Basic Braid with a French Twist headband

This braid required me to take it out and try again.  This is a simple basic braid with a little french braid twist.    Every four or five cross overs during a basic braid pick a small amount of hair from the front of the head, near the bangs (or forehead, if you don't have bangs) and continue braiding.  There are a few tricks to this, make sure you add hair to the third cross over on the same side each time. By being careful about which strands you add to you make sure that each of the three strands are lengthened enough to make it over the head like a french braid.  

I also played around with adding a bow to the bottom of the braid by pulling a small loop of hair through the elastic used to secure the braid, after double looping the elastic, I added a second loop of hair and secured the whole thing. Claire wasn't a huge fan of this and had me take it out before school because it kept hitting her ear.

Waterfall twists

So in honor of the deluge (ok, I guess it is not quite a deluge, but it has been raining for quite a while) we have decided to do waterfall hair.  Doing this one, I felt like I could have used an extra arm or two.  So, take a small amount of hair from each side of the head, near the temple.  Now, twist both strands of hair inward at the same time, one with each hand.  After both strands are twisted to the ends secure hair with an elastic near the head.  Now, take small amounts of hair from both sides of the head, under the previous sections and twist in the same fashion.  Here comes the extra hand,  grab the previous pony tail and secure all three sections of hair near the head.  Keep taking small amounts of hair and twisting and securing until you run out of hair.

New Snood

Gramma Lousie Miller to the rescue.  This is a new snood for ballet class, under that snood is an extremely basic pony tail.  Stuff the pony into the snood and three bobby pins later: Voila!

Full Headband Braid

 This style didn't turn out the way I envisioned, but it was still quite cute.  I started with doing a french twist from one ear over her head, pulled in hair from the front, at approximately her ear, I changed into a basic braid securing it at the ends of the hair.  I then did the same thing with the french twist pulling again from the front.  After finishing both braids, I had Claire help move the remaining hair out of the way while I secured the two basic braids together with an elastic.  You can stop there or finish by gathering the remaining hair into a basic braid.  While I was securing the basic braid, I included the the ends of the original braids, that way you don't see those ends.

Ornament Braids

Claire wanted her hair like an ornament.  So, this is what we came up with.  Start with two half french braids, then finish braiding to the end of the hair and add your elastics, finish by bobby pinning the ends of the braids under the opposite french braid.  Nice and easy!

Upside Down Braid with Wrapped Pony

This one was a little tricky to do with Claire, we had to start over several times because Claire did not like to  have her hair in her face.  In the end, we settled with having Claire lie on her stomach with her head toward me and her face on my knees.  Once the position is settled, comb all the hair up from the nape of the neck, then do a french braid, about halfway up the head, then finish the braid to the ends of the hair.  You may now stand or sit her up.  Create a high pony, secure it with an elastic and wrap the pony with the lose braid, secure the braid with bobby pins.   We did this hair for Claire's first day of ballet, so after school on her way to dance, we used a new snood Gramma made and her ballet bun fancy with the braid creeping into the bun!

Double wide braid

This is a way easier than it looks.  First do twin french braids to the end of the hair.  After each braid is secured with an elastic pull small sections of hair a from each link of the braid to fill it out a little.  The braids will be wide and flat after this step.  Once the braids are wide, take your bobby pins and pin one braid up the side of the opposite braid, tucking the ends under the braid as you pin it.  Now, take the other braid, cross it over the first braid and pin it up in the same way with the ends pinned under.  After pinning the braids up, attach your favorite flower pin.  This one is from Sunny Days Boutique