Totally OT : Need Help with dd's hair for dance!!

[KerriMc]

Hello ... I know this is TOTALLY off topic, but I dont' know where else to ask ... I'm so inept and clueless when it comes to make up, hairstyles, etc it isnt' even funny!!! My dd (5 yrs) is in dance and this week is her dance recital. She has a bob just to her chin as her hair is very thick and this seems to be the easiest way to deal and then we don't do anything really except put a couple of barrettes in the front ... she has beautiful hair and we get many compliments on it (but I'm sad to say my second dd is heading the same way!!! ... except she has fine hair!). Anyways ... dd is supposed to wear her hair in a curly pony tail, which of course she can't as there just isn't enough. (they did say for those with hair too short, to just keep it off of their face ... this is hard for me too ) So I picked up one of those fake curly ponies ... but I just can't totally figure out the right way to use it It is just like an elastic with all of the curly hair around it. I pulled her hair back best I could today and have this thick stubby pony tail. So I pinned on this curly thing because it won't fold and loop around ... is this what I should do? I then wrapped the purple fluffy thing from the costume around that and pinned, pinned and pinned some more!!! I used some clips to pull up stray hairs ... but it still kind of looked choppy!

So anyways ... my question I guess is what is the best way to do this? Should I do her hair when it is wet? Should I gel it? What kind of gel? Do you put gel on before or after you dry it? Does it look "too" slick and fake? How do I deal with this "stump" of a pony sticking out? I kind of pinned the curly hair over it, but with all of the movement it may not stay?? Special hairspray? Special kind of clips? SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to do it on Tuesday night for the rehearsal and again for Friday & Monday night for the two shows ... then again for her pictures ... eek!!! I feel like such a dud ...

help
Kerri

 

[twinscandc]

Hi Keri!!

First of all, I'm not a hairdresser, but I've loved playing with hair and doing hair since I was little. My mom always said I missed my calling!! I have been blessed with twin DD's (9 y/o) and I love doing special things with their hair.

So, my opinion is that you ditch the fake hairpiece because unless you really pin and spray that sucker in place, it is likely to fall out and that would be so embarassing to for little princess!!

Here is my suggestion: Since she has a short bob, I would just worry about getting the longer hairs in front out of her face like they suggested. Trying to get all of her hair up in a pony by using too much hairspray and gel looks too stiff and basically not natural. Also, you might have shorter hairs in the back that won't stay put even with the strongest of hairsprays. Also, does she have to wear the "extra" piece from her costume? That may make a difference.

A cute way that I've done my daughter's hair when she has it cut in a bob is by taking small sections across the top. It's kind of hard to explain, but you start by making a part with a comb from her hair line (starting at the forehead) to the crown of her head. Then, you make another part about a half an inch over. You pull this section back and secure it with a tiny rubber band. You do this from ear to ear. You can make as many or as few sections as you want. My girls are not tender headed, but if your little girl is, it might hurt a little. It kind of looks like she is wearing a head band by having all her hair pulled back away from her face. I usually put little clips or beads to cover the tiny rubber bands to add flavor!!

So, whatever you do, don't try to pull all the hair back. About the questions about gel....you need to put the gel in when the hair is wet, not dry. Putting it on dry hair will just make it stiff and unworkable. I believe the best hairspray is made by Paul Mitchell.

My mom also said: "it hurts to be beautiful!".

Good Luck and I'm sure your little princess will look fabulous!!

 

[Hannathy]

As a veteran mom of a dancer 12 yrs of recitals I have one word HAIRSPRAY! For the recital there is no such thing as too much! from stage they will not see if it is stiff so spray away. When my DD was little she used to claim you could bounce a ball off her hair! The picture is a different thing she only has to stay neat for a little bit and yes they will tell if it is too much hairspray. Many times our instructors were a little looser on the required hairstyle for the picture when they were younger.
For the recital don't start with very clean hair, wash it the day before at the closest, hair with a bit of oil is easier to work with and stays back better.

For many recitals and pictures I took my DD to the beauty school and let them do it in cornrow type braids across her crown they look pretty and stay in for a week easy, and then pulled the rest back and pinned in the hairthingy and the scrunchy or feathers etc. It may help if you sew or attatch the fake curls to a barrett. and put it in slightly above the real pony.

My DD has slightly below chin length curly hair and for ballet we are able to smooth (totally smooth) it back into a pony, pin in one of those fake hair curly thing and make it into a bun. Then we spray some more. Bobby Pins are your friend. One thing to remember that for the recital the closest any one will be to her is at least 10 feet so step way back and look and you will realize it hides a multitudes of sins.

Forgot to add those one piece clips that are like elongated triangle that snap closed work wonderfully as far as holding stray hairs and the blen in very well if you chose a color close to her hair.

 

[marygraycesmom]

I feel your pain! My DD(3) is in her first ever recital next week. I however, am taking the easy way out...my cousin-in-law is a hair dresser! She is doing my DD's hair for pictures and the two shows!! My DD has long thick hair and two cowlicks-- augh! AND of course she is tender headed so it is a challenge to get her to cooperate with me! But she'll let Shannon do anything to her without even a whimper!!!
So, my advice to you is, let someone else do it!!!! Hairdressers are experts at making something out of nothing.( a beautiful up-do out of a bob)!
Good Luck and keep dancing!

 

[memymomonica]

My DD has fine hair but lots of it. Her hair was all one length, a year ago, decided she wanted bangs. Almost immediately, decided to grow bangs out again. Recital is coming up and we have to have a low bun. I have her jump in the shower and wet her hair, not wash. When she gets out, towel dry most of the water out. REMINDER. Before you start hair and make-up, make sure she is in a button down shirt or in costume with cover-up on. Don't want to ruin your hard work pulling stuff over her head. Slick wet hair back with plenty of gel. Tie hair back with a tight rubberband. I then take a hairnet, place it around ponytail and spin it in to a bun. You can then use a bobbypin to keep it in place. If her hair is that short, you may use the same process then attach fake hair over hairnet. Finish with lots of hairspray. Like an earlier poster said, no one can see the gel or hairspray while on stage. Good Luck and tell her to Break A Leg!

 

[Anna and Trino]

My daughter competes and we use got 2 b glued. Use it on wet hair and believe me a little goes a long way. You will need to work quick because once it dries it is hard to work with. You can find it at Walmart.

 

[Fionasmommy]

My DD4 is also a dancer.

Her hair is about shoulder length now. We always use Aussie Instant Freeze hairspray -lots and lots and lots of it. Enough that when we take it out, the hair stays up and has to be washed 3 times to get it all out. Seriously! The little kids can get crazy backstage, so it takes drastic measures to keep their hair in place for 6 hour stretches.

I pull her hair hack into a pony, but don't pull it through the last time (so it looks stubby and will blend in with the curls on the hairpiece, and then I wrap the hairpiece around it. The key is to have a quality hairpiece, and use about half a can of hairspray. I can't keep bobby pins in her hair, so we secure it with about 6 tiny clips with rhinestones on them. Any short hairs in the back that don't make it in get clipped up with gold barrettes, so they won't show.

Here's a pic from her Christmas ballet, with the hairpiece in:

 

[Barbers2005]

I would do what twinscandc suggested. I do a hairstyle like that for my daughter all the time and it stays up and out of her face really well. Another way to get it to stay back well is to take the sections of hair (about 1/2 inch each) and twist each one. Just hold the section of hair at the root and start to twirl it between your fingers until its pretty tightly twisted. Then pull the section away from her face and clip it with one of those little butterfly clips. (they come in a package of about twenty or so at wal-mart in the kids section) Do this for the front of her hair from ear to ear. It makes a nice head band effect and will stay out of her face nicely. It stays better if the hair is wet when you put it up, and you could put a little spritz of hairspray when its dry if you want, but it isn't really necessary. Hope this helps