Single Frenchback into Round Braid | Back-to-School Hairstyles

August 11, 2013

Today we want to show you a beautiful new high ponytail that is now sitting in my Top-5 list of CGH hairstyles!

With back-to-school season already here, it is great to head into the school year with a few super-cute, and quick hairstyles ready to go. This hairstyle is certainly on our list!

This is a very versatile look with the braid going well with just about any outfit, and the style holds well for sports, cheerleading, and dance. You can even choose to wrap the braid into a bun for a very beautiful updo!

We have shown you before how to create a chain braid, and a Double-Twist Ponytail. This braid has a ver similar look, but we are actually using single Frenchback into a Round {or 3D} Braid.

The braid stranding is a bit confusing, but once you have the hang of it, this can be a 3-minute hairdo! {That is the only reason why this hairstyle is rated “Medium” in skill level.}

Brooklyn wore this hairstyle during our meet-up a week ago in Downtown Disney, and it definitely was noticed by the fans!

Enjoy!

Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, 1 large hair band, 1 small hair elastic, hairspray {if desired}.

Time Requirement: 3-5 minutes

Skill Level: Medium

Step-by-Step Instructions:

There are many ways to style this braid. Here, I have used a single Frenchback into a high ponytail, but you can use it in any variety of hairstyle combos.

1. Begin by pulling the hair into a high ponytail, and secure it with a hair band…
2. Now divide hair into 4 equal sections, laying each section between one of your fingers on your right hand….
3. The hair should lay like this: Strand #1 {outside pinky finger}, Strand #2 {between pinky and ring finger}, Strand #3 {between ring finger and middle finger}, strand #4 {between middle and index finger}…
4. Now, take the index finger on your left hand and use it to hook Strand #3. It should now lay between your pointer finger and your middle finger.
5. Take your middle finger and hook Strand #1. This will now lay between your middle and ring finger…
6. Take the last two pieces and twist them once {so they cross over each other} and place them so Strand #4 lays between your ring finger and pinky and Strand #2 lays outside your pinky…
7. All strands should now be sitting in your left hand and will be numbered 1-4 from left to right…
8. Take your right index finger and hook Strand #2. This will now lay between your index and middle finger…
9. Next, take your middle finger and hook Strand #4. This will now lay between your middle and ring finger…
10. With the last two remaining strands, do a half twist so they cross, and then place them so Strand #1 now lays between your rink finger and pinky, with Strand #3 laying outside your pinky…
11. Repeat Steps #4-10 until you run out of hair…
12. Secure with an elastic and add accessories as desired.

Please feel free to leave me a comment below letting us know what you think!  As always, if you loved this hairstyle, please feel free to share it!

Happy Hairdoing!

Also, don’t forget my twins’ video this week on their YouTube channel! Both of them wanted to upload a Babysitting 101 video for younger girls looking to start! All of the tips were their own ideas! So cute!

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Lace Braid Twists into Ponytail | Hairstyles for Long Hair

July 07, 2013

This week we wanted to show you a cute ponytail hairstyle idea, using Lace Braids in a different way!

You can think of this one like braiding a one-sided French Braid, so if you know how to create a French Braid, this one will be easy!

At the end of each Lace braid, I twisted in the remaining hair into the resulting strand, and repeated the same on the other side!

After creating the Lace Braid Twists on both sides, I then combined them into a ponytail in the back and accented it with a lace clip-in bow.

You can leave the ponytail as is, or you can add curls to it.  You can even get very creative and throw in any other combo for the ponytail you would like {simple braid, fishtail braid, 5-strand, etc}!

Enjoy!

Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, 1 hair band, hair accessory and hairspray {if desired}.

Time Requirement: 5 minutes

Skill Level: Medium

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Begin by parting hair down the middle of the head {roughly divide hair into two even sections}…
2. Next, pickup a small section of hair near the right temple and begin a French-lace braid {make sure you are only adding hair into the bottom strand of the French braid, or the side closest to the ear}…
3. Continue the braid back around the head and above the ear…
4. When you get just past the right ear, stop braiding and instead twist the hair toward the head as you add in the final pieces {the lace braid has a tendency to twist away from the head, so adding the twist at the end of the braid will keep the lace braid laying flat against the head}…
5. When you are done picking up all the remaining hair, twist the ponytail and secure with a hair clip or have someone else hold the hair…
6. Now repeat this same braiding technique, Steps #2-5, on the left side of head…
7. When you are finished with both Lace Braid twists, combine the two into a ponytail and secure with a hair band…
8. Add any accessories {like a ribbon or bow} and hairspray, as desired.

Please feel free to leave me a comment below letting us know what you think!  As always, if you loved this hairstyle, please feel free to share it!

Happy Hairdoing!

Please also be sure to check out my appearance on ThePlatform’s “Makeup to Breakups” episode with host AndreasChoice! She is such a sweetheart, and also a twin! Every time we see Andrea, she treats us like family!

In this episode, we talk about Honesty in friendships. Can you be too honest? Not honest enough? Where should that line be?  Check it out and let us know what you think!

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Winding Lace Braid Ponytail

June 20, 2013

You all know that we absolutely adore Lace Braids in our home!

A little over a year ago, a fan emailed us the lace braid ponytail photo that had been circulating on Pinterest and we filmed a tutorial on CGH#3 at that time. The video ended up being super long, lace braiding all the way around, and since we had just bought a new camera, the lighting was pretty awful, too. So, we decided to re-film the hairstyle a few weeks ago, before we moved to Texas.

When we filmed the hairstyle, Brooklyn and I decided to find a shortcut to shorten the braid time without sacrificing the look of the spiral braid.

The key is that you do not actually Lace Braid all the way down the ponytail.

Every time the braid wraps under the ponytail, I simply did 3-4 stitches of a regular braid and then wrapped it around behind, picking back up with the Lace Braid on the other side! You can’t tell the difference, and it makes the braid so much easier to do!

Here it is! I like it much better!

Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, 2 bobby pins, 1 large hair band, 1 small hair elastic, hairspray {if desired}.

Time Requirement: 5 minutes

Skill Level: Medium

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Base Hairstyle: I began by doing a pompadour in the front of the hair to add a little volume…
2. Next, gather the rest of the hair into a high ponytail and secure with a hair band…
3. Take a small piece of hair and wrap it around the rubber band, and secure with a small bobby pin, to hide it…
4. To begin the Winding Lace Braid:  Take a small section of hair at the top right side of the ponytail and divide it into three sections…
5. Begin using a simple braid technique by creating one stitch of a simple braid…
6. Now, add hair into the top {left-most) strand of the braid {you will only add hair into the top strands, never the bottom – this is what forms the lace braid}…
7. As you add hair and continue the braid, begin to move from right to left across the top of the ponytail…
8. When you reach the other side of the ponytail, stop adding in hair and continue with 4-5 stitches of a simple braid…
9. Now take those 4-5 stitches and wrap it under/behind the ponytail and back around to the left side. You should now be directly under where you began the braid, by about 3 inches…
10. Begin once again to add hair into the top strands of the braid, creating another lace-braided section, as you move across the ponytail in a slightly downward angle…
11. Repeat the processes {Steps 8-10} above when you hit the left most edge of the ponytail…
12. Continue until you run out of hair…
13. At the very end of the ponytail, secure the entire braid/ponytail together with a hair elastic.

Enjoy!

Happy Hairdoing!

* Note from Mindy: Google Reader will be shutting down on July 1st, so if you want to follow our blog… you can do so at BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader for women!

Also, feel free to watch this room tour video my twins uploaded to their YouTube channel BrooklynAndBailey!  It has been a popular one!

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Wrap-Around Prim Braid | Catching Fire | Hunger Games Hairstyles

April 14, 2013

It looks like Lionsgate has been releasing sporadic photo stills from the upcoming Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire!

The one that I am most interested in shows Prim embracing Katniss right after her sister returns home from the games.

What I love about this photo is that it symbolizes Katniss’ promise to her younger sister that she would return to her, a promise that she kept.

The released photo shows a good side shot of a super-cute braid that Prim is wearing! The hairstyle looks like a variation of the Katniss braid, but leaving some hair down in the back. {The movie still is credited here.}

Taking a quick look at the photo, my girls and I deducted that it is a winding braid, using a lace braid technique along the partline and forehead. Then, right about the right temple, the braid turns into a Dutch braid until just behind the right ear, then back into a lace braid diagonally around the back {allowing for hair down}. The braid is then finished into a simple braid that can be worn down in the back or over the shoulder.

For another super-cute look, you could continue the diagonal braid as a Dutch braid instead of a lace braid… giving your a beautiful variation of the Katniss braid from the original movie and Catching Fire!

If you would like us to replicate more “Catching Fire” hairstyles, simply let us know in the comment box below! And… if you loved this tutorial, PLEASE BE SURE TO SHARE IT!

Get practiced up on this hairstyle, because I feel it will be one that millions of young girls will wear to see Catching Fire when it releases in November, 2013!!!  I know Brooklyn and Bailey are anxious to see it!

Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, curling wand, 1 small hair elastic, hairspray {if desired}.

Time Requirement: 5 minutes without texture, 10-12 minutes with curls added.

Skill Level: Hard

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. {Optional} You can use a TopStyler to add curls previous to braiding, which is what the Hunger Games hairstyle team uses, but I used a NuMe curling wand to add texture to the hair.
2. Begin by creating a deep side part on the left side of the head…
3. Pick up a small section of hair at the back left of that part, closest to the crown. Separate that section in to three smaller strands, and begin a Dutch Lace Braid.
4. Creating a lace braid, you add in hair only on the side of the braid closest to the part line.  Continue directing the Lace Braid towards the face…
5. As you get to within about an inch of the hair line, begin to curve the braid slightly to create a soft arc shape…
6. As you complete the arc, just above the right temple, you will need to begin adding hair into both sides of the braid by using a few stitches of a regular Dutch braid.  This is because you will also want to incorporate the bottom hair so that it isn’t in the face…
7. Continue the Dutch braid till you get to right above the ear…
8. angle using the Dutch lace braid technique seen in the video.Once you reach directly above the right ear, you will want to switch back to forming a Lace Braid.  {You will only be adding hair into the top side of the braid nearer to the top of the head.}  Remember that Prim has long hair remaining below the braid that flows down her back.  Using a lace braid for the diagonal braid in the back will allow the bottom hair to remain, like a half-up/half-down hairstyle, just as in the photo.  From the top of the right ear to the bottom of the left ear, you will want to create a 45 degree angle using the Dutch lace braid technique seen in the video.
9. When you get to the bottom of the left ear, make sure you tug the hair into the braid a little tighter, in that last stitch, to keep the hair from hanging awkwardly over the ear.
10. Once you have gathered up all the hair into the Lace Braid, finish it off using a simple braid, and secure with a hair elastic.
11. Spritz with hairspray, if desired.

Here is the video tutorial… enjoy!

Please feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Happy Hairdoing!

* Note from Mindy: Google Reader will be shutting down on July 1st, so if you want to follow our blog… you can do so at BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader for women!

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The Nested Braid | Easy Hairstyles

April 07, 2013

For those of you who do not know, my twins, Brooklyn and Bailey, launched their YouTube channel three weeks ago! They have a handful of videos up that show a little more about their personalities and interests! If you like their channel and videos, please feel free to SUBSCRIBE!

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Today, Brooklyn wanted to show all of you an easy hairstyles that she has been using lately.

I asked her if she wanted me to do the style on her, and she replied with a smile, “No, I can do it!”  {That teenager independence, or twindependence, is already making its appearance!}

Brooklyn was still a little nervous to do this tutorial on her own, but keep in mind that she just turned 13 a few months ago.  If you feel she did a great job, feel free to leave a comment below!

This “Nested” Braid uses a simple braid from the bang area, down the right side of the forehead, and then incorporated along with the middle strand of a simple side braid.

Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, 1 small hair elastic, 1 hair band, hairspray {if desired}.

Time Requirement: 3-4 minutes

Skill Level: Easy

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Begin with a deep part, allowing most of the hair to fall to one side of the head {middle parts will not look as good with this hairstyle}…
2. Pick up a medium section of hair near the forehead on the front side of the hair, where the majority of the hair lies…
3. Begin a simple three-stranded braid with this section {this is a great way to incorporate bangs to keep them out of your face}…
4. After finishing the braid, secure the end of the braid with an elastic matching your hair color…
5. Now swoop the rest of your hair loosely over to the right shoulder, and divide it into three strands to create a simple side braid…
6. Add the original braid from the forehead into the middle strand of this side braid….
7. Once the small braid is added, make a simple side braid with all the remaining hair…
8. After finishing the side braid, secure with a hair band (feel free to remove the small elastic from the original small braid, if it shows at the ends of hair}…
9. Gently tug on the elbows of the braid to broaden it, and you are finished!

Enjoy!

Please feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you think! As always, if you enjoyed this hairstyle, please feel free to share it!

Happy Hairdoing!

* Note from Mindy: Google Reader will be shutting down on July 1st, so if you want to follow our blog… you can do so at BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader for women!

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