Help with hair please!

[AdageKitty]

Hi everyone!

 

Apologies if there's been discussion about this before but I have a couple of questions about hair please!

My daughter does ballet after school several times a week (our childminder who doesn't know how to do hair drops her off), and when we have time in the mornings I usually do her hair bun. Sometimes this lasts until the evening, at other times it doesn't (when for example they've had to change for P.E. at school etc).

 

This term they'll be starting swimming at school so there will be no chance that her hair will stay neatly in a bun after taking off the swimming cap. Luckily, her ballet teacher isn't too strict with regards to hair (unless it's for shows/exams). However she does insist on having the hair up in some sort of bun for health and safety reasons if their hair is really long to avoid injury to other children when they're doing turns/pirouettes. Might anyone have any suggestions on an easy way for a 9-year-old to do their own hair up? I feel a bit embarassed about having my DD keep asking other mums to kindly keep doing her hair.

 

Separately, I also wanted to ask what everyone uses to keep the hair nice and neat without overloading with hairgel and hairspray products when their child does ballet several times a week. I found that when I use most gels and hairsprays, it flakes and looks awful when it's time to let the hair down afterwards so I have to wash her hair each time. Also wary of using too much product with nasty chemicals. Does anyone know of a good natural hair styling product?

 

Thanks so much in advance!! xx

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Just put it in a pony tail & if the teacher wants a bun she can do it. 

 

Dd has only ever used gel for shows & exams. Spray is banned. A bit of water is all she uses. 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Picturesinthefirelight

[Jay Jay]

One advantage of having a DB!

 

[AdageKitty]

3 minutes ago, Picturesinthefirelight said:

Just put it in a pony tail & if the teacher wants a bun she can do it. 

 

Dd has only ever used gel for shows & exams. Spray is banned. A bit of water is all she uses. 

 

Thanks Pictures! DD's ballet teacher always comments when I come to pick her up so I don't think she would do it herself...

[Harwel]

can’t she practice to do it herself? Doesn’t have to be a bun, could be plaits then pin to head. 

[AdageKitty]

17 minutes ago, Harwel said:

can’t she practice to do it herself? Doesn’t have to be a bun, could be plaits then pin to head. 

Will have to work on that, many thanks for the suggestion!!  

[PrancingMum]

I agree with @Harwelwith some practice most DD can do it.  If she can do the ponytail bit then twist the hair before creating the bun then add a few pins before putting round a hair net, add some more pins and spray with some water.  It wont be right first time but hopefully her teacher wont mind helping add a few pins if they came out.  Be prepared for quite a few torn hair nets until she gets better.  Good luck!

[PrancingMum]

22 minutes ago, Harwel said:

can’t she practice to do it herself? Doesn’t have to be a bun, could be plaits then pin to head. 

 

Pinning pleats defeats me - bun anytime. 

[Legseleven]

Practice may not make perfect quickly but it will definitely work 

 

An alternative is a ‘bun maker’ from Claire’s or Boots or similar, which you roll up to make a bun. Not necessarily great for exams or festivals etc but fine for class and once you get the hang of it it’s very quick. No pins needed (although it looks neater and better with pins for any stray wisps and a net). 

[margarite]

DD has been doing her own hair since she was 9 purely because I left for work at 6.30am on one of her ballet days! After a few mornings of getting her up, doing her hair and sending her back to bed again, she started practising by herself. She used a donut to start with (only for class not exams or associates) and now is a whizz and FAR better than I ever was.

[Mummy twinkle toes]

Dd2 still struggles with bun. Hers often fall out. If I cannot do it then she puts in a pony tail and then uses a big clip to put it in a chignon. Hair neat for class. Ballet teachers are aware my husband is not very good with buns.

[JulieW]

Definitely just encourage her to practise - I'm sure she'll get hang of it. As for gel etc, my daughter used to just use water to neaten the fluffy bits

[Clarkd3]

We found a fine slumber net was more hardy for my dd to use, also an obliging sister or girls styling head was useful to practice using the bun pins before she did her own! 

[Pixiewoo]

DD learnt to do her own hair because she didn't like the way I did her buns! 

 

We started with hair in a ponytail, or a plaited ponytail, which was twisted round and then held with a couple of pins.

 

DD dances 4/5 days a week and although she uses a bit of gel and sometimes hairspray, she just brushes it out and puts her hair in a ponytail for school. It is much easier to put in a bun ( or French plaits etc ) when it is a bit dirty. At the end of week of performances DDs hair would pretty much stay in a bun without anything helping! 

 

I'm also a childminder, and I'm sorry, but I would not have time afterschool to do anyone's hair before dropping them off at a dance class. I used to come home with 8 children, who all needed tea before some went home and I then dropped 3 ( including DD ) at dancing. They all did their own hair, or helped each other.

 

 

Practice is the key here! Good luck x

[Guest]

I used to be away on business a lot when my dd was young, so my dh used to take her to ballet. He was such a dab hand at looking helpless that someone would always come to the rescue and do her hair(guilt guilt). In the end though the only solution is for the children to learn to do it themselves as others have said: don't wash hair too frequently, good tight pony tail and put the first couple of pins in before putting the bun net on. Sounds obvious but also choose nets and pins that are suited to the hair - my dd had masses of very long hair so only the big chunky stuff was any good. Many of the bun nets sold in high street chemists are just too weeny and rip with the greatest of ease.

[invisiblecircus]

My 6 year old can't do a proper ballet bun but she can do a bun without a net and pins using mini crocodile clips. It's not super neat but maybe would be passable for your ballet teacher!

 

I also never use hairspray or gel on her hair, just plain water in a fine spray bottle from Boots.

[Ballet4ever]

Practice doing a ponytail with her you want a good ‘grooming brush’ and lots of water spray and then the bun part should be easier I know my dd definitely couldn’t do a perfect ballet bun at age 9 it was only since she went to vocational school at 12 years she learnt how to do a proper bun so I wouldn’t worry about it just lots and lots of practice and she’ll be able to do it 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Ballet4ever

[ScottishDancerMum]

Teaching the dancers to do it themselves is always best (although mine is 8 and I can't imagine her pulling her ponytail tight enough as of yet to make a bun hold it's shape... but we're trying!)  

But why do we let dance fathers off the hook so easily?  I've had short hair most of my life and can barely braid, can't do french plaits, and my ballet buns are held together with pins, spray and the grace of God (definitely not skill!)  I don't see why men should be allowed to just "not be good at it".  Try!!!

(rant over, off my soapbox now...)

[Picturesinthefirelight]

At dd’s Old dance school one of the dads was far, far better at doing buns than me (& probably several of the mums). He had a son & a daughter who danced there & I was always in awe of his bun ability. 

 

Some people, like me just don’t do hair. 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Picturesinthefirelight

[hoglett]

Permanently greasy hair I'm afraid for my DD . Perfect bun each time though.  Also the sleeping nets rather than bun nets from Boots - can be wrapped around several times.  DD much better than I ever was - she watched youtube videos. 

[Cara in NZ]

I often see girls just twist up a ponytail and use a scrunchie to hold it in place (could be black or leotard colour?)

[AdageKitty]

You all are GEMS - thank you so so much for all tips!!!

[Huddsballetmum]

14 hours ago, Picturesinthefirelight said:

At dd’s Old dance school one of the dads was far, far better at doing buns than me (& probably several of the mums). He had a son & a daughter who danced there & I was always in awe of his bun ability. 

 

Some people, like me just don’t do hair. 

When my dd's dance teacher asked her to be in the competition team my first comment was "you know I can't do hair don't you?"  

[hfbrew]

I always give extra praise to young children who have clearly tried to do their own buns, however untidy it looks. And I am always happy to help do a bun provided a student comes equipped as I then take the opportunity to show how it is done. With practice young students can become very adept,very quickly. I particularly like seeing them help each other. My niece was doing her own hair from aged 6 as my sister was adamant she couldn't do it!

You parents are all awesome for letting your children come to Ballet in the first place  and whenever a child says "my dad , mum, aunt or whoever" can't do hair I always suggest that they do it themselves !

[balletbean]

On 17/04/2018 at 16:18, AdageKitty said:

Hi everyone!

 

Apologies if there's been discussion about this before but I have a couple of questions about hair please!

My daughter does ballet after school several times a week (our childminder who doesn't know how to do hair drops her off), and when we have time in the mornings I usually do her hair bun. Sometimes this lasts until the evening, at other times it doesn't (when for example they've had to change for P.E. at school etc).

 

This term they'll be starting swimming at school so there will be no chance that her hair will stay neatly in a bun after taking off the swimming cap. Luckily, her ballet teacher isn't too strict with regards to hair (unless it's for shows/exams). However she does insist on having the hair up in some sort of bun for health and safety reasons if their hair is really long to avoid injury to other children when they're doing turns/pirouettes. Might anyone have any suggestions on an easy way for a 9-year-old to do their own hair up? I feel a bit embarassed about having my DD keep asking other mums to kindly keep doing her hair.

 

Separately, I also wanted to ask what everyone uses to keep the hair nice and neat without overloading with hairgel and hairspray products when their child does ballet several times a week. I found that when I use most gels and hairsprays, it flakes and looks awful when it's time to let the hair down afterwards so I have to wash her hair each time. Also wary of using too much product with nasty chemicals. Does anyone know of a good natural hair styling product?

 

Thanks so much in advance!! xx

Does the childminder or your DD know another mum that would be there before her class. Even just to help her (with another pair of hands) rather than actually do the hair. Most mums I know would step in to help. 

A secure pony tail for the day can quickly be secured in a bun. There are some hilarious attempts on YouTube if you want a laugh. The ones from across the pond appear to use every gunk available from the local ‘drug store’. Keep it simple. Afterall it’s one lesson not a performance. 

As long as the hair is of a reasonable length, no fringe and not too wild most girls can acheive a passable bun with a bit of practice especially if they’ve taken ballet lessons for a while. Good Luck. 

[invisiblecircus]

On ‎17‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 20:21, Mnemo said:

I used to be away on business a lot when my dd was young, so my dh used to take her to ballet. He was such a dab hand at looking helpless that someone would always come to the rescue and do her hair(guilt guilt).

 

I used to work with a youth dance company and on the day of the dress rehearsal/ photo call, all the dancers has been instructed to turn up with their hair in a bun. One girl was dropped off by her dad, who casually said "sorry but I'm not very good at doing hair, my wife usually does it but she's at work."
It turned out that he had done her hair using only stationery supplies! Her ponytail was tied with a regular rubber band, then twisted round and held with a bulldog clip and some paper clips!

[Colman]

8 minutes ago, invisiblecircus said:

It turned out that he had done her hair using only stationery supplies! Her ponytail was tied with a regular rubber band, then twisted round and held with a bulldog clip and some paper clips!

 

Thats strategic incompetence as an art form! Personally very glad that both our young dancers are boys and my wife can do her own bun!

[Confuddled]

21 hours ago, Colman said:

 

Thats strategic incompetence as an art form! Personally very glad that both our young dancers are boys and my wife can do her own bun!

 

Yup! The dads at the ballet school dd goes to who don’t even try to learn to to do buns really go down in my estimation. My own husband can do a very decent bun, and the only reason he can’t (yet) do Heidi plaits is because I’m the one who watched the YouTube videos and had a couple of practice goes. I’m certain he’d manage them fine if he did the same.

 

Back on topic, I think a water spray (I use a plant mister) and a smoothing (rather than detangling) hairbrush really help, but dd still can’t do a high ponytail (let alone a neat, tight one), so it’s a work in progress.

[Mrs Brown]

give her a little water spray to use on it, slicks it back, makes it easier.  Teach her how to put in the hair pins to make it secure by doing it yourself a couple of times using her hands so she feels what she has to do if that makes sense. It is a bit like trying to do things in a mirror, you overthink it and your fingers push the pins the wrong way so if you guide her hands she will realise which way she is doing it. She is more than old enough to learn to do it herself with a bit of practice.  She will probably surprise herself(and you) with how well she can do it after a few weeks.

[swanprincess]

Could she not go to school with her hair in a plaited ponytail? Then would only need to pin the plait into a bun shape

[AdageKitty]

12 hours ago, swanprincess said:

Could she not go to school with her hair in a plaited ponytail? Then would only need to pin the plait into a bun shape

Very clever!! Thank you  

[MrsMoo2]

Have you seen that YouTube clip of a Dad doing his daughters hair in a bun? He puts it in a ponytail then holds it up towards the ceiling then gets her to twirl round! Makes a very acceptable bun! 😂 xx

[Viv]

@MrsMoo2 I thought you were going to bring up the dad who did his daughter ponytail by sucking it all into the right shape using the vacuum cleaner! Some of these techniques are actually quite genius (and hilarious)