Simple updo

A couple post back I did 4 easy styles today post is a just a different take on the low chignon I did there.  This is a great look to add a little fun or casual aspect to a more polished chignon.  That being said I think you can wear this on a regular day chasing kids in place of a pony tail, or spend some more time on it and wear it for a summer wedding when you want your hair back, but don't want anything too fancy.
This style does not work on shorter hair since it would be hard to get the rolled section from the pony tail, but works well on medium to long hair.  The more hair you have the bigger rolled area you will have.  I think the video will show exactly how to do that with ease!

Have a great Friday!!

What to do when your daughter wants to do her own hair?

I think it is very common for some girls to get to a certain age or stage of life and want to do their own hair.  I hope Kinsley doesn't get to that stage because I love doing her hair.  I thought I would come up with a few tips to help your daughter learn how to do her hair and how to make it easy and fun for them.

One rule in our house, even if Kinsley leaves her hair down, is no"rat's nest". No matter what, hair needs to brushed well.  A way to help your daughter brush their hair well is one of these cute fun colored mini Wetbrushes.  It can be their brush and you can show them how to brush their hair well, including how to get the back and the underneath where it can get tangled.

It could be helpful to talk with your daughter about the importance of brushing and washing their hair as it keeps the hair healthy and allows it to grow well.

I also like to include Kinsley in deciding what style she wants for her hair. I will sometimes have Kinsley go through Pintrest and find little girl's styles that she likes and wants me to recreate.  She feels included in the process and likes to see how they turn out.

Another way to help them do their hair is with fun clips that are easy for them to put in.  We really like these cool colored bobby pins.You can sometimes get lucky and find colored bobby pins at The Dollar Store. They look cute when we use them just to pull the front back.   You can show them how to pull their hair over to the side and clip in a fun accessory. If they are older, start teaching them a basic braid and how to use a hair tie.

 I hope these basic tips and the few links I added help you and your daughter get that hair done in the mornings!


 

Twist and Braid Half-Up Style

Sometimes it is nice to add a little variety to your hair routine.  I get stuck in a rut just curling mine everyday, so I try to add fun styles in every once in awhile.  These two styles that I am showing today are easy and fast.  You can wear them casually or even dress them up a little and wear it for a nicer occasion.

They are the same style just pulled back in two different ways.  The first is just by twisting the hair back and the second is by braiding it back.  These styles work on most lengths of hair.  If your hair is shorter it will be difficult for the hair to reach together in the back, but you get a similar look just by pinning it back. If your hair is longer you will have more hair to weave within each other.  The video explains how to get your hair weaved with in each other and how to place the bobby pins.

Upside down braid!

I always say it, but I love this braid too.  I just love braids.  This is an upside down braid with a bun on top. I like that from the front it looks like a plain bun and then the back has a fun little braid.
Start with hair that is brushed really well.  It is helpful when braiding the back of the hair that there are no tangles. Once brushed really well, have your daughter put her head down so that you standing over them.  Then start your braid at the base of their head and braid up to the middle of the head.  In the video I did a regular French braid, but it also looks really cute with a Dutch braid.  It is a little more difficult to braid in the opposite direction than the hair grows, so just take small section and smooth them out a little more to prevent bumps in your braids.  After you get to the middle of the head secure the braid with a clear elastic.  Brush all the front and side hair up to meet the braid. Now gather all the hair into a pony tail and make your bun. Now the hair is out of their face and it has a cool braid in the back! This is also something that you can try on your self too!

Baby Mullets

My girls take forever to grow hair. It was only about a year ago that Kinsley got such a good head of hair.  There was a lot of awkward growing out phases for them both.  Haddie is really in that phase.  The back of her hair seems to be coming in well, while the front is taking its good ole time.  I thought I would share with you all what I do for that, just in case you have girls in  your life that have slow growing hair.  

From the pictures you can see that Hads has a perfect baby mullet.  Not so great.  So every couple of months I like to take about 1-2 inches of hair of the back.  I don’t cut anything off the front or sides of her hair because they are just now getting to the length of the cut back.  We refer to it as a baby bob because when it is brushed it does look like a bob.  It helps it look full and like she has somewhat of a style and not a baby mullet.

This idea of cutting the back as the front grows, can be applied to all ages of little girls. Hair in the front seems to come in much slower for a majority of girls.  So even if your little one is 5 and still working on growing that front, keep cutting the back every few months, and let the front grow so eventually they can be the same length.

Fishtail Braid!

 

I  have shown both a French and a Dutch braid so far, so I thought we would show how to do a fishtail.  The look of this braid is just different enough to make it a very popular choice. 

Fishtail braids do work best with a good amount of hair both in thickness and in length. It kind of eats up the length of the hair when you are doing it. 

Fishtail are different mainly in the sense that you are only using two strands.  You spilt the hair in half and pull hair from the outside of the sections.  Take an outside section and cross it over the original section and then under the section in your other hand. Then repeat on the other side.  Fishtails are a little tricky because you do have to place the hair on the underside of each other to get that crossed over look.  I hope the video explains and shows you exactly how I hold the hair in my hands and how I cross it over!

Keeping Those Bangs to the Side

I love the look of side bangs. I think they look so cute, but bangs can be fussy. You have to blow dry them just right to have them stay in place and not be stuck on your forehead.

In the video below I give a few of my tricks that help keep them to the side and keep them off your face.  Sometimes you also have to train your hair to go in the right spot.  If you have just gotten side bangs and some hair wants to flip to the opposite side, try securing them with a bobby pin at night to help teach that hair to stay when you want it.

In the video I demonstrate how to put a tiny back comb in your bangs to give them that lift which really is what helps hair stay put. I hope this tiny video helps next time you are blow drying!

Four Fast and Easy Styles

I feel like once it starts getting warm out, people (myself included) are always looking for ways to get their hair out of their face and not always throw it up in a pony tail.  In these tutorials I demonstrate two styles on Kinsley and two styles on myself.

The two on Kinsley are both very fast.  The first one is just two braids connected in the back. It is perfect if your little girl doesn't love to have her hair up all the time, but doesn't want it in her eyes. It is also great if you are still working on your French braiding techniques. 

The second is just a French braid but instead of starting it in the front of the hairline you start it at their part and then follow the shape of the head around the side.  We call it the Elsa braid.

The two styles on my self are generally my go-to styles. The first is a French braid in the front bang portion of my hair.  In the video I show how I fatten the braid up and how I pin it so it will last all day. 

The second is a very easy up-do.  This is going to take you back to when topsy-turvy pony tails were popular.

You do the topsy-turvy technique and then you roll the hair up from the pony tail. You could use this style for a day at work or even for a wedding. People will be impressed with your up-do skills!  The video shows how quick and simple it can be.

Coconut Oil!

It is about that time in the winter when everyone's hair and skin and lips are getting super dry. Thankfully there is a product to help that is probably in your pantry. This miracle product is coconut oil!

First it is great for hair. I like to recommend coconut oil as the first deep conditioning treatment for hair.  If that doesn't do the trick there are plenty of other great treatments; however, try coconut oil first.  The first step to using it as a deep conditioner is to warm a small amount in a bowl ( a little goes a long way) and then coat your hair in it. Just use your hand to work it through your hair.  Put it in a bun, go to bed for the night, and when you wake up, shower it out of your hair.  Your hair will feel extremely soft.  Do not expect your hair to curl well or hold a curl the first day after. 

 Recently a client and her family went on vacation to Florida where they were swimming a lot in a pool with chlorine.  When they got back both daughters' hair was fairly stringy and almost felt like a build up was on it.  Before doing a Malibu Treatment, I had them give coconut oil a try, and it worked like a charm.  Her daughters' hair is silky smooth now. They were nice enough to do a video for me of their hair before and after the coconut oil.  

Coconut oil is also great for skin.  It is amazing how quickly skin can dry out from the cold and from the dryness in the house.  I like to use coconut oil two ways for my skin.  First I use it in a sugar scrub that I make (recipe below) and secondly as a lotion after I use the sugar scrub. The sugar scrub not only takes the dead skin cells off but the coconut oil prevents your skin from drying out even more. 

For the sugar scrub I like to take about 1/2 cup of coconut oil, warm it slightly, and then mix in 3/4 cup of white sugar.  Mix well until it has a paste like consistency.  I like to add a few drops of essential oil just to make it smell good.