Help!, I need advice for my daughter's hair!

[sugawooga]

Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

My daughter is 5 years old and she's in ballet. Her recital is coming and she is to wear her hair back in a low bun. This is a problem because her hair is sooooo thick. Her hair is natural and I can't get it back in a bun without it looking tacky. Her hair is almost shoulder length but she has shrinkage because her hair is natural. I guess she has 4a type hair. Keep in mind that her hair is extremely thick. I consider cornrowing her hair back in a bun but I would like another option.

Yesturday I straightened her hair with a blow dryer with comb attachment. I could get it in a high bun but not a low bun. I tried gel to slick the excess hair in the front back and her hair converted back to it's original state

What should I do? I really don't want to add any chemicals to her hair. Could someone help me or give me an idea of what I could do?

 

[Dolce_Dawn]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

Are you dead set against pressing her hair? I like your idea of cornrowing it back (you would only need to do the front) or how about two ponytail buns (a la Princess Leia) instead of the one?

 

[Sweetyb]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

I would definitely opt for the cornrows. Not everyone's hair can easily slick back into a low bun.

Other than that, I would experiment with her hair while washing it. My hair is sometimes more easy to manipulate when in the conditioner stage. You might try to comb or brush her hair back with conditioner in it, tie it down, and rinse it out to see if that would work?

 

[sugawooga]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

[ QUOTE ]
Dolce_Dawn said:
Are you dead set against pressing her hair? I like your idea of cornrowing it back (you would only need to do the front) or how about two ponytail buns (a la Princess Leia) instead of the one?

[/ QUOTE ]
Pressing won't work. I've already gotten it in a straight state but it still wouldn't lay down. It looked really tacky. I do like your idea of just cornrowing the front! I didn't consider that. You see, I have two daughters 3 and 5 years old and they are both in ballet. I'm trying to find something that is not time consuming. I may have to consider half cornrowing her hair. THANKS! that was a good suggestion

I'm still open to other suggestions too.

 

[Nay]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

To make my hair less dense, I wash it and then put it into about 12 braids or twists. Then after the hair has dried, I will undo the braids or twists in the front (the hair that goes from ear to ear and the very top front), spritz the wavy undone hair with water (it's wavy because of the braids), part my hair on the side, rub some gel into each section (Proclaim styling gel, the one in the brown jar) lightly brush the gel through, then kind of twist or brush both sides going back. Then kind of twist all of the loose hair plus the remaining back hair into my version of a bun.

This sometimes requires quite a lot of gel and water to that front undone hair, but it gets the job done.

And to calm my edges, when I've finished the style, I take a scarf or bandana and wrap it around the slightly damp front of my hair for about 15 minutes. When I take the scarf off, my edges are nice and flat.

There's a picture of my hair like this on my site. It's the last picture in the braidout section.

 

[Nonpareil]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

Perhaps you could try sectioning and damp combing the hair to put it back because I know you need the low "ballerina" bun. Put something like Elasta Feels Like Silk Gel on it, section a small circular section in the middle where you want the bun to be, comb that out, pull it back, secure it in a ponytail or with a clip, part another circular section around that section, comb it out and pull it back into the ponytail section, and keep on doing that until your last circular section is the hairline, then lightly brush that back, and secure the entire ponytail, then create your bun. When you do this you are combing and laying each section back from the middle to the edges so it won't be puffy - I think that should do the trick.

 

[sugawooga]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

Thanks Nay, Your hair is sooo beautiful!!! I will definitely try this. You said the gel in the brown jar? What's the name?

 

[sugawooga]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

[ QUOTE ]
virtuasis said:
Perhaps you could try sectioning and damp combing the hair to put it back because I know you need the low "ballerina" bun. Put something like Elasta Feels Like Silk Gel on it, section a small circular section in the middle where you want the bun to be, comb that out, pull it back, secure it in a ponytail or with a clip, part another circular section around that section, comb it out and pull it back into the ponytail section, and keep on doing that until your last circular section is the hairline, then lightly brush that back, and secure the entire ponytail, then create your bun. When you do this you are combing and laying each section back from the middle to the edges so it won't be puffy - I think that should do the trick.

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting, hmmm... Ya'll are giving me really good advice! I will definitely try this.

 

[sugawooga]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

I think I will try to combine to two ideas (Nay and virtuasis) and if this doesn't work then I will do the front cornrows. I'm still opened to other ideas.

 

[Dolce_Dawn]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

Good. Let us know how it turns out...

BTW- Two little girls in ballerina class? That is tooo cute!

 

[Carefree]

Re: Help!, I need advice for my daughter\'s hair!

I agree with styling her hair while wet or damp. It's more manageable that way. While damp, add gel and brush the hair back into a bun. It shouldn't be that hard - I'm sure she'll look cute however you style it.

I also think the cornrow idea is good, as well as flat-twists.