Four Strand Rope Braid Pigtails

I learned how to do this braiding technique from Babes in Hairland.  Her instructions are very clear and concise, so rather than reinvent the wheel, I will just direct you to her post.  Click here to see her basic instructions for a 4 strand rope braid.  This is different from 4 strand flat braid, which I intend to show later.
This post shows one way to use this braid.  I've started out with a regular 3 strand braid with the bangs, and then divided the hair for pigtails.  I started with a side part on top and angled it over to the middle at the crown of the head, and continued straight down the back.  You can do the part with sharp angles or with rounded curves.  Don't undo the little braid after you've put it into the pigtail. It adds an interesting detail to the 4 strand braid.  Braid both sides, and then add embellishments like these flowers from Gimme Clips or a ribbon or whatever.

Annie Get Your Gun Braids

If you haven't seen Annie Get Your Gun yet, I suggest you do.  It's an old classic musical about Annie Oakley (historical fiction, I guess).  My favorite song is "Anything You Can Do" (I can do better). It makes me laugh out loud.

This hairstyle is from the beginning of the movie before Annie has been "refined."  If anyone can teach me how to do that classic 1940's curly bob--the after--I would love to learn.

Here Belle's hair is longer than in the movie, but you get the idea.  Braid the front into two braids.  Tie the ends of the braids with long rags rather than elastics.  Use the center of the rag to leave two tails hanging.  You could tie them up higher than what I did.

Part the rest of the hair down the middle.  Braid each side, including the top braids into one of the sections.

When you get down to the part with the rag, split the rag tails so that they each go into a different section of the braid.  Continue braiding.

Tie off the braid by wrapping one of the rag tails around the braid and then tying it in a bow with the other rag end.

This would be fun for a Halloween costume.  It's easy and cute for every day, but if you want it to look a little more refined, you could use ribbon instead of rag strips.  Satin ribbon will not hold the knot, though, so you will have to use elastics for that, and tuck the ribbon into the elastic.

Happy Blogiversary!

Today is Hairdo How-To's second blogging anniversary! We've posted more than 100 different hairstyles (and given up on counting them).  The all time page view marker is reading 186,509. We have 80 followers.  The all-time favorite post is the Waterfall/Fairytale/Fountain Braid post with 3,655 views.  This year we created at facebook page and a pinterest pinboard.  Belle had a major ten inch haircut, which she donated to Locks of Love.  It has already grown back to the bottom of her shoulder blades.  I'm still having fun, so I'll keep on posting.  Please tell your friends about us!

Braids into Front Piggy

I just found these old pictures.  I'm thinking I used the jaw clips since her hair was so short, and it just helped keep the ends from falling out.  If the hair is long enough, the clips won't be necessary.  There is a french braid in front and regular braids on the sides.  I think it is pretty self explanatory, so I won't leave detailed instructions.

Types of Bobby Pins

I have read some comments on other hair blogs about "good" bobby pins and "bad" bobby pins, but there hasn't been much explanation about what makes them good or bad.  This is my attempt to answer the question, though it's just my opinion.  Here I have a picture of the different types of bobby pins I own.  I'll tell about them by number below.

1 is a pin from Sally Beauty supply.  It is a good, sturdy pin with thick metal.  It is strong and holds the hair pretty tightly.
2 is the mini bobby pin also from Sally Beauty.  Mini pins are useful for styles using smaller pieces of hair or for thinner hair where a longer normal size pin would show.
3 is a pin from Scunci.  The metal is a bit thinner than #1.  I would compare it to two types of aluminum foil used for cooking: regular and heavy duty.  One is not necessarily better than the other, but they are useful in different ways.  This pin works just fine for a lot of different styles.  I like the Scunci pins because they have tiny ridges on the inside that give them a little more friction to help them stay in place.  We bought the Scunci ones originally because there was a beautiful swirly pattern on the back of the pins when they were all stacked together on the cardboard.  Of course that doesn't help the function of the pin, but Belle and I liked it anyway.
4 is from Goody.  No offense meant to Goody, as I have lots of products from them that I love (some that have lasted since I was a little girl myself), but this is the pin I think others are considering the "bad" pin.  They are somewhat flimsy and can twist and bend out of shape more easily that the other brands I own.  I have to throw them out occasionally when they lose their shape.
3 and 4 both have a wider mouth that will allow more hair to go inside the pin when you just push them in.  For number 1, you need to open the pin with your fingers to get the hair to go in before you insert it.
5 is the mini bobby from Gimme Clips designed especially for their line of ribbons with a loop on the end.  The pin goes into the loop, and the ribbon is braided in with the hair.
6 is the mini bobby pin from Gimme Clips. It has a good bite and holds pretty well.  It has a slightly higher profile than the Sally Beauty pin, so it can hold a little more hair, but it may stick up higher in the style.  Like I said before about the foil, one is not necessarily better than the other, just a little different.
7 is a glittery bobby pin from Gimme Clips.  It is, of course, designed for show, not to be hidden like the rest, and
8 the mini version of the same.
9 is also from Gimme Clips.  The picture doesn't show it very well, but it is a shiny blue pin, a bit sparkly like nail polish.  They come in regular and mini.  I haven't owned these long enough to form a strong opinion about them, but they are pretty.
10 and 11 are both Gimme Clips.  I love the decorations on them.  I am sad that I lost one of the black flowers.  They were my favorite, but one of them slipped out and landed on the driveway, where I later found it flattened.  I had inserted it with the flower at the bottom to hold some flyaways down at the front of my head.  Perhaps it would have been better to put it in flower side up or insert it into a bun or cross it with another pin.  11 seems to have just a little tighter grip.
12 also from Gimme Clips, is flat and smooth.  It is a little heavy, too.  The decoration is very pretty, but I worry about it falling out if it is just used to hold back bangs or something.  It would be good for an accent to a style.
13 is from Lilla Rose.  This pin is really beautiful.  It is large and heavy, but this pin really chomps down on the hair with a strong grip.  I don't worry about its security.

I welcome your comments.  What are your opinions about the bobby pins that you use?