are lots of things you can do with this technique, but for today, just start by parting the hair down the middle like pigtails.  Keep one side out of the way with a clip or hairband while you work with the other side.  Pull up a section at the top of the head and split it into two with the division perpendicular to the center head part so that both pieces have a space touching the forehead.  Twist them both toward the face, and then cross the higher one over the other toward the back of the head.

Cross the lower over the first one toward the back of the head.

Add some hair to the strand that is now lower.  You will be taking hair that is both below the twist and above, but the hair that is above will be hanging down behind the twist.  When you french braid, you gather one side then the other, but here you are taking hair from both sides at the same time.  After you add the hair in, twist it in with the rest (toward the face), and then cross it over the top.

Continue in this pattern, adding hair to the lower strand, twisting it in, and crossing it over until you get to the bottom and have no hair left to add in.

Finish off with a simple hawser rope, and then fasten it with a hairband.

Repeat on the other side.

For a variation, you can tie the two together at the base of the neck...

...and then wrap them around into a bun.  Tuck in the ends and pin in place.

Lesson 76: Another French Braid Variation

I saw a tween girl with this hairstyle at a choir concert not too long ago.  I thought she was adorable, and I was intrigued that I had never thought of or seen this before, when it is such a slight change to the ordinary french braid.  You just start braiding with hair at the top of the head near the part instead of at the front of the head near the forehead.  Braid straight down instead of curving around to the neck.  You may run out of hair over the ear before you run out at the back of the head, so you just keep braiding the one side without adding hair to it, but still add hair to the other side until you run out.

Lesson 75: Braid Loops Ponytail

I was inspired to do this style from a darling little girl (another Belle) at my church.  Hers was done on the side with an enormous sunflower.

Gather the hair into a ponytail (middle or side).  The higher on the head the ponytail is, the more difficult it will be to match the end lengths of the hair to braid.  Braid all the hair, one small section at a time, and put a small elastic at the bottom of each.  It may be helpful to do this on wet hair (use a spray bottle if necessary) to keep shorter lengths from poking out of the braids as much.  Fold the braids up and stick the ends into one of loops of the hairband.  Adding another hairband around the whole thing will help keep them from slipping.  I used a no-slip grip hairband.  Just be careful not to mess up the braids when you are wrapping the hairband.

At this point the little ends are sticking out like wild at the top of the ponytail.  Do whatever you can to tame them.  Spray them wet, roll, tuck, wrap, pin... whatever you can do to contain them to a small area.  Now cover up the mess with a bow or flower to hide it.  I used three small flowers because I don't have a big one. (Thanks again Gimme Clips!) A wide piece of ribbon would have done the trick nicely, too.

Lesson 74: Ribbon Accent

More curls!  He's another way to spice it up. This is a simple front half pony.  Some curls from different places on the head gathered together beneath the hairband.  I combined them smoothly by wrapping them around my finger and combing them a bit at a time while on my finger.  For the bow accent, I tied a short thin ribbon into a bow around the end of a bobby pin, and then inserted it into the hairband. 

Lesson 73: More on Rag Curls and Twist-Wrapped Half Pony

I've been saving these pictures for a year or so.  This is a curl made with the corkscrew method I talked about in my last post.  Here's a single curl as I let it out of the rag.

Notice the pink arrow pointing a portion of hair that didn't curl very well.  It may have been too wet so it didn't dry and set the curl, or it may have come unraveled while I was wrapping and knotting the ends.  Oh well.

This is after running my fingers through the curls to loosen them up a bit.

I don't like the flat places near the scalp, so I try to style it in a way that will hide it.  Here I did a front half pony, leaving out a chunk of hair on both sides over the ears.  I then twisted the hair left above the ears, crossed it over the hairband to hide it, and then tucked the ends underneath.  You can either stick the ends down into the hairband at the back or use mini jaw clips to hold the twists in place.

A side view:

And a gratuitous shot of these luscious curls (I can't help myself):

(These are the curls I made my blog banner from.)