For Mama's of Little Girls with Long Hair

Updated on October 01, 2011
T.R. asks from Altamonte Springs, FL
25 answers

My almost 4yr old daughter has curly, soft hair, think Shirley Temple and banana curls, and it naturally parts to the side. So, I usually just put a barrette in to hold the bang out of her eyes, sometimes when it's hot out, she'll let me do a pony tail, but both of these I need to fix several times throughout the day. When she is home, her hair is not a problem. But, she recently started preschool, and if I send her with a barrette, it usually doesn't make it back home (waste of money!), and/ or it never gets fixed, same with the ponytail. Today her ponytail was barley hanging off of the back of her head and her hair was a mess. I wish I was there to fix it! Lol... She doesn't do well with headbands, which I keep trying to coax her into using, since I think it would be easier for her to do herself. Anyway, any suggestions? What do you?

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L.C.

answers from Dover on

Yup, braids. You could do pigtails, tradional braid, and I personally prefer the french braid because you can keep the hair from the top to the bottom controlled and make it as loose or tight as you please.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.C.

answers from Kansas City on

I think you need to get the hair bands that don't slide. I have 3 daughters... and there are some good ones that don't slip out easily. My girls are older now and I can't remember the brand. Sorry:-(

1 mom found this helpful
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A.G.

answers from Mayaguez on

A braid just behind each ear. It holds up pretty good, catching those soft tendrils around the face. Would you gel it?
Anyway, sounds like it doesn't bother her, enjoy it, mom.

More Answers

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

With my daughters I used to french braid headbands using their hair obviously. You can either go across the hair line or a little harder but cool looking is to braid it two inches back. You end the braid just behind the ear and tie it with a small pony tail holder. They have these little clear plastic ones that don't fall out easy but pull out without pulling out hair.

2 moms found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Redding on

Braids!
My daughter had hair down to her waist and naturally fell into ringlets.
Great for pictures, family events, etc....school? No way.
Two braids or a single braid was the only way to go.
I washed her hair at night, got the tangles out and put her hair in a braid. That way, in the morning, there were zero tangles and I put her hair back in a braid. No tangles when she came home. No paint or paste or any other myriad of things in her hair.
Try it.
It's a lifesaver.
You can still do cute clips and barrettes. When the hair is braided, they don't slip out.

Best wishes.

2 moms found this helpful

M.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

I use the no slip silicone bands. You can get hundreds in several colors. My 4 year old has hair to her butt. Fine and soft. Its stick straight. I started earlier in her childhood with braids and ponies. She is a wild woman at the Pre-school. So I normally pull a small top pony to the back and then bring that down into the rest of her hair and secure another pony at the base of the skull. Also two pig-tail braids like Laura Ingalls Wilder keeps the hair at least presentable upon coming home. Toss the barrettes and hair bands, or keep em around for special occasions, when they are wild and crazy that will NOT stay in. I have lost a fortune in them. My daughter just likes to use them when she is at home and eating to keep the food out of her hair. I just use them for special occasions or trips to the store or friends.
As far as the answer about the no slip silicones hurting, that depends on the person or the kid. If they have sensitive scalps or they are NOT used to tight ponies or braids, then they will have sore scalps. Never bother trying to re-use them. Simply snap them in two and throw them. Dont try to get them out in one piece. DONT tighten them SO tight they cut the hair as well. Moderately tight will do. Also dont use any type of Oil in her hair if you are using this.The properties of the oil compromise the silicone and they well disintegrate in like a few minutes

1 mom found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

First put the hair into two tight pigtails on either side of her head. Then braid those in to tight braids. Use the most secure, non-slippy hair elastics (not rubberband) to secure. It'll take much longer to unravel two braids into two pigtails, then those pigtails into very, very loose pigtails. It might also help to have her hair just slightly damp when you do this hairstyle, not sopping wet, but just damp enough to be able to get a good tight braid which will dry quickly.

1 mom found this helpful

J.M.

answers from Orlando on

My daughter also has long hair--almost to her butt--and it is wavy. When she goes to school with a ponytail about half the time she comes home with one. It's better if I use hairspray on the front part. Our best hairdo, though, is a braid--it always stays in. Sometimes I do two braids and that works well, too. And if I want a ponytail to stay I do two of them--one with the top section of her hair, like pulling the sides back, and then a second one at the base of the skull gathering all of the hair. Again, hairspray helps! (Did you know it's actually good to send your kids to school with some sort of product in their hair? Lice only attach to clean hair, so hairspray or gel is a great deterrent!!)

1 mom found this helpful
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H.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

My little one has long curly hair not tight curls. Anyhow her hair will not part down the center she has a far off to theside part that causes some issues to say the least anyhow now affter 6.5 year of learning I have found the best thing for her to keep her hair out of her face is to take the first 1/2inch or so of hair on the side it parts and braid it across her forehead (not across literally but like across the top of her head where a headband would typically go) and to the other side. It's like a natural head band. keep her hair from going in her eyes and is actually very cute!

I got the idea from a tv show where I saw hair pulled across the forehead and cliped behind the hair on the other side. which also works somewhat o.k. but when she is very active it falls out so I tweaked it to a braid and now Whoot no more crazy hair in the way!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.K.

answers from Dallas on

Oh, I LOVE curls. How cute! My girls got my stick straight hair!!

I had the hardest time keeping barrettes in my daughters' hair because it was so fine and the clips would just slide out. I ended up pulling a small section of hair back on one side (or both sides) and put a small elastic ponytail holder on it. The way I pulled it back, it would lay on their heads. Then I would put a little bow or clip in their hair right under the ponytail holder. That way it covered the p.tail holder and the clips couldn't slide out of their hair. Does that make any sense at all?

1 mom found this helpful
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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Another curly haired mom voting for braids.

((Sigh... only people without the pain in the neck that curls are want them for their kids. Pretty for pictures, but expensive/ unbrushable/ un playable/ tangledy/ crying fits/ the list goes on))

Wash the night before, brush while wet (as always... you may be able to brush dry while she's a toddler, but when the texture changes it will just become a giant fluffball / tangled mess brushing dry), braid while wet.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.A.

answers from Boca Raton on

My daughter has hair to her knees when out and wet. It's curly and we keep it in several braids. Sometimes she has 2, other times 6.

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E.T.

answers from Denver on

I didn't read through the other replies so sorry if this is a repeat!

DD's hair used to be so long that we had to use regular hairbands, like I use. When we cut her hair we went to the small plastic bright colored ones and somehow they stay right. If her bows have a french clip (the one with the pinchers that closes) I will set it right above the hair tie, but the ones with the alligator clips (the ones that look like a mouth), i found that if I push the bottom jaw through the hair band it holds all day. Good luck!

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L.S.

answers from Spokane on

You can use bobby pins - they're cheap, so if she loses them it's not a big deal.

My oldest has hair like your daughter and what I've done is a small french braid along the hairline - kind of like a headband - to keep it out of her face. Start at one ear and work your way across to the other, then braid to the end of the hair - it looks super cute!

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W.M.

answers from Nashville on

When I would put a barrette in my daughter's hair, I would put a small rubberband in it first then put the bow or barrette on top of it. Or maybe just put the small rubberband in it. I either put one rubberband on the side with her bangs and a little bit of her hair that also parts on the side or I pull back both sides and put two small rubberbands so it is back like two barrettes. You can also buy those bows that are attached to rubberbands. Put it in tight so it won't fall out even though it might get loose.

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R.C.

answers from Sarasota on

Well, I did the small ponytail with barrette above it when I needed it to stay in, like for church or big events, but as far preschool goes, I would just buy cheap barrettes for now. She'll grow into taking care of her hair. Enjoy her little kid days!

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J.J.

answers from St. Louis on

put the hair tie in tighter, or try braiding her hair back.

S.R.

answers from Kansas City on

My daughter has the same hair it sounds like, i usually just put a clip in her bangs to the side too. the past few weeks she has been letting me put it in a half pony, it has helped a lot. Maybe you should try different pony tails, we use the tiny clear Goody ones. They don't fall out of her hair at all.

K.I.

answers from Los Angeles on

I use the plastic small rubberbands...I buy them in bulk at Walmart...they come in all kinds of colors and they hold really really well!

My favorite secure hair style is to put two pony tails made from just her bangs or front part of her hair ( leaving the back of her hair untouched) then I pull up the back and the pigtails into a pony tail. Keeps bangs secure and out of her face!

And its cute!

A.H.

answers from San Francisco on

I'd get her hair cut into a bob.

K.A.

answers from San Diego on

My 2 year old has long wavy/curly hair that is fine, it has a natural side part too. The only bands I can use are the small clear plastic ones (you can get them in cute colors too now). Goody & Scrunci both make them, I also bought some at Walmart that came in what I can only describe as a pill box like those kinds you get to put a weeks worth of pills in that have a section for each day, they are in the little girl section with the belts and stuff. I've gotten them at Target with all the hair stuff as well as the drug store. I put any cute pony tail holders, clips, bows etc over those so they stay in.
My "go to" when she is the least cooperative is to take the front most section and pull it back and put a band on it. Sometimes she'll let me pull 2 small pony tails on top back. She's not able to sit still long enough for me to braid anything yet but they work really nicely to keep hair out of their eyes.
I would start with different bands. Which kind are you using? Those terry ones are the WORST for slipping out!
I only use barrettes to catch the strays when I put her hair into two piggy tails, they never stay in otherwise.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Spray the hair barrette with a stiff sticky hair spray, let it dry just a moment, then put it in. As the hair spray dries it becomes glue. It comes out pretty easy in the evening and stays nearly all day in place. Hair products will make her hair stay better, I dry about 1/3 of the way and then use hair gel to style with. I put a dollop in the palm of my hand and smear it back from her face. I use a bristled brush, not the pokey kind for drying, a natural bristle one is my favorite, then I brush the hair back slick. It dries the rest of the way and it a bit stiff if i spray it afterwards with the hair spray too.

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B.L.

answers from Boston on

I don't have any additional suggestions for now, but you should consider getting the book Curly Girl so that as she gets older you will know how to care for her hair. I read this book last year, and after almost 40 years, I finally learned how to easily care for my thick curly hair so that it looks really good.

L.L.

answers from Rochester on

Well, I have curly hair. My daughters both have very, very straight hair...from their father. I kid him that if we ever have a son, he'll have my hair.

Anyhow, just a few words of advice. Don't use the "no slip" bands, especially not the ones made of plastic or rubber, because they are very bad for the hair and scalp and they aren't comfortable. They hurt.

It's just a fact of life with curly hair...when mine's pulled up, I have to redo it several times (or more) a day. I usually wear it down.

My best suggestion would be to braid the top into a partial french braid to keep it out of her eyes, and use a cloth coated SMALL rubber band (I use them myself, check at a Sally's if you can't find them somewhere else, but Goody makes them, and they're about as big around as your pinkie but completely cloth covered) to do the end of the braid.

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S.S.

answers from Memphis on

I put my five year olds hair in a small braid. It does fall out some throughout the day but it still looks pretty cute. Also, check out the other kids hair at preschool, I think they all come home a little crazy! I have straight hair and my girls have long curly! It's always a challenge:)

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