the Big W

When I'm getting ready to do hair for the day, I sometimes ask my girls how many elastics they want or how many barrettes. Today the answer was '5' so this is what we did. I pulled back the front in 3 small sections. Then I split the middle ponytail into 2 sections. Then I made 2 more ponytails using more hair, plus one side ponytail, plus 1/2 of the middle ponytail. When we were done, it looked like a big W, so that's where the name came from...original, huh?

The Twisted Crown

My girls love this one! It is a fun one to add embellishments to, like little flowers or clips or ribbons or decorative bobby pins.
First, section off a square of hair on top of the head. Part the section down the middle to make 2 sections. Clip one section off to the side while you work on the first section. From the first section, take two small pieces at the forehead and twist them around each other twice. On the third twist, pull another small piece into the twist. On the fourth twist, pull another small piece into the other section you are twisting. Continue repeating this until you've used the entire section. Clip in place or have someone hold it while you do the other side. Once both sides are done, secure with an elastic. There are several things you can do at this point: 1) you can leave it as a small ponytail, 2) you can braid the ponytail, 3) you can continue twisting the ponytail, then fold it in half and secure with a 2nd elastic in the same place as the first elastic.

My girls love to have their hair done the same as one another, so I often find out whether the same hairstyle works for thick/thin or short/long hair. This one definitely works better with thick, long hair! Here's how it looked on thin hair:

Sidewinder

Section the hair into a square. Separate into 3 narrow strips. Secure the section closest to the forehead with an elastic on one side. Add the hair from that section to the next section, and secure with an elastic. Repeat for the 3rd section. For thinner hair, the tiny rubber elastics work well, but for thicker hair, the larger elastics hold the hair in place better.

Ziggy

I love this one because it has pizazz! Section of a rectangle of hair. Separate into 4 sections, beginning at the forehead. Secure the 1st section on one side. Add that mini-pony to the next section of hair, and secure with an elastic on the opposite side. Repeat for the 3rd and 4th sections. It's an eye-catcher!

As an added note: I tried this on my other daughter, who has very thick hair. I found that it worked better to use much narrower sections.

Triple Twist Combo

Sorry about the lousy photo here, but it's the best I could get before she ran away from the camera! This one is great for wispy hair, especially wispy hair that tends to fall over the eyes if not pulled back. Start with a basic flip-under using a small section of hair and securing with an elastic. Repeat twice, add the hair from the previous flip-under to each one and securing with an elastic. Add a bow for a nice touch.

V-Formation

Using a small section of hair, start this one with a flip-under secured with an elastic. Divide the little pony in half and add more hair to each one to make 2 more mini-ponies. Add ribbons or clips to dress it up a little.