Sunday, March 31, 2013

Hair Crown with Renaissance Braid Accents



 I love the hair crown and was so excited when I saw someone had done these little braids.  I hope you like it, too.

Start by creating a dutch braid that is going to wind its way around the top of the head.  I started mine at one corner of the bangs, continued behind the bangs then finished the circle.  When you are above each ear, pull a section of hair near the crown that will be used to create the basic braids.  Have your little model hold each section you separate out until you finish the crown braid.  Continue dutch braiding after you pull each section until you are back to where you started the crown braid, then finish braiding the ends with a basic braid and secure with an elastic.

Pin the basic braid on top, or beside, the begin of your dutch braid, tuck the end under the dutch braid and secure with more bobby pins.  Now, with the sections of hair you pulled aside earlier, create two basic braids of approximately equal length and secure the ends with elastics.  Loop each braid and pin the end 2/3's of the way to the other braid.  Try to make each loop approximately equal.  Now is the time you use hair spray, if you are going to.  Today, I forgot, by the hair held up just fine.  After all the braids were done, because this was for Easter Sunday, I choose to add some Crystal and Pearl hair pins from Sunny Days Boutique.


Happy Easter Everyone!

 Time: 15-20 minutes
Difficulty: medium
Hair length: medium+


Saturday, March 30, 2013

Cascading Braid

Today, I wanted to try something I've seen pop up on Pinterest every few days.  What I learned:  do it on a less active head.  You do all that work and within five to ten minutes of play it looks pretty ragged.

Start by doing a french twist (that's a french braid with only taking hair from one side) over the top of the head near the bang line and curving it around the head near the ear.  When you are adding small amounts of hair to this design always take hair from the top side of the braid toward the center of the head. Make sure you only take small sections from the top layer of hair so you have plenty of hair for future rows of braid.  After you have curved the design around, braid a straight line at a slight downward angle until you reach the other side of the head, then gently turn the braid by making a few plaits and starting to incorporate hair on what is now the top side of the braid.  I would suggest spraying the hair with water to help the ends tuck neatly into the braid until you can hair spray it at the end.  (I forgot this trick, maybe next time it will look cleaner).  Braid to the other side of head slightly downward, then turn the braid again and continue zigzaging across and down the head until you are out of hair.  You can choose to use your last braid in corporate all the remaining hair into the top side of the braid or leave a row of hair out.  Your choice.  The trick to this one is not to have the braid tight to the scalp, this braid follows the hair not the head.  Claire wanted cute little clips.  So, if you have 'em, use 'em.  Good luck!

Time: 10-15 minutes (with restarts)
Difficulty: Hard
Length: Long (The longer and thicker the better)

Friday, March 29, 2013

Hair bow with center braid

I love the hair bow.  This is the second time I've tried it, this time it was the focal of the piece.


To start this style, separate out a few inches of hair along the bang line that will be used for the braid.  Then, create a high pony tail with the remaining hair.  When you are about the pull the hair through the elastic for the final time pull the hair out about half way making sure there is plenty of length on the ends.  Now, use the hair set aside for the braid and make your braid straight down the middle of the head.  I would suggest either a basic braid or a dutch braid as I choose.  Ok, take your pony bun and split it in two and carefully tug the halves apart to form the the two bow parts.  Stick pins in the two bow parts temporarily until you are done creating the whole look.  Use the ends of the pony tail and twist it up between the bow halves and around the elastic and use bobby pins to pin it into place.  Then pull your braid straight back down the middle of the head over the center of the hair bow forming the knot part of the bow.  Twist the remaining braid down around the elastic and use some more bobby pins to pin the braid into place.  Now time to use your hair spray to smooth out the bow.  Add any bows or clips you like and call it a day.

Time: 7-10 minutes
 Difficulty: medium
Hair length: Long (the longer the hair the bigger the bow!)

My Claire, remember the model! 
Our home! Gotta love Alaska!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Fun woven Ladder


 I saw something on pinterest last night that I thought I might give a whirl.  This is my spin.

So, make a part, I chose to make my part off center. Then I made two pig tails with about an inch or two width of the hair.  Then comb the rest of hair straight back.  Hold both pig tails and tie them right over left or left over right.  It doesn't matter which order you tie the first one, just remember what you do so you can do it with all of then next rungs.  Ask you little model to hold one of the pig tails while you secure the other.  Before you secure each pig tail gather some hair from the side of the head to incorporate into the pig tail.  You are just about ready to tie the next rung of the ladder.  Instead of using the entire pig tail, only use the long strands you just incorporated.  Leave the shorter lengths of hair to run the outside of the ladder.  With the longer lengths of the pig tails, tie the next rung of the ladder the right right over left or left over right that you did before.  Continue the way you did before until you have rungs all the way down the back of the head.  If you have hair left over in the center of the ladder when you are out head just split it and use it in the last pig tails of the ladder.    Tie you last rung and secure with elastics.  If you need to use some bobby pins to guarantee that the last rung will stay in place.

Time: 10-12 minutes
hair length: medium+
difficulty: medium



Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Sock bun with upside down french braid

So, I think I've done.  I think I finally figured a way to do that blasted sock bun!  Hooray for me, only two months later....

Today is a repeat of something that I have already done, but I wanted to do a better bun.  Last time I did Upside down braid with wrapped pony.  There are many ways to get your little model to sit still for this one, today we chose to have her lay over the edge of the couch with the ipad under her play Curious George.  Then, poor Claire, I couldn't figure out how to do a french braid, my hands kept going autopilot to dutch pilot.  It took several times to get my hands to get the outer strands to go over the center strand instead of under like a dutch braid.  Normally I would't care, but I really want the effect from the french braid.  So, start your french braid at the nape of the neck and braid about half way up the head to the height you want the bun at.  Secure all the hair in a smooth pony tail where you stopped the braid.  Now, your cherub can stand up.
Grab your sock.  I recently found a old pair of beige tube socks to donate to the cause.  Cut the toe off and wind the sock up until it resembles a donut.  Put the donut around the base of the pony tail. Grab another elastic and split the pony tail in half and fold half over one side and the over the other side.  Put the elastic over the hole kit and kaboodle.  Carefully, separate the hair around the to cover the sock.  With all the ends of the wind them carefully around the bun and pin them down.  At this point go ahead and hair spray away. to get everything to lie still for school, ballet and Uncle Timmy's birthday!

Time: 7-10 minutes
hair length: medium/short
difficulty: medium



Sunday, March 24, 2013

Pony tail rosette

I haven't been all that inspired lately, luckily, it's been spring break and I haven't needed to be.  However, today, Claire had Sunday School.  So, I'd seen I cute little pony tail with a braided rosette, and decide today was a good day to try.

This was as simple as it sounds.  Secure a medium-low height pony tail.  Separate out a small-ish amount of hair to braid.  The thicker the strand the larger the rosette.  After you have secured your basic braid loop it and twist it on itself to form your rosette.  Use bobby pins to secure you rosette over the elastic of your pony tail.

Hair length: Medium
time: 3-5 minutes


difficulty: easy

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Egg Tails

The challenge was set out a few days ago, I had to respond.  Luckily, I was given the perfect opportunity today to do a wild Easter themed hair because of the egg hunt at Juneau's Dimond Field House.

This hair is not that complicated it just is very time consuming.  Start by creating a part down the center of the head.  Normally you take the rat tail end of a comb and go straight from front to back.  To do the zig zag, do just that take the rat tail end of the comb and zig zag it over where you normally would create the part.  It wont look fancy until you firmly separate the two halves and that is ok.  After the part is completed secure the hair into two high pig tails.  
For each pig tail you are going to start by separating the pig tails into four to six individual strands of hair.  I choose four for Claire's hair and it didn't work quite as well as I would have liked, though, because of the thinness of her hair I was hesitant to separate the strands anymore.  Once the strands are secured, take half of two of the strands that are next to each other and secure them together. Continue splitting and securing the strands until they are all secured.  Now, grab your egg.  I had a small and large plastic egg from previous Easters.  Because of the length of of Claire's hair, I choose the smaller egg, to theoretically include more eggs.   Place the egg inside the hair basket you have created with the strands of the hair.  Secure the strands around the egg as tightly at the base of the egg as you can.  If you have time, extra hair length or desire you can create more egg baskets.  It took a half hour to do the first egg on both sides, so I didn't have time to do anymore.  
Have fun playing with this one.  I kind of like the way it turned out with the pig tails off the ends of the eggs.

Hair length: Long
difficulty: medium 
time: 30+ minutes

Monday, March 18, 2013

Combined dutch braids

We wanted to do something to get Claire's hair up and out of the way for skiing.  Simple dutch braids.  Claire wanted more.  How hard was it to simply pin the end of one braid under the base of the opposite braid?  Yup.  That was as hard as this style was.  Good luck!

Time: 5-7 minutes
hair length: medium
difficulty: easy

Friday, March 15, 2013

Double French Braided disc

This is a variation on the French Braid Disc. Instead of wrapping the braid all the way around the circumference of the head, split the pony tail and wrap two braids from the front to the back and join and continue the braid at the bottom.

To start this style, separate out about an inch band around the head and create a high pony tail with all the inside hair.    Now separate the pony tail in to two sections and clip half away until you do the second braid.  To do each braid, part the thin band of hair in the middle of the front of the head and to do a french braid. You are going to take hair from the band for each plait on the outside and from the pony tail for each plait on the inside.  When you get to the middle of the base of the neck continue braiding for a for plaits and then clip it away until you are done with the second braid.  When both braids are complete you can secure them together at the base of the neck. Now, you are either done or you can now do a basic braid.  After you secure the basic you can carefully snip the elastic at the base of the head to release braids.

Time: 7-10 minutes
Hair length: long
Difficulty: medium





Thursday, March 14, 2013

Mini Waterfalls and a headband


Someone had the wiggles this morning.  Quick and easy was the ticket.  Part the hair down the middle, form two low pig tails.  Now, form a hole behind the elastic and push the pig tail up and down and through the hole to form the waterfall.  Once both waterfalls are complete, add a pretty headband and call it a day.  You can tell the degree of the wiggles based on the completely lopsided part.  Oh, well.

Time: 2-3 minutes
Hair length: Short
Difficulty: Easy

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Waterfall and a french braid


 I wanted to do something quick and easy this morning.  And ta da!  To do this one start with a simple pony tail with half the hair.  After you have secured it with an elastic, poke a hole with your finger to split the hair above the elastic.  Then push the pony tail up, over and through the hole.  Ta Da! Waterfall done. Now, pick up a small amount of hair from behind the ears, add it to the pony tail and start a french braid, continue braiding until you run out of hair to add.  For me that was three or four plaits.  Finish by securing it with another elastic.  If you want you can braid to the ends of the hair that's your choice.  I was going to braid the ends with a fish braid, but choose against it.  Add a pretty clip beneath the waterfall.  At this point I carefully snipped the first elastic to release the waterfall, making it look more natural, like a french twist.  That again is up to you.  Have fun.

Time: 3-5 minutes
Hair length: Medium/short (Shoulder length)
Difficulty: Easy

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Lace up Hair with a sock bun.



 This one received so many compliments   Start by sectioning out a band about an inch or two around the front of the head and neatly secure the rest of the hair in a medium height pony tail.  Now, separate the band of hair into five equal sections.  I foolishly choose to start these braid with a little dutch braid before continuing on and finishing the smaller braids with a basic braid.  I don't think you need the dutch braid, just start with an inverse basic braid and you should get the same result.  When you complete each braid secure it temporarily until all are finished.  Secure all five completed braids with another elastic around the pony tail.  Unravel all the ends of the braids in the pony tail.


Next we did a sock bun.  Still trying to figure this out.  But, any bun will do.  After the bun is complete, which ever bun you chose, use plenty of hair spray today is preschool, ballet and potluck at church!

Here comes with the fun part.  Grab at least four fairly long lengths of ribbon and a blunt crafting needle.  This is 1/8" ribbon that is at least 24" long.  Tie ribbon to the start of on of the braids and thread the needle with the other end.  Next, "sew" the ribbon into the alternately into the opposite braid and then the original braid.  Continue "sewing" back and forth until you reach the bun.  Continue "sewing" the ribbons between the braids until you have ribbon laced between all five braids.  If you have extra length of ribbon when you are all done tie all the ribbons together around the bun prettily.  Because Claire choose pink and purple ribbons she also choose to use her crazy elastics with pink and purple ribbon spewing off.  The do looked nice enough before the crazy elastics, but this is what Claire wanted!


Time: 15-20 minutes
difficulty: medium
hair length: medium