Help! I was never good at fixing my hair. My daughter has long hair and I thought it would be easier to fix than my own, but I am horrible at it! When I try to make a ponytail, I can get it smooth on top in my hand, but then when I put in the band it gets all bumpy on top. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. We hardly ever put her hair up because I know it won't look good. Is there some secret to it? Some book/video that can teach me? Thanks!!
You tube has tons of videos on hair, braids, you name it. I just watched one last night on doing a side french braid...you can watch 2-3 videos to get different ideas.
Get a good brush, combs do not work for ponytails!
If she has thin hair, or the kind of hair that likes to go one direction then you'll need to make it a little damp. Not too wet or the ends will get weak and break in the ponytail.
Have her turn her head upside down or lay down on a bed.
If the top gets bumpy, hide it with a headband. That's what we do! We have a variety of wide headbands, the ones that work best are rubber with little teeth. I think ponytails with headbands are cute! Put the ponytail up first, then do the headband. I guarantee no one will see the bumps :)
I have four girls and all of them have hair that rivals Rapunzel....and I'm not joking! What seems to be "in" right now is braids. Any kind. Regular braids, French braids, fishbone braids. I just learned how to do a "fishbone braid" on YouTube! I practiced on my daughter's hair until I had it down pat and now I can add that to my repertoire of creative hairstyles that I know how to do. Ponytails and "messy buns" are also still a big hit. I find that having a little spray bottle of either flexible hair gel or a light flexible hairspray is perfect for smoothing back all the hair at the crown while you gather it in the back and use the ponytail holder to secure it. Just spray a little on and keep brushing the hair backward until you have it gathered together and then use the elastic to either make a ponytail or a bun. You can swirl the ponytail around and around in a twisty circle and make a bun. Tuck the end back into the elastic or use a few bobby pins to secure it. YouTube has seriously got some great videos on all the stuff I am mentioning and much more. Definitely check out the braids on there. My girls love to braid their hair and then sleep in the braids overnight. In the morning, they take the braids out and they have gorgeous wavy curls that look like we spent a million hours on it with a curling iron! Practice makes perfect so keep trying new and different ways to do stuff with your daughters long hair. You can do it!
If you can wet her hair a little before pulling it back, that will help with the keep the top smooth. Also, use a fine bristled brush- like a baby brush or horse hair brush to smooth it back. Even after you pull it back and tie it, it still might have some ridges in places. Use the brush to smooth out the bumps. Then, spray a little hairspray in your hand and smooth it down with your hand.
Not sure how high you want the pony tail, but I always had my daughter lay on her back with her head on the edge of the bed - made it easier to brush her hair into a smooth pony tail. You can then also twist that pony tail into a bun on top of her head. That was always a big hit with my daughter. Always made her look like a princess!!
Good luck!!
I use a natural bristle brush. I'll put a link below. I find they smooth the hair better because the brush each strand. I think practice also makes a huge difference. Just keep working at it and you'll eventually do it better. A low ponytail is just as cute too.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-AVON-NATURAL-BRISTLE-HAIR...
