Bantu Knots
Girls with any type of hair can rock cute Bantu knots, but they work best with course, curly hair. For larger knots, separate hair into a few large sections. For smaller knots, separate hair into several small sections.
- Divide hair into several equal sized sections around the head, securing each section into a tiny ponytail with a hair tie.
- Starting with one section, separate the ponytail into two strands leaving the hair tie in place.
- Twist the two strands all the way to the ends.
- Take this new twisted ponytail and twist it clockwise around the hair tie at the base of your ponytail.
- Secure with a bobby pin.
One-Quarter Ponytail
Most girls have worn a half-up, half-down hairstyle and this one-quarter ponytail is similar. Little girls haircuts and hair types where it's long enough to pull back to the crown of the head can try this style.
- Find the center of your child's forehead.
- Make a part about two inches to the left of the center and another part two inches to the right of it.
- Smooth this whole top section back to the crown of the head and secure with a hair tie or barrette.
Direction-Changing Braid
Braids can take on many forms depending on how skilled you are at the different types of braid designs. You can braid straight or curly hair and incorporate one braid or several. To get this specific look:
- Start a French braid on the left side of your child's head.
- Only pull in hair from about one inch on either side of the braid.
- When you get near her ear on the right side, switch to a regular braiding technique at an angle and attach with a clip.
Mini Barrette Pigtails
When your daughter just wants her hair out of her eyes, simple mini barrette pigtails get the job done. For added style, opt for barrettes with cute characters or giant flowers.
- Part her hair down the center.
- Take one barrette and hold it at the top of her forehead about three inches to the left of the center part. The open side of the barrette should be facing the hair.
- Push the barrette against her scalp and back a few inches toward her crown. Secure the barrette.
- Repeat Steps 2 and 3 on the right side of the center part.
Side Knots
Side knots are an easy quirky style and a modern version of classic little girl pigtails. You can create this look with medium length hairstyle for little girls with any hair type that is cut medium length or longer.
- Part hair down the center from the forehead all the way back to the nape of the neck. You can do a fun zig-zag for an even more interesting look.
- Secure each section on the side of your girl's head with a hair tie.
- One side at a time, twirl the entire pigtail.
- Wrap the twirled hair around the hair tie and either tuck into the hair tie or secure with a barrette.
Faux Side Shave
A side shave is a trendy haircut where you shave the underside of one half of the head. The hair on the other side remains longer creating an edgy look. If you're not ready to commit to this fun haircut, you can create a fake version in a few different ways.
- Start a French braid down the center of one side of the head that goes from face to neck then comb the rest of the hair to the other side of the head.
- Braid a few simple cornrows, or tiny tight braids, on one side of the head then leave the hair on the other side loose and down.
- Grab a large section of hair at one side of the head and pull it back to the nape of the neck, smoothing as you go. Secure hair with a flat clip or barrette tucked under loose hair on the other side of the head.
Horizontal Headband Poof
This style works best with long haircuts for little girls, no bangs, and a little texture to their hair. You can use an elastic cloth headband or a thick strip of ribbon to create the look.
- Part the hair slightly off to one side.
- Lower the elastic headband over your girl's head until it rests just above the center of her forehead. It should encircle her head horizontally.
- As the headband tightens, it should poof up some hair around the top inside of the headband. If it doesn't, simply use your fingers to gently pull up the hair around the entire inside of the headband about half an inch or so.
Dipped in Color
There's no shortage of safe, temporary hair color products for kids today like hair chalk. Little girls love playing dress up and they'll love the chance to infuse their hair with bright colors.
- Use a comb-in hair color product for kids and streak all along the bottom ends of the hair.
- Make sure you start each pass at a different height so you get the dipped look rather than a straight line of color.
- For an easier take, color one streak on the side of the head.
- Color each strand of a braid with a different color to make a rainbow braid.
Triple Braid Pigtails
If you like the look of multiple braids but aren't great at braiding, try triple-braided pigtails. Having multiple braids close together can hide your messy braiding skills. To add more personality, tie the ribbon into braids or secure the bottom of each braid with a fun barrette instead of a hair tie.
- Part hair from the face all the way back to the neck.
- Secure each section at your desired height with a hair tie.
- Separate one pigtail into three sections.
- Separate the first section into three smaller sections and braid then secure.
- Repeat Step 4 with the other two sections in the same pigtail.
- Repeat Steps 2 to 5 on the other pigtail.
Braided Crown
While this look might seem complicated, it's really just a simple French braid. Since the style is meant to be loose, it's okay to have some flyaways and loose braiding.
- Part hair down the center from the forehead to the crown.
- Start on one side and create a French braid that goes from the face around the back of the head and up the middle of the other side of the head.
- Once all loose hair is incorporated into the French braid, finish off the braid with a regular 3-strand technique.
- Wrap the standard end of the braid around her crown securing with bobby pins as needed.
Wrapped Beachy Waves
Little girls with naturally curly hair can get this look easily by tying a small scarf around their head and securing it with a knot or bow on top of the head. If your little girl doesn't have curly hair, try these tips for getting the wavy beach look.
- Wet her hair at night and braid into several sections that start at the scalp then hang loose. When she wakes up her hair will have dried in the wavy texture.
- Use a standard curling iron to create loose curls then tousle them with your hands.
- Try a spray gel product that you put in wet hair then scrunch to encourage waves.
Multiple Braids
Multiple braids is a cute look for young ladies, especially during the summer months when they might want to get hair up to stay cool. To create this style:
- Divide hair into four sections.
- Start at the crown of the head and create a high ponytail, securing with an elastic band.
- Repeat on the sides and back of the head.
- Once all the ponytails are in place, tie a small ribbon at the top next to the scalp.
- Now, divide each pony into three sections and braid each section to the end, securing with an elastic tie.
- Finish all the braids and then add bows to the bottom of the braids.
Tiny Twist Pull Back
Show off her beautiful features with tiny twists pulled back from the face. This style works best on thick hair. Those with coarse hair may want to add some moisture with argan oil or another oil to prevent breakage. To style this look:
- Start by taking strands about one-inch wide from the forehead and separating into two pieces.
- Twist these two strands together almost as though you are braiding all the way to the end of the hair. Secure with a small hair band.
- Continue until all the hair is twisted.
- Pull all the tiny twists together at the base of the scalp and secure with an elastic tie and bow.
Mini Side Ponytail
A mini side ponytail works great on any texture hair and gets it out of your little girl's face in a cute way. This is a good choice when it comes to straight hairstyles for kids, but can work equally well with wavy or curly hair.
- Gather hair from the front, top section of one side and pull it over to the opposite side.
- Smooth straight or wavy hair with a comb and curly hair with your fingers.
- Secure with a simple elastic tie then add a medium-sized bow.
Poofy Pigtails
Placing a high pigtail on either side of a young girl's head is a classic look that will never be out of style and works for every hair type.
- Update classic pigtails to the poofy pigtail trend by combing out curly hair first.
- If your little girl has straight hair, she can get the poofy look by teasing the hair once in the pigtails or making messy bun pigtails.
- Add style by parting hair with a zig-zag pattern down the center.
Messy Top Knot
If cute and quick is your aim, it doesn't get any better than the messy top knot, or messy bun on top of the head. It's okay if there are bumps and loose hairs, that's part of this carefree look that works with any hair type. You can pull up half her hair or all of it.
- Use your fingers to pull hair up to the top of the head.
- Twist and secure the bun with an elastic tie.
- For little girl haircuts with bangs, pull them up as you create the top knot and let them fall in a naturally messy way.
Loose Specialty Braids
Tight, standard braids are classic for little girls, but modern kids want specialty braids. Loose fishtail braids work best on straight and wavy hair, but can also be used on curly hair if you smooth each strand with your fingers as you go. This modern take on classic braids puts less emphasis on tight and smooth, resulting in a natural, messy braid look.
- Part the hair as you would for standard pigtails or two braids.
- Start with one pigtail and separate it into two sections.
- Use the fishtail braiding technique to braid the whole section.
- Gently pull each braided section outward to loosen it.
- Repeat on the other pigtail.
Simple Ballet Bun
Whether your daughter is a ballerina or prefers a different sport, a simple bun creates a neat and elegant look. Hair must be shoulder-length or longer to create this style effectively, although you may be able to get shorter hair into a bun with a lot of styling gel, bobby pins, and determination.
- Start by creating a high ponytail secured at the back of the head with an elastic band.
- Spray a little styling spray onto the top part of the hair and smooth it down with a comb.
- Add a bun foundation to the base of the ponytail, closest to the scalp, pulling the hair through the open middle. You can purchase a bun foundation at Sally Beauty Supply and many big box retailers. In a pinch, you can also cut the toes out of an old sock and roll it up into a donut.
- Spread the hair out and smooth it over the edges of the bun foundation, securing around the outside of the foundation with another clear elastic.
- Twist any loose strays and pin underneath the bun with a bobby pin.
Front Poof
Girls who like volume can create some with a simple front poof hairstyle. This style works with almost any type and length of hair, even shorter haircuts.
- Take your finger and thumb straight up from the outer edge of your girl's eyes.
- Comb straight back through the hair with your finger and thumb about four inches or so to create a small section at the top and front of the head.
- Smooth this section and gather it, holding near the scalp with two fingers.
- Starting where your fingers are holding the gathered hair, gently push the entire section toward her forehead. This should create the "poof."
- Secure hair where your fingers are holding it with a flat clip or large barrette.
High Ponytail With Bow
Thanks to Nickelodeon superstar Jojo Siwa, little girls everywhere are wearing high side ponytails adorned with giant bows.
- Girls with medium length or long hair of any texture can rock this simple style.
- Pull all her hair back then up to one side near the crown or top of her head.
- Secure with an elastic tie then add a giant ribbon bow.
