Diagonal French 5-Strand

For Easter this year my princess decided on the hairstyle that she wanted.

(Please excuse the loose strands of hair - it was a VERY windy day and I didn't take pictures until after they had been outside hunting Easter eggs for a while.)  :)

 She loves 5-Strand Braids so she chose this Diagonal French 5-Strand.

We've done these French 5-Strands before and you can click here to see that original post but this one was just a bit different.

We started on the left side of her head by gathering a small area of hair that was divided equally into 5 strands.  (You will want to know how to create a 5-Strand Braid before attempting the French version and we do have a tutorial video here.) 

We worked our way from the top left part of the head down to the bottom right part of the head, gathering new sections of hair into only the two outside strand of the braid each time it was plated.

When all of the hair was gathered we finished plating the rest of the hair without adding strands in.  An elastic was placed at the bottom of that braid to secure it and then we tucked that end up underneath the French part of our braid and bobby pinned it into place. 

We added some hair pins that matched her dress and she was all set for Easter Sunday.

Easter Hair & Contest

We have a contest going on over on our Facebook Page "Princess Piggies" and we're looking for creative Easter hairstyles.  My princess will choose the winner on Saturday, April 7th. 

The winner will be receiving these beautiful hair pins which are the exact kind that we use in several of our hairstyles. 

Here are some of our Easter Hairstyles in the past:
(Click on the links to go to the original posts.)

Basket Case

Easter Basket Bun

A Little Something EGGstra

Easter Wraps

Basket Braids
Hopefully this will give you some fun ideas and hop on over to our Facebook Page to add your own and be entered to win these fun hairpins!

Basket Braids

Here is a different idea on an old favorite.  We love doing weaving of any type in the hair so we decided to  give it a try with braids.  This one does take a bit of time so make sure you have plenty set aside.  Start by creating an off-centered part in the bang line. 

 Create two more parallel parts on both sides of the part so that you now have two long sections.  Divide each of those sections into 5 equal pieces of hair and create a 3-Strand Braid out of each piece.  You should now have 10 small 3-Strand Braids.  Now go ahead and section out a -inch hick section of hair from the part right down to the ear on each side.  (Create this part parallel to the bang line.)  Those two new sections of hair can be divided.   Make 4 equal sections on the large side of the part and 3 equal sections on the smaller side.  Braid each of those sections into 3-Strand Braids.  You should now have 7 new 3-Strand Braids along the bang line.  Take the very front braid from the smaller part and include it in with the 3 braids on the bang-line of the smaller side of hair so that you now have 4 braids along each side of bang-line. 

Grab the two bang-line braids that are closest to the part (on either side) and bring them to the back of the head where you will join them with an elastic.  Now grab the next bang-line braid on each side and pull those to the back of the head.  You will combine those with an elastic as well but also make sure to include the hair from the braid combination above it.  Do the same thing with the last two braids on the bang line so that they all eventually meet up in the back of the head and you should have 4 elastics in a row in the back of the head. 

 Start with one side of the part and grab the braid nearest to the front of the head.  Pull the braid through a Topsy-Tail and feed it with an in-and-out motion straight down through the braids that you pulled back.  When you reach the last braid you will actually feed your Topsy-Tail through the plates of the braid to hold it in place.  Unplate any remaining braid from the one you just used to weave.  Move to the next braid on that same side and weave that one as well, just be sure to alternate your in-and-out pattern. 

 Do that with the rest of the braids on that side of the head and then move to the opposite side of the head and repeat the same steps. 

REMEMBER to pull the braid right through the plating on the bottom braid to hold it in place. 

 We finished off her hair by using the Conair Spiral Curling Iron and adding some curls. 

We individually curled each of the woven braids for a fuller look.  Our final step was to add some hair bows over the elastics in the back of the head.  

Flashback Friday: Ring of Flowers

This hairstyle was from Easter 2008 when my princess was finally starting to get excited about her hair.  (Yes, there was a time when she HATED getting her hair done, just like any normal little girl.  She LOVES it now though.) 

 

Her little Easter dress had tiny rosettes all over it so I made some little hairpins for her hair by hot gluing crafting rosettes to bobby pins. 

I created a high Angel Halo on her head first.  (Click for instructions.)  Then I placed the rosettes into the halo in a mixed pattern.  

All the bobby pins helped to hold the halo tightly and it looked beautiful all day long.  

It even held together as she ran around like a wild child finding all the Easter eggs hidden around her playhouse!  :)  

Easter Wraps

For Easter this year we wanted to try something that we hadn't seen done before.  I absolutely love the creative minds of all those wonderful hair bloggers out there and sometimes I get lost in their genius.  :)

This hairstyle is quite simple.  Begin by creating a zig-zag part at the front of the hair and then sectioning out some hair, down to the ear, on both side of that part. 

 Pull each side into an elastic and create a Pull-Through out of each small piggie.  Now create a 3-Strand Braid with each of the two sections and secure both braids together down at the neckline with an elastic. 

 Lift the braids up and comb the remainder of the hair nice and flat. 

Now you're going to start with one side and gather a section of hair right below the ear and twist it tightly.  Now take that twist and wrap it around the braid.  When you get down to the elastic just pull the twist down behind and secure it into the braids with another elastic. 

 Continue gathering small pieces of hair from the side of the head and twisting them - then wrapping those twists around the braid and securing them at the bottom with new elastics. 

Once you have gathered up one side of the head and wrapped all the hair, move over and repeat the steps on the other side of the head. 

You will end up with several small elastics around your group of hair at the neckline but you can add a hair clip to conceal them.  We've also added some flat iron curls to the ponytail to give it some body.

 Also add some hair pins to your Pull-Throughs at the top and your hairstyle is finished.  

Hope you all had a great Easter!

A Little Something EGGstra

We first saw this hairstyle last year over at Cute Girl Hairstyles.  I've been dying to try it ever since but I had to wait for Easter to come back around.  :) 

Start off by parting the hair down the middle.  We've used a zig-zag part but any part will work.  Now secure each side with an elastic so that you now have two piggies. 

 Choose your colors of eggs that you will be using before hand and try to have the same colors of elastics.  If you don't have coordinating elastics you can use clear ones.  Also, my princess has pretty long hair so we were able to fit 3 eggs on each side but you can also use two or only one. 

Begin with one side and then just repeat the steps on the second side once the first is finished.  Separate the ponytail into 5 equal sections and tie an elastic around each section - about 1/2 inch below the original elastic. 

This is where I changed it up a bit and added a second layer of elastics for each egg.  Using the netting effect, add five more elastics another 1/2 inch down. 

 Once all 10 colored elastics are in, you can slide your egg into place.  Gather all the hair together under the egg and secure it in with another elastic.  Now you're ready to move onto the next color. 

Simply repeat the steps with the elastics, place your egg and secure it again by gathering all the hair under the egg and tying in an elastic.  Do the same for your third egg if you have one and you are all finished! 

This hairstyle was a real hit at school and she was even able to use it a second day.  We just removed the eggs and she had really cool netted ponytails.

  Also, here are some fun Easter clips that we made and you can use any ideas that you like!

Easter Basket Bun

Here's a fun little Easter hairstyle to get you started.  I remember (in the old days) the cool plastic Easter basket that I used each year and it was pink and white and woven. 

 This hairstyle reminds me of that. 

Begin by pulling all of the hair back into a tight ponytail. 

Now separate that ponytail into 3 equal sections and create a  Regular 3-Strand Braid out of each section.  Wrap the braid over and around each other, in no particular order, and secure the ends under the bun with bobby pins. 

Now choose your ribbons that you want to use and grab a plastic yarn needle for the threading.  Leave about 3 inches of ribbon un-threaded under the bun and weave the rest around the bun in an "over/under" motion.  When you get back around to the bottom of the bun, leave another 3 inches hanging down.  Grab a second ribbon and weave it through - making sure to alternate your over under pattern.  You can weave as many ribbons as you like. 

 Once all of your ribbons have been added, gather all the 3 inch ribbons from under the bun and tie them together in a large knot to secure them from slipping out. 

We've also added a little plastic flower clip onto the bun and these little clips are really cool because they change color in the sun. 

 This is what they look like out in the sunshine and they come in a variety of colors. 

We found them at Walgreen's and they make necklaces too like my princess is wearing here.

  We love finding fun new things. 

Basket Case

My princess had lots of left over waves from her braids yesterday so we decided to make use of them today. We pulled her hair half-up because there weren't as many waves at the top of her hair. Before I pulled the hair back, I parted it down the middle and held out a 1/2 in section of hair along both sides of the part. Wet the hair down really well on top and then pull in back into the Half-Up Ponytail. Here's the tricky part: Grab a plastic yarn needle for the threading. (They're usually light blue and can be bought at Wal-Mart in the yarn section.) Take a piece of dental floss and fold it in half. Thread the folded section through the eye of the needle and this will help thread the hair through the needle. Take one of the 1/2 inch sections you held out and grab a small piece of it close to the hairline on the forehead. Now feel that small section through the dental floss and then pull the dental floss out of the eye of the needle. This will automatically thread the hair through the eye of the needle for you. (Much easier than trying to thread the hair through the needle without the floss!) Now take the needle in an in and out pattern down through the hair that has been pulled back. Let the hair out of the needle and thread the next little bit of hair back into it. Use the in and out weaving pattern again but make sure that you are opposite of what you did on the previous weaving. Continue this process until you run out of hair in the 1/2 inch section and then go to the second 1/2 inch section and do the same pattern. When you are done it will look as though you've weaved a basket. It has a really cool look to it and would also be a very fun Easter hair do because it would look like an Easter Basket!