Wednesday Waves

I'm actually hoping to hear from some of you - experiences or tips you can offer up on this.  I've mentioned many times before that Bug is starting to get some funky curl/waves at the back of her hair that it making me crazy!  I don't know why - it just is.  Funny enough, Goose was born with curls, as was Bee (as you've seen.)  But Bug was born with stick straight hair - and for a while I didn't know what to do with it, because I couldn't just put a little bit of gel in it and fluff the cute baby curls.  Now over the last year, she's started showing more and more signs of this wave on the inner parts of her hair.  Let me show you....

Here is Bug's hair fresh out of the bath & just a bit towel dried.  I've combed through it to get any tangles out and get it straight looking:

Then if she moves her head at all this is what starts to appear from within the "depths" of her hair:

Then if I "dig" in deeper, this is what is there:

Even more from the side of her head .... waves, waves, waves - or loose curl - what would you call this?!

Fast forward several minutes after we've dried it completely. (caught her mid-blink in the mirror I guess!)  I just love her hair like this!  Looks amazing, wouldn't you agree?

But .... have her move her head or move a bit of the hair out of the way and this is what you'll find:

It shows up even more with the flash on I think!

So what in the world is happening?!!!  I've heard of girls hair texture or type changing as they start going through puberty or whatever - but this is for some reason, just weird to me!  Months back I tried putting a bunch of my Garnier Curl Cream stuff in it and blowing it dry with my diffuser, but it looked - um - not so cute - less than impressive!  I love for her hair to be straight down in back with a little pulled up in front - but lately this annoying wave keeps peeking through making her look like she's got bed head or something .... and coming from an obsessed hair Mom - it really annoys me!  Don't get me wrong - I don't make a big deal out of it to her because I don't want her thinking this is a bad thing - cuz it's not.  But I have the hardest time making a straight part in the back of her head because of this wave now.  It's just a weird thing that her hair is doing this all of a sudden.

Anyway - has anything like this happened to you or your dd?  Any enlightenment you could offer would be great!  This just shows you I need hair help too! LOL

Alice in Wonderland Hairstyle #1(a)

You may recall a couple months back I posted 3 different Alice in Wonderland hairstyles - based off the recent Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland.  You can go HERE,  HERE & HERE to see them.  Well, I recently got a sweet e-mail from a cute 12 year old girl in Kuwait.  She inquired as to the 4th Alice hairstyle that I'd mentioned back then and wondered when I was going to post it.  At first I was confused but then remembered that I had mentioned another Alice 'do, but it actually was just a second version of the very first Alice style that I'd posted.  It made me feel good that someone actually read what I'd written (as sometimes I do wonder!) and so this one is for you Sara!

I'll let you guys be the judge of which one you think is better.  But this one is maybe less involved and a bit easier than the first one.  But like I said - you be the judge!

This was working with her hair after curls were almost out - I didn't want things stick straight.  Of course, you need the bit of arch up front in the bang area and the part down the middle of the hair.

Begin on the left side and start twisting the hair towards you moving down the side of the face.

Gradually add hair to your twist - no exact way - just as you feel it looks good!

Once you get past the ear and more towards the neck area, randomly leave hair out underneath for curling later.  Continue to add hair to your twist working around the back of the head and towards the right side of the head.  Don't pull the twist too tight because you want the hair on the back of the head to be a bit loose/wavy & maybe even bumpy!

Once you get most of the way across the back of the head use a big clip to hold it in place for a minute.

Then on the right side of the head up by the middle part, start twisting the hair (as you did on the left side.)

Twist down towards the right ear, adding hair as needed until you get past the  right ear.  Take the big clip out and join the right side twist with the left one that was clipped up.

Twist them together.  You could do a twist braid/corkscrew if you want.  I just twisted them.

You will be taking this whole twist up and over the head - from the right side back over to the left.  So once you twist the hair together (as shown above) use a big clip again to hold it to the head for a minute.

While the clip is in, bobby pin the heck out of it to get the hair to stay in place (at the spot where the 2 twists meet up there by the right ear.)  Once you are sure it's secure, take the rest of the hair (keeping it twisted a bit) and pull it over the top of the head towards the left.

Position the hair over the top of the head & secure with bobby pins as needed.

Take the little "tail" that is left and tuck it into the left side of the twist & secure with bobby pins.

Curl the little wispy hairs you let hang out underneath the twist, add a few flowers to accessorize, and you're done.  So here is our version #1(a) on the left and the original version #1 for comparison.  What do you think?

Here's the "wreath" look Alice is wearing when looking down the hole & the look we were trying to achieve:

 And here's the look from the front when she's looking down the hole.  I think we nailed the look pretty good, don't ya think?! ;-)

 

 (Sorry - couldn't resist some not so good PhotoShopping! LOL  It was my husband's idea! :-)

So there you have it.  Alice in Wonderland Hairstyle #1(a).  A bit less involved than the first one, but a pretty look all the same.  I just love any hairstyle that is like a wreath.  I think they are in a way old fashioned, but can be so elegant at the same time!  And with summer coming (it dumped snow here yesterday so I'm crossing my fingers that it is) this is a good one to get the hair up off the neck.  You can even forgo the curls in back if you want.

Thanks Sara for reminding me about this one that was getting lost in my archives!  For those of you who haven't seen Alice in Wonderland, I know it's coming out in a Redbox near you on June 1st - so mark your calendars for that if you don't want to buy it!

Pocahontas Braids & Chains

Earlier this week the whole 2nd grade at Goose's school put on a fun program full of songs & dances and so she wanted to have a fun hairdo for the day.  Since Bug is off school this whole week we had a few extra minutes to do hair on Goose, and since she loves chains/knots so much, we did this one really quick. 

Sorry I don't have step by step - but you can go HERE for instructions on how to make the chain/row of knots and then once I'd made the chain I just included them into the good ol' Pocahontas braids.  I incorporated the chain into the middle section of hair in the braid.  I got the loops of the chain a bit bigger & thicker than I'd of liked, but it still turned out really cool & she got lots of compliments on it from people at school.  I really liked this one to switch things up on regular old braids.  Plus it made her look like she had a headband of loops that disappeared into the braids.  Love it!

 

 

 

Really not a hard hair do - but one that's bound to get looks & compliments!   Oh - and be sure to make the chain extra long to ensure it'll reach into the braid.  Once you've  pulled it into the braid and have done a few plates of the braid, you can just undo the rest of the chain and incorporate it like it never existed!  Be sure not to pull too tight on the chain or  the loops won't stay circular (I kinda pulled a bit too hard so mine aren't as great of circles) - they'll end out more like an oval or some weird stretched shape! And that's it - I had one happy girl ready to sing her heart out!

Criss Cross Ponies & Twist Braids

I nearly called this Criss Cross Applesauce because I don't get to use that phrase nearly enough - but since there's no applesauce in the hairdo I opted not to mislead you! :-)

This post is for one of my readers - April, who after my March Hair Share- inquired as to how a certain hairdo had been done that was sent in by one my readers (the major hair doing diva - Jami!)  I'm not sure if this is something that was done on another blog - which is quite possible with the number of blogs out there - but in any case, we redid this one a couple weeks ago after I'd given Bug her bath.  It's a fun & an easy one - although I think it'd look better on Bee since she's a bit younger.  Anyway - Bug is on the left and the pic that was sent to me is on the right.  Just ignore my bright yellow rubber bands, etc., because I let Bug pick what color we used since she was just headed to be later anyway!

Begin by parting the hair back from the temples on top of the head.  You'll be dividing it into 8 small sections for ponytails once you are done.

Begin by sectioning off hair in the front parting it from left to right (not including hair by the ears - just what you initially sectioned off.) Then divide that in half and make 2 small ponytails secured with rubber bands.

It helps to hold the hair you aren't working with apart with a clip.

Part off another section to make 2 more "squares."  Take the front left ponytail and cross it over to the right side, joining it with the new section you're working with on the right side.  Secure it with a rubber band. 

Repeat with the front right pony - joining it in with hair in the new section on the left side to form an X.  This is just a simple lattice or criss cross with mini-ponytails.  

Repeat this process again making another X.  I didn't get my ponytails secured as tightly since we were just going to be pulling this out anyway - so make sure they are far enough apart and the rubber bands are tightened enough so they don't end out looking like curvy X's! LOL

Repeat a 4th time so the top of the head looks something like this:

Now part the rest of the hair hanging down in back straight down the middle ... or as straight as possible!  Bug is seriously starting to get even more annoying curl wave in back and it makes getting a straight part almost impossible these days!

Comb back the hair on each side into a ponytail - being sure to include the "tail" from the criss-crosses you made on top of the head.

Then once you've tied them off into ponytails - make a twist braid/corkscrew twist in each of them & tie them off on the bottom with a rubber band.

Add a bow or flower above each of the rope braid/twists and you're good to go .... or in our case ... go to bed!  And just in case you were wondering - no - she didn't sleep with her hair like this!  I know - all this work only to pull it out!  But this one is actually quick and easy so it was no big deal!

She was more than ready for bed because her silliness level went way up ... she was standing at "attention" like someone in the military when I was trying to get these pictures!

 And a "spacey look" to tie the whole cute look together! haha

 

This is a fun one for a day when you have just a few extra minutes in the morning and you don't just want regular ol' pig tails.  So thanks April for inquiring how this one was done - and thanks to Jami for sending in the pictures! 

Pile of Curls & a Headband

Just about the time Goose got baptized, I got this darling new headband from Jen at All Things Ribbon.  It is simply the prettiest thing ever.  My silly girls thought it looked like she'd taken a can of whip cream and made little dollops of whip cream across the headband to make it!  It simply is that "yummy!"  They are actually called ribbon blossoms - which is obviously far cuter sounding than whip cream dollops --- that's why Jen is in the bow making business & I do hair!! LOL  Anyway you can see all of her new Ribbon Blossom collection in their darling glory HERE.  Anyway - I thought it'd be fun to try something out with this beautiful headband since it looked so pretty with Goose's baptism dress.  Welllllll ..... Goose has a larger than average head I think ... and has since birth - a lovely trait she gets from her dad!  And so I didn't think the headband looked the greatest on her worn as a regular headband.  So we changed things up a bit -- placing it on her head more like a tiara or something like that.  So here's a new way to use a headband without it sitting the "normal way" on your head!

You'll want to start with curled hair.  Use whatever method you prefer to get them.  We, of course, used our Curlformers.  Keep in mind - we only have 16 of these and I got all this curl with just that many!  I do, admit, however, I need to buy more because it's pushing it with that few!

I didn't want them close to her scalp since I knew I was going to be pulling her hair up onto the top/back of her head, so I mainly wanted the ends curled.  Obviously if they were on clear up to the scalp the ends of her hair would be sticking way out of the Curlformers!  So if you use a curling iron or some other type of curler - don't curl clear to the scalp.

The result the next day - beautiful curls in the bottom portion of her hair.

When I put the curlers in the night before, I'd purposely made an off-center part up front so I wouldn't have to worry about re-parting her hair.  So make an off center part, and then part it from ear to ear so the hair in back is separated a bit.

 

Gently gather some of the hair around the crown of the head to gather into a twist or loose French twist.  You don't want all the hair behind the ear - just the hair on the back/crown of the head.  Watch THIS VIDEO to see how I did the twist in back - except obviously I was working with curly hair.

I simply wrapped the hair around my fingers a bit - like in the video, and stuck a few bobby pins in to secure it.  I just let the curls land wherever as I twisted them - and this is what I got.

 

A view from the back - although you may not be able to make anything out too well!  Be sure to get this far enough up on the top of the head.  Otherwise there will be a big gap between the headband and the pile of curls you're in the process of making.

Enter darling white Ribbon Blossom headband (cue the music!)

Once you've got the twist secured on the crown of the head - add your headband (or a tiara if you have one.)  Position it behind the part that goes ear to ear.  I angled it so the sides of the headband were angled into the twist.  You'll eventually cover all that up.

Secure both ends of the headband with a bobby pin or two since it's just perched precariously on the head at this point!

Once the headband is semi-secure start on the left side and take a section of the hair up front by the face and twist it inwards towards the head.  You can do this as loose or tight as you wish.  Pull it back towards the headband.

Pull it over the headband and secure the curl with a bobby pin.

I took the rest of the curl and just arranged it around and pinned it again to cover more of the side of the headband.  Sorry this isn't "exact" - it's just about arranging curls to cover headband at this point!

Take another section of hair below your first twist and repeat the process -- twisting and pulling it back towards the "pile of curls" you're starting to make.

 

Secure the end with a bobby pin somewhere back in the curls - covering up more of the ends of the headband.

Take the last bit of hair hanging down by the hair and twist it, bringing it upwards while twisting.  (I left a little hair down in front for a bit of a ringlet by the ear - that's optional.)

Bring that 3rd twist up towards the top of the curls to anchor it with a bobby pin.  At this point, hopefully you've been able to hide the whole left side of the headband that doesn't have the ribbon blossoms on it.  If not, mess around with the curls, arranging and pinning them until you can hide it!

Move to the right side and repeat the process.  Pull your first section of hair back from hair in front of the ear.  Twist it back & secure it so it starts covering up the headband.  Loop the curl around as needed to make things symmetrical, etc.

Make a 2nd twist, continuing the process.

And again, a 3rd twist - leaving a bit out in front of the ear.  Hopefully you can see how I've just randomly arranged curls and pinned them to cover the end of the headband.

So when all is said and done - you should have a nice pile of curls on top of the head, with beautiful curls hanging down in back as well.  The "pile" won't be as full if you don't do that twist or something similar in back to begin with.  With that as the "center piece" and placing curls around on each side to cover the headband it makes a really nice arrangement of curls.

I also thought about reversing this & putting the ribbon blossoms on the underside of it all - so it'd be running around the back/crown of the head..... maybe another time!

Here's left & right views.  I promise she's not annoyed here - I just tell her to have a "natural look" on her face and it ends out looking more like an annoyed or "less than impressed that you're making me do this" look!  Oh well!

I realize this may be similar to some of my past hair do's, but this turned out simply gorgeous.  We had so many compliments at church about it.  People couldn't believe it was a headband - they thought we'd clipped flowers into her hair or something!  Someone even said she looked like the Princess Bride!  This do is a keeper for sure!  And thanks to All Things Ribbon for the beautiful headband too!  We love it!

You're sure to turn heads with this one!  With the perfect headband, tiara or other accessory this is perfect for any wedding - for the bride or flower girls.  Or better yet, for prom or some fancy dance.