Not As Complicated As It Looks Braid

This braid looks like very difficult weaving, but it's really not so difficult.  Begin with a ponytail.  Divide the tail into three equal sections.  For each section you will make an wavy braid by taking two tiny sections and braiding them with one large section, and then tugging gently at the edges of the large sections to make them flair out a bit.

Make three of those braids, and then braid them all together.

Add bows or bows or flowers to accessorize. (Ours are from Gimme Clips.)

Tapering Braid

This is a super easy style.  Start with a ponytail.  Braid the top loosely, and then pull out the edges of the plaits to widen it.  Gradually braid tighter to the end.  This style probably would work better with very curly or kinky hair since you can braid further out to the ends without worrying about the ends popping out.

(I'm experimenting with some new software that came with my camera.  I doesn't do much, so I need to keep searching for that old disk...  This image is huge, and I can't put my blog stamp on it.)

Milkmaid Braids

I've already posted a different version of the milkmaid braids here, but I wanted to do this one that's a little different for shorter hair.

As you can see in the picture, you don't cross the braids over the back like the other post, but braid above the ears and pull them straight up.  I fastened off the end of the braid with a clear elastic, and then added another clear elastic down from the first to keep the ends of the tail from fraying out as much.

You have to draw the braids up together and then use bobby pins to hide each tail under the other braid.  It helps if your braids are loose and wide so you can spread them out flatter and make more room for the tails to hide.

You can see the elastic just a bit here.  It would help if her hair were maybe an inch longer.

Braided Heart Ponytail

To help celebrate Valentine's Day, here's another heart shaped hairdo.  Instructions are show for the ponytail version, but this is also really cute as pigtails.  (This picture is from a long time ago!)

Begin with a front piggy.  Put the rest of the hair in a low pony, being sure to leave the tail of the top one out.

Braid two sections of the lower ponytail at the sides.  Make them as even thickness as you can.  Secure the ends with a temporary clip.

Pull the braids up and then back down to add them with the hair of the top piggy.

Add an elastic here, careful to keep the braids at equal lengths on either side.  Split the hair from the tail in half, and tuck them behind the braids.

The braids will make a C shape on either side. To get the sharper angle at the bottom of the heart, you can fold them up and add another elastic on top of the pinch.

The ends of the braids will be much shorter than the tail of the pony.  If they pop out the sides like in the above picture and that bothers you, you can add this additional step.  Pull the short ends together behind the ponytail.  Wrap a small clear elastic around them a few times, and then once around to whole ponytail.

I'll admit this makes the bottom look kind of weird, but that can be hidden with a flower or bow.  (Satiny flower clip from Gimme Clips!)

Click the Valentine's Day link on the right sidebar to see more Valentine's Day hairstyle ideas.

Braid with Half-Dutch Headband

I did this style the next day after the waterfall headband.  I took apart the hairstyle except for the half dutch braid across the top of the head.  After sleeping on it, it still looked as if it had just been done--no flyaways.

Start with an ear to ear part at the front of the ear.  Keep the front hair out of the way for a while (clip or bun, etc.).  Do another ear to ear part at the back of the ear 3 or 4 cm behind the first part. Pull the back hair into a ponytail.  Half-dutch braid across the top middle of the head.

Release the ponytail.  Part the hair at the front on the side or middle. Brush it down to the side and give it a little twist.  Pull it back to join the hair at the back of the head.  Divide all the hair, including the little braid, into 3 sections.  Braid it, making sure that the little braid is on top each time its strand is plaited.  I added the bang hair into the middle section of the braid to make the little braid more visible at the side.

Braid Rose

This is a really easy but really cute hairstyle.  Just gather a section of hair near the forehead, braid it down to the end, add an elastic, and then coil it up.  Tuck the tail underneath, and put in a few bobby pins to hold it in place.

Belle's Baptism Bun

This is Belle's hairdo for her baptism.  Since she was baptized by immersion, I wanted something that would hold up to the water.  I also wanted something that wouldn't take long to fix up afterwards since all our family and friends would be waiting for us.  This hairstyle turned out amazingly well.  All I had to do was dab gently with a towel and use a comb to smooth back some flyaways.  Then it didn't even look like it was still wet.  It stayed in place.  These pictures are actually from after her baptism.  They are a few little fuzzy places, but overall, it still looks great.

I didn't get step by step pictures since I had bigger things on my mind that day.  Start with a half dutch braid for the front section of hair.  Put the rest back in a ponytail.  Add the braid in.  Make several more small braids from the tail of the pony until all the hair is braided.  Wrap the braids around the hairband.  Tuck the ends under, and use bobby pins to hold it all in.  Add a flower or bow to decorate if you want.  Ours is from Gimme Clips.  I removed it before she got wet and replaced it afterwards.

During her service, we sang a song called "When I Am Baptized."  The first line starts out with "I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain."  To hear the song, click on this link, and then mark the circle for "words and music."  We thought it was very special that we were given a rainbow on the day she was baptized!

If you would like more information about our church's view of baptism, click here.

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.

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.

Half-dutch Headband with Twists into Messy Bun and Variations

Here is a style that I had put in my gallery when my blog was rather new, but never did the step by step directions until now.  It's in my banner, too.
Begin with a part at the back of the ears across the top of the head.  Put the back hair into a ponytail.

Part a strip from the top of the ears across the top, maybe an inch and a half thick or so.  Get the front hair out of the way with a clip.

Do a half dutch braid ending at the side of the head, meaning that you add in all the rest of the from above the ear  before you actually get down to the ear.  Then braid to the end.

Pull the braided tail over the top of the hairband.  Twist the bang section and draw it up over the ponytail, clipping it in place temporarily.  You may have to twist part of the hair and then add a little more to it while you keep twisting to get it to look right.

Twist the other side and bring it up over the pony.

Add another elastic over the whole thing.

You can leave it like this. I think it looks nice this way.  Or turn the back into a messy bun.  You can leave the braid in or take it out.

Here are some old pictures from when I did it a long time ago.  On the smaller side I did a regular braid instead of another twist.

Here is another variation with the same general instructions, you just do a hawser twist instead of the half dutch and simple twist.  This also just has a fancy hairband on a ponytail instead of a messy bun.

Funky Braids

This style is fun, easy, and pretty fast.  Great way to spice up an ordinary style.  This makes me miss Belle's long hair!  This was a long time ago.  To start, gather a small section of hair at the bang area and make a thin braid.  Add a clear elastic.  Part the hair down the middle.  Do Indian braids for just a couple inches (adding the small braid into one side), and then add an elastic.  Add another elastic a bit farther down, careful that the little braid lays on top of the smooth hair.  Braid the ends with an upside down braid, and add the last elastics.

Lesson 100: Braided Braids

It would have been cool to do something special for my 100th hairstyle, but I just don't have time for it right now!  So here is something I already had saved and prepared.

Braided braids is a simple way to make a complicated looking braid.  Start with a ponytail.  Divide the tail into three equal sections (or you could try unequal).  Braid each one.   Then braid them all together.

Lesson 99: Braid Loop Bangs

This one is a simpler version of this.

Section off a rectangular portion of hair at the top of the head. Gather the hair into a pigtail at the corner and add an elastic.  Braid the hair to the end, and add another elastic.  Draw the tail up to the top and fasten it to the first elastic by tucking it in or adding another elastic around the whole thing.  Wrap the loose hairs around and tuck them into the elastic.  Cover up the elastics with a flower or bow.  (This is my favorite one again from Gimme Clips--the one that came with the headband.)

Lesson 98: Simple St. Patrick's Day

Last year for St. Patrick's Day I posted some more challenging styles for making shamrocks and clovers out of hair (see the right side bar).  This year we're keeping it simpler with some less time and skill intensive styles.

First, this little clover looking flower is from Gimme Clips.  (Clover flowers are really purple and white, I know, but we need green to avoid the pinching, right?)  The flower is sewn onto a small hairband.  This was our Daylight Savings Church Day hairstyle (with a blue one that day).  Just make a side part, and then part out a small section from the top of the head to the temple.  Add the hairband, being careful not to get the petals stuck under the hairband twists.

This picture was taken before school one day this week, then I looked out the window and noticed it was windy, so I added some Indian braids (upside down) with the matching hairbands that came with the flowers.

Here's another way to green up a regular hairdo.  Tie some green ribbon into a bow around the end of a bobby pin and insert it into a bun or messy bun.

Keep scrolling down.  I put up two posts today.