December 2011 | Hairstyles For Girls

2011 Hairstyles

A video collection featuring some of our favorite hairstyles and tutorials from the past year:

Since the year is coming to a close, we wanted to take a minute to tell each of you THANK YOU for joining us through our hair journey! We appreciate your visits, comments, likes, thumbs ups, subscriptions, emails, and friendships more than you will ever know!! You are each a huge part of our "hairstyling family" and bring much joy into our lives.

I thought we would go back through our archives and choose a few of our favorite hairstyle tutorials from 2011 to showcase in this video. I had almost forgotten about some of these styles! It was also fun to see how much the Princess's hair has grown over the past 12 months.

Enjoy our "Best Of 2011" and Happy New Year!

Candy Cane French Braid With Ribbon

Christmas Hairstyles - Candy Cane French Braid With Ribbon

We did this fun Christmas hairstyle for a Holiday party at school. The Princess loved it. ;)

Lace french braiding was used to create the curved candy cane shaped braid in this style. If you don't know how to french braid, this look could be accomplished by making a regular 3 strand braid and pinning it into place with bobby pins. This style can also be done with or without the ribbon, whichever you prefer.

Although we love this style, I realize this look may be a little over the top for some. For a more subtle/grown up candy cane style, you might prefer the candy cane braid we posted a couple of weeks ago which can be found here: candy cane braid.

Oh and by the way, we came up with a new curling method to create the curls shown in these pictures. It really didn't turn out quite like I had planned and I wasn't in love with the curls (fail) so we didn't make a video. We'll keep working on it though. If you want curls to go with your candy cane, you might try our heatless nylon sock method or a regular old curling iron if you don't have time for curls to dry. ;)

The video tutorial:

Merry Christmas!!

Holiday Updo Hairstyle

Elegant Updo Hairstyle With Curls For Medium Length Hair

This fancy schmancy special occasion updo is very similar to our Taylor Swift inspired hairstyle that was posted when the princess had shorter hair. The shorter hair version can be found here: Taylor Swift Updo

The variation we are showing today works best with medium length to long hair. I'm thinking this fancy hair style would be perfect for a Prom, Homecoming, flower girl, Christmas party, New Years Eve, a bride, wedding, or other special occasion.

The curls used in creating this style were made using our nylon sock curling technique- which can be found here: No Heat Nylon Curls

How to make a curly updo video tutorial:

Depending on the thickness, length, and texture of your hair... you may need to use more bobby pins than we show in the video to keep everything in place.

How To Curl Hair With A Nylon Sock

Easy No Heat Curls Using Nylons

I was a little hesitant about posting this curling tutorial, as it is sort of a no-brainer. I'm sure most of you have heard of, or used this technique in the past. But, we have a fancy holiday updo we will be posting soon and curls are required! I wanted to make sure we had a curling tutorial available that everyone could do.

This "no heat" curling method is very similar to the technique used in creating "rag curls." We prefer nylons (or tights) for creating these curls (as opposed to other material) as nylon socks are stretchy and soft. We tried using nylons a few years ago and noticed the knots are so much easier to take out when you are done, are easier to tie, and seem to stay in better while the curls are drying as well. The elasticity in the socks seem to be made for making curls! We haven't used any other type of rag since.

When we get snags or holes in our nylons (pretty much every time we wear them) ;) we cut them up into strips and add them to our curling stash! We love that this method is easy, cheap, and non damaging to the hair.

As a side note: I am not completely opposed to using heat for styling and will use curling irons, flat irons and other heat sources to create curls occasionally.... especially when we don't have time to wait for curlers to dry. I think if you use heat protectant and don't go crazy, a little heat shouldn't cause too much damage. But, of course we like to avoid heat whenever possible to promote healthy hair.

I'm hoping to have time to upload the fancy schmancy updo soon. It would be great for holiday parties and other occasions you may be planning. Keep an eye out!

Criss Cross Ribbon Hairstyle For Toddlers

Baby Hairstyles - Criss Cross Ribbon French Braids

If you have followed this hair blog for any amount of time, you've probably noticed that we love adding ribbon to our hairstyles. Even an ordinary hairstyle or braid can become spectacular for a special occasion or holiday when ribbon is added! We have done many ribbon lacing hairstyles in the past on "The Princess" but haven't attempted anything like this on "The Pea" (up until now.)

I know some of you may be thinking "this is way too time consuming and my toddler would never hold still for that".....right? I can assure you that this toddler is quite normal and doesn't hold still either! Quite honestly, this only took about 5 minutes to complete. The braids are only a few inches long and the ribbon was sewn in with our plastic needle in 6 quick stitches. You'll notice that my braiding is far from perfect and the parts aren't straight. But I think it turned out super cute anyway!

If you're not sure how to sew in the ribbon, click here: Ribbon lacing hairstyle video.

I only used the hair on top of her head to make the braids, and pulled everything else into a side ponytail. You could leave the rest of her hair down if you want to (or if it's not quite long enough to get into a ponytail.)

We accomplished this hairstyle while "The Pea" was in her high chair eating and playing. I have found that it's easiest to get everything ready (elastics, ribbons, combs, water, etc.) before I start... and work quickly while she's distracted with toys or food! ;)

Toddler Hairstyles, A Side Ponytail

Cute hairstyle for babies and toddlers - A side ponytail with "connectors."

Many of you have been asking for more toddler and baby hair style ideas. You're in luck! We'll be posting a couple of toddler holiday hairdos this week.... just for you!

We're starting with this fun side ponytail style. Of course, being under 2 yrs old "The Pea's" hair isn't anywhere near long enough to wrap all the way around her head into a side pony. So, I have split the hair into sections. If the hair you are working with is long enough to get into a little ponytail, you are good to go! This technique of "connecting" the ponytails together works great for many styles when working with short and/or fine hair.

I started on the side of her head where I had parted her hair on top (the left) and worked my way over to the right. To keep the flyaways down, I recommend using water to wet each section as you're going. And if the hair you are working with is extra fine, a tiny bit of pomade works wonders.

When I was adding the hair in for the last ponytail (on the right side) some of the hair from the front was not quite long enough to reach the elastic, so we added a cute little clip to help hold everything in.

We used 4 elastics total. You may need to use a few more if the hair you are working with is super short.

I think this would be a cute hairstyle for the upcoming holidays (or really any time.) If you wanted to make a halo or Christmas wreath out of her hair, you could bring the connecting ponytails all the way around her head. That would be adorable!

Candy Cane Braid Hairstyle

Christmas Hairstyles, The Candy Cane Braid!

This "candy cane braid" (which we named after the stripy pattern of ribbon running down the braid) is the first of several Christmas and Holiday hairstyles we plan on posting this year. We've been having so much fun!

We stumbled upon this braid by accident one day. It's actually just a 4 strand woven braid (which we have shown on video before.) The position and placement of the ribbon is what forms the stripes and makes this braid "holiday worthy." :)

Of course, this braid doesn't have to be just for Christmas. It really would be darling anytime. For a more "grown up" look, you could loosen up the braid and add a little mess. I could see this working for teens and adults as well.

You will need fairly long hair to complete this style. If your hair is shorter, you might try adding the braid in a half ponytail - or closer to the top of your head (where you have more length to work with.)

Here's the video tutorial: (Click here to watch the video directly on YouTube.)

A side note: The princess and I thought this would look so neat on someone with blonde hair and red ribbon.... Just like a candy cane!