Why Should I Braid My Hair?

Q's sporting Box Braids again!
She actually let me do them all in one sitting this time! Must have had a captivating movie. :) lol - well, a new one anyway.

The dress is Happy Green Bee - I absolutely LOVE them!

I used to do something similar to this on my own hair in high school and college! :) I just thought it looked neat. But it wasn't until just recently I've been learning (prompted by a protective hair care challenge over on Beads, Braids and Beyond) that there are some big benefits to braiding.  Note: However, like with anything, there are those  who claim the opposite! 

Benefits of Box Braids:
* This style is easy and fast to maintain once it is in the hair.
* It prevents tangles and knots.
* Doesn't require daily restyling.
* Keeps hair secure (even layered and short hair!)
* Can give the hair a break from the "daily grind" and allow it to rest.
* Less likely to get damaged (therefore the hair can just focus on growing longer!)



 

 

Beware of the Braiding Pitfalls! ...

* Do not braid too tight.
* Do not leave the braids in too long (Two months is the limit generally agreed upon - however I don't think I'd want to leave box braids on a little toddler for anywhere near 2 months! I'd say 3-10 days is about all I'd feel comfortable with for the next few years.)
* If you notice stress on the hairline or little bumps on the scalp - take the braids out immediately.


Continue to care for your hair even while it's in braids - 

* Wash your scalp, condition your braids, add moisture! (just like normal)
* Sleep with a silk or satin scarf (Lycra swim caps or sleep caps can work, too) over your braids to keep them from getting frizzy as quickly. A satin pillowcase works, too, for kiddos who won't keep a cap on overnight!
* Avoid drying your braids with a regular towel (actually it's best to avoid drying unbraided hair with a towel, too - it can cause breakage.) instead use a microfiber towel or some T-shirt material and gently squeeze out the water - do not rub!
* "Braid Spray" is recommended for daily use - to make your own combine distilled water with a natural oil (like jojoba or almond or grapeseed oil) and an essential oil, like lavendar. A mixture like this is good for your hair and your scalp! It can also be used instead of washing the scalp as a means of cleansing.   (Q's review on this recipe will be coming later.)
* Tea tree oil can be used to clean the scalp if it becomes itchy - always use diluted and be reserved about using tea tree oil on kids! (it's strong stuff! Often used for dandruff.)




When it's time to take out the braids -

* Remember that the average head of hair loses 100 hairs a day! You should and will have more hair falling out than normal when you remove the braids! It seems like a lot - but that hair that would have come out earlier hasn't been able to get out of the braid - so if you've kept the braids in for 4 days - the average head of hair would now have 400 hairs fall out when the braids come out! It looks much worse than it really is. :)
* Another tip (depending on your texture needs, etc) that I've read is to gently detangle the hair before you wash it. Getting rid of the "shed hair" first makes for much easier combing and washing.

 

Great Times for Box Braids!

* Camping

* Spending time away from the "usual hairdoer" (if the default hair person is unwilling or resistant, especially)

* Swimming

* Busy days (box braids are quick and easy once they're in!)

* Windy seasons!

* When you want the fun of wavy hair after the braids come out. Braids add waves to straight hair (especially if they're braided when wet and then allowed to fully dry before being removed.) Braids also give curly hair a funky wavy look - known as the "Braid Out." :) Very cute!  Plus, this method of getting wavy hair doesn't involve a curly iron , crimping iron or other heat method which can be damaging to any kind of hair!

Here is a quote from buzzle.com, "It is believed that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Africans, and Asian peoples all wore their hair in braids, which not only looked good but also helped keep hair off the neck in hot climates."  Interesting! I didn't know that so many cultures embraced braiding like this! But I can sure see why!

Random Little Clips in Short Hair

Pretty self-explanatory :)

This hairstyle was designed by my desire to keep Q's bangs out of her eyes, and the desire to encourage her hair to curl on the top of her head. The curl part didn't really work, but I thought the result was cute and her hair stayed out of her eyes!

Have fun!

Easy Pull Through Headband on Short Curly Hair!

This is how Q wore her hair to Grandpa's funeral. 

I wanted something simple (had to wake up early) yet special. I wanted something that let her curls hang out and free, yet I wanted it pulled back and out of her face. I had put a little too much shea butter in her hair the day before and thought the crown might look a bit greasy - but there was no time for a bath, so I wanted something that would sort of mask that. 

(As it turned out her hair loved the extra Shea Butter and soaked it up so much by morning you couldn't even tell that there might have been too much the day before! ha!)

Anyway, this is what we ended up with.

Basically, it's just a pull through on each side of her head, by the ears, and two on top. 

I did the top front one first, then the sides, then pulled them all back to the second top pull through.

I don't have step by step pictures, but this is a simpler variation of THIS style from Princess Hairstyles, and she has great step by step photos if you want to see. The only difference between the two styles is that I didn't split the side "tails" I pulled all the hair back into the second top pull through.

(I'm sure that won't make any sense unless you see her pics! Sorry!)

 

Top view

I also added a ribbon. I thought the black would be cute, but appropriate (plus it matched her dress). I added the ribbon after the style was completed by threading each end of the ribbon under the ponytail (one on each side of the "tail") and then tucking it back down under itself. 

(Wow - what a terrible explanation! Hopefully you can see a bit in the picture what I did. It stayed fairly well and looked very "natural" which I liked. It wasn't a big added clip on top of the style, it just seemed to fit with the style. If that made any sense! lol)

Side View

(and showing off her Baltic Amber necklace :) )

That's it. I hope you like it! 

Oh, and if this one and the princesshairstyles.com ones aren't enough, I've also posted two other similar styles on the blog previously :) HERE and HERE. Enjoy!

We LOVE you, Grandpa! and will miss you forever. 

We miss your music, your laughter, your wisdom, your guidance, your never ending acceptance and Love. Thank you for everything. You were a blessing in more ways than I can count. We only wish we'd gotten the chance to love you longer.

Toddler Park Ponytail Mohawk!

This hair style was made out of a strong desire for calm hair on a windy day!

We were heading to the park and I wanted some way to keep Q's short curly hair from becoming a terrible "rats nest" :)

(with longer hair I probably would have just gotten away with one big ponytail or messy bun, but her hair is too short for that yet! So we got creative.)

I took her existing (not post-worthy, lol!) style from earlier in the day and just absorbed it into this...

I parted her hair from ear to ear in three sections.

Then I made a ponytail out of each section,

On the last time through the ponytail, I left the "tail" partway in the loop, so that the hair formed a loop :)

A little wacky and crazy, but I'm pretty confident that we'll use this hairstyle again! I liked it and it was incredibly functional :)

Featured Follower!

*~* Princess *~*
(Real names avoided for privacy - so we're using the nickname her Daddy uses!)

I am SO beyond excited to share this post!! I've been lucky enough to have some emails exchanged with a totally inspiring mama, Lisa! I asked if I could share these adorable pictures of her beautiful baby girl with you - I hope you are inspired! This mama really knows how to work with those teeny tiny baby hairs!

Cutely accessorized "sprout" ponytail on top of her head...

Adorably classic headband ...

(remember - don't leave baby hats and headbands on too long - they can cause headaches or get too warm too fast and leave Baby uncomfortable and with no way to let us know! Especially if they're young enough not to be able to reach their head and pull it off by themselves.)

You can never go wrong in the right buree ... :)

how cute is this?!

Cute simple sprout ...

A close up of that adorable clip from the first picture ...

Talk about using what you've got! Who says you need a lot of hair to sport a ponytail?! As long as it's not too tight - why wait?! :)

Pigtails!?! ...

and my personal favorite - Pigtails and a Sprout! ...

What a beautiful baby!

Thank you so much for sharing Daddy's little "Princess" and your creativity with us, Lisa!

If anyone else is interested in being showcased as a Featured Follower participant - email me! We can do repeats, too, so don't wait!!

Quick and Easy Mom and Daughter 'Do

Here's a quick and easy style that you or your little one can wear! I actually did it on myself first, then on Q because I thought it was a keeper! ... oh, and originally it wasn't even going to be a "style" it was literally just a way to keep my bangs out of my eyes! lol

I don't have step by step photos (Q has been more interested in being behind the camera these days than in front of it!) but I'll try to explain it well!

Me - sorry I don't have the front shot. My camera battery died. :( But I actually think it's quite flattering from the front.

* I parted our bangs on the side (mine on the left, Q's on the right)

* Then I took up a piece of hair of the bangs section on either side of the part

* Next I twisted them in opposite directions, nice and loose. Not tight twists. (You could do that, but you'd get a very different look)

* and brought them together on top of the head

* where I pinned them with one bobby pin (yep, two strands of hair - one bobby pin. We're going for quick and easy here!)

* Then on the side of the head that the part was NOT on, I took up one more section of hair and twisted that in the same direction as the twist beside it.

* I brought the end of that twist up to meet the others.

** To secure the third twist - use a single bobby pin and CROSS it in an X over the first bobby pin! This method will lock on the bobby pins and secure your bangs for as long as you need them secured!

Q! brushing her teeth - quite the multitasker already!

I used the tiny bobby pins, but either kind would work. :)

LOL - "I'm just putting up with you." and "Now can I see it?!?!"

A Work in Progress - quick style!

Here's a quick hairdo we did on Q the other day! I'm really loving the giant flower! (which I won - wooo hoooo! from Cassia over at Clips, Combs and Curls - go check her blog out! It was my first ever giveaway-win... I was thrilled!)

This style would work well on frizzy, non-detangled hair, too - if you're low on time. (just don't do the braids) However, when we did it, it was not big hair, instead we had condition-ing hair! lol 

I had used coconut oil, olive oil, and then topped her hair off with Aubrey Organics Conditioner (what a combo! :P ) I don't actually recommend all of those at once, but I was experimenting!

Anyway, I had massaged all these things into her hair and worked out all the snarls with my fingers (there were lots :( It had been far too long since I'd detangled her curls) then put her in the bath! I thought I'd give a co-wash a try, since I was out of Q's baby shampoo anyway...

and her hair felt GREAT! so to bed she went.

But... when we got up in the morning, I realized that her hair was still oily. The conditioner hadn't been able to cut out alllll the oil I had added! But, of course we had places to be right away, so no time for another bath!

So we needed a hairstyle that would kind of cover up my flub and not make her look like she had a really really dirty/greasy head! (cuz she didn't! It was just oily!) I made a sort of zig zag part, and inside out french braided to the crown of her head, where I ended the braids with little fluff ponytails.

The rest of her curls hanging down looked funny to me, so I gathered them all up into another ponytail and stuck her brand new big beautiful bow in between all three!

So, all in all, she ended up looking adorable all day, and having the most amazingly soft curls because of it! Later that day, I washed her hair again and used a bit of baking soda/water instead of shampoo - worked wonders! Her hair LOVED all that oil and the baking soda/water didn't strip it, but just cleaned it - ahhhh!

Creative Accessories

Accessories are something I'm just starting to dabble in, to be quite honest! I've always been more of a fan of the styles that seem to be braided or twisted, etc, "all by themselves!" With no visual clips or pins, etc.

However.... that's starting to change! I still like the ""mysteriously secured" hairdo's (for lack of a better term) - but who can resist an adorable bow or headband or... you get the idea! I really am enjoying spicing up some of our old "standby" hairdo's with a funky accessory these days.

I really understood the usefulness of different varieties of accessories this last weekend. We had three different events in two days - all which were dress up affairs and required different outfits. Now, lately Q hasn't been too crazy about me messing with her hair or I probably would have done 3 totally different styles (great excuse, right?!) but I knew that wouldn't make for a fun trip...! So instead, I managed to get one diagonal french braid in on the top of her head... 

(the story behind this picture and event found in this post!)

 For the first event I used these little cream colored bows - one on each side of the braid.

For the next one (the next morning) the braid had stayed in!!! So I just added one pink bow on top of the end of the braid. (I took out the cream bows the night before.)

(Sorry, no other pictures :( I wasn't thinking! Too distracted with the main event, I guess. Busy, busy!!)

and the third event Q wore a purple bow with a cream bead on it, which was attached to a bobby pin. I slid the bobby pin under the braid and the bow sat right next to the braid near the end. 

:) Cute, fast, easy and Different, too!

Has anyone else had to make one style work for different occasions/days?? 

How did you do it?

Diagonal Bangs Twist

Q and I were playing with Aubrey Organics Conditioner today :) I'll have to let you know how we like it later - once it's been put through the final tests :) (aka ... the carseat and naptime!)

 

(final thoughts forthcoming in a future post! Check back!)

So this hairstyle is just a quick way to keep her bangs out of her eyes...

After detangling and adding the conditioner, I combed her "bangs" and a bit farther back, too, off to the left side of her head. Then taking a diagonal piece of hair, I parted it in half. and started twisting. I wasn't being too careful or particular in my method - I just twisted each strand to the right and then both strands around each other to the left. (That what keep the definition of the twist.) 

What I wasn't particular about was when and how I added hair. I just picked up some from each side, added it to a strand and kept twisting as before!

Then I folded the "tail" of the twist back up and added a clip! 

Frizzy Pig Tails!

As you can see I didn't take time to detangle or part her hair today! No time! But I still needed/wanted it to look cute cuz we were going to Grandma's house! The day before I decided to learn to embrace the frizz and tangles. There's no need to run from them Everyday, is there?!!

As it turns out, I loved this 'do! I think the little korker bows accent the frizz nicely :) 

(p.s. I'm back! The computer is fixed and I'm ready to roll! :D )

Super Quick Toddler Ponytail

Q's hair is almost long enough to put it all in one big ponytail! But not quite....

We were very short on time this morning, so I didn't even detangle her curls.

I gently separated her hair into five sections. One in front, one on each side, and one in the lower back. (the center was left free - but that would be the fifth section.)  Added a tiny little elastic to each section, then pulled them all up toward each other (including the hair in the middle - the 5th section!) Into one big ponytail! :D

You can see I was in much too much of a hurry to bother with straight parts! :)

I added a clip and coaxed the ponytail curls off to the side so they didn't over up the bow on the lip. A style like this (simple, kinda messy, kinda big) should really have a nice big accessory to go with it! Don't you think?? All I had were small ones... I better remedy that ASAP! lol

I want to add that I did detangle the curls in the ponytail - but you wouldn't have to! Especially since the rest is so fluffy and not straight! Let the frizz fly free! :)