Sailor Moon

Alex had bangs once before, despite my wishes. (Drama Boy cut her hair! It is still growing out in a few places...) So, I was a little reluctant to cut them again. Turns out, I LOVE them! ;) We went with sweepy, longer bangs because of her natural wavy curl and soft/fine hair. Here's the new look...

Now, for the style: Anyone familiar with the animated series "Sailor Moon"? It is an older show, but one of the first asian cartoons to become really popular in the US. Well, this hairstyle is from the show, but the basic idea is really popular amongst children models for asian clothing stores online and Alex has requested it numerous times. 

7Right, so here it is. We started by pulling up just the front, leaving out her new bangs.

Actually, I thought it was really pretty at this step, but promised the piggies... Next, I sectioned out the remaining hair, basically into quadrants.

I put pull-through knots in the bottom two. You can do these with a topsy turvy, but I just stick my rat-tail comb through the middle and then poke the elastic through. Pull the hair tight and it comes out the same. ;)

I pulled up the pull-through ends diagonally and added them to the top section, making pigtails.

I added 1/2 of the very top ponytail in to each pigtail.

The last step is the bun. Just take a very small piece out of the ponytail and do not include it in your bun.

Use the rest of the hair, twisting it and then wrapping it around the small piece. Pin it down or add an elastic to hold in place. If using an elastic, be sure to pull the extra piece all the way through each time. That's it, you're done! ;)

(Oh, and here's another secret for working with toddlers... download a couple of games on your phone just for those really cranky moments! She has only played with my phone a handful of times, so she felt pretty special. And it entertained her well enough that she didn't want me to be finished! ;)

Relaxed Curls & Bun on a New Model w/ a New Flower

Please welcome my lovely niece, The Princess! A beautiful child with enough attitude for 2-13 yr old girls. ;) She agreed to model for me and I was so excited to fix her curly locks!

The Princess has naturally curly hair, very curly! I relaxed the curls with a replenishing spray and a touch of silk'n'curl. I brushed through her hair gently with an air-cushion brush. And then it was time for the style...

I put the top half of her hair into a ponytail, leaving her "bangs" and a bit at the sides out. I parted the bangs far to one side. I added the bangs to the side hair and made a simple braid, adding the braid  to the ponytail.

The same for the other side...

Next I made a very loose bun by simply picking up the hair, giving it two twists and then wrapping it around the ponytail. I left the ends sticking out slightly and secured it with a clear elastic. One great thing about curly hair, you never have to "do something" with the ends. ;)

I let the princess pick her accessory. (and I loved her choice!) This is a flower clip that I don't think I've featured on my blog before. It is cotton candy pink & white with a touch of feathers in the center.

Our mini modeling session was a blast; she was super serious about it! ;)

She was so pretty and walked around like the princess she is, all afternoon! ;)

Product Review Time:

This spray is on my mind today, mostly because I ran out and can't find it anywhere, AGHH! ;) I searched Dove's website to find a retailer... KMart on the other side of town, that's it! ugh, I don't really shop at kmart... at least not in the last 7 or so years. Sheesh! Walgreens is willing to have it sent from another location and that will take 2 weeks as it travels by truck, nice... I "ordered" 4 bottles. Lol, does that tell you how awesome this stuff is?! Okay, here's the deal.

DOVE Daily Moisture, Damage Therapy, Daily Hydrating/Replenishing Mist. (It has had other names, but the formulas are almost identical. The most recent does not have glycerin, a good thing I promise!) This works wonderfully for girls with dry or damaged hair. I use it on myself and on Alex. I have also used it on other little girls. In fact, I prefer to use it rather than water when dampening the hair. It does exactly as it says, replenishes the hair. I like to test limits and I've been using this stuff for a long time. I have drenched Alex's hair with it and when it dried, it was as though I'd just washed and conditioned her hair. No joke, it's the best stuff ever! ;) I have used it for every hair type, including one little girl with slightly oily hair. It even seemed to freshen her hair up and leave it less oily! I highly recommend this to help keep yours and your daughter's hair healthy!

Braids 'N Beads

Before we get started, I want to remind everyone about my 100th Post Giveaway, found here. Today is the last day to enter and it's the easiest one yet! Thanks to everyone for your support for 100+ posts!

Alex has been asking me to do another "all-braidy" style. ;)

Part the hair into sections. This style works best with a very deep side part.

Put the front/bangs into one french braid going all the way across. A row, or several rows for older girls, looks the best on the side with the most hair.

I some how missed the following picture... Part the rest of the "bigger" side into rows behind the bangs. Alex only needed two french braids, but older girls will need more. ;) On the other side, create french braids starting at the front and going straight back. They will fall naturally.

Next, part one row in the back of the hair into small sections and braid them.

Now, it's time for the beads... This is one of the easiest ways to add beads, in my opinion. ;) Start with one bead and an elastic. I recommend clear, but used contrasting colors to show it better.

Okay, so put the elastic through the bead and then put one loop through the other loop and pull it tight. Next, put whatever beads you want onto the braid. There are several ways to do this. I suggest simply wetting the hair and using the hair as a "needle".

Your last bead will be the one with the elastic attached. slip the bead onto the hair and then wrap the loop that sticks out around the hair. It is secure for normal wear, but can also be taken out easily.

I loved the finished look! Alex decided to wear this lovely dress. (Yes, on a rainy day when we had no plans!)

Originally, I had straightened her hair. However, I like it better curled. ;)

Alex was one happy girl! ;)

A Messy Mess w/ a New Bow

We were playing outside and Alex wanted her hair fixed. She brought me two elastics and a bow...

Yeah, this one is really messy, but it actually turned out okay. ;) I started by making two french braids along the front and down - some call it a braided headband, but I left a small section out.

I pulled it all together in a low ponytail.

Then, guess what... a messy bun! I know, I took you off guard didn't I?! I never do those! --Lol! That was sarcasm, by the way. ;)

We added a bow, which I managed to not get that great a picture of... But Alex added the smile and that's all I really care about! ;)

Just for fun! ;)

Okay, so there is no new hair style here, just a fun little accessory. ;) We found this ponytail holder with fake twists on it at Walmart. It is an unbelievably close match! Lol, no way we could order anything that way!

Alexandra said that if she wore this someday people might think her hair grew this way... butterflies, glittler and all! I just giggled! ;)

Okay, there is a trick to these! You want to start with a regular ponytail, bun, whatever, using your normal elastics. Then I recommend putting the"hair" pony around just once if possible. We had to do it twice on Alex's thin hair. Secure it with a couple of bobby pins and you're done!

So fun! ;)

Don't forget to enter my 100th post Giveaway here!

Orchid Clips

This style is a little out of order... I actually did this one right after Alex got sick the first time. It is simple and quick. Btw, she picked out and planted the flowers all by herself! ;)

I had made some new purple orchid clips and desperately wanted to use them! ;) I simply twisted the hair and then clipped it out of the way. I did the same thing with a piece of hair just behind it. It really was pretty. I had wanted to leave the other side down, but Alex added the other flower and I didn't argue.

Lol, my goofy girl gave us all kinds of looks that day! The last one is of course my favorite! ;)

Fabulous, Step by Step

Just in case anyone missed it, there is a GIVEAWAY in the post about Alex's recital. http://tinydiva.blogspot.com/2010/07/be-my-little-baby-bumblebee.html

A pair of hairbows available to one lucky winner, so comment away! ;)

And now for the 'do that I did for Alexandra's Faboulous photos... The up close, step by step pics I took of this hairstyle...

I started, as usual, by separating two sections in front and holding them back. I put the bottom into a low side ponytail. (Oh, and please ignore the sand... we have it under their playground/fort and it's always in her hair!)

Next, I parted the front into smaller sections and started some french braids. I put three on one side and just one on the other.

I pulled everything together into a messy bun type thing. I had to use one bobby pin for that last braid that wouldn't quite stay. Then some hairspray because her hair was frizzed out!

Add a bow and some sass and there you have it! ;)