It’s time to part with the pony and give piggies the flick. If the thought of starting another school year playing salon stylist has you tied up in knots, we’re here to help.
From super easy braids to simple hairstyles that can go under a hat, brush up on these dos for your little ladies’ locks and win best tressed of the playground.
Here are 39 easy school hairstyles for girls.
1. Minnie me
Bring the magic of Disney to life with the Minnie Mouse. Your mouseketeer will go goofy over this gorgeous hair bow and you’ll love how easy it is. Start off a regular pony but only pull a small loop of hair through on the final pull, leaving the rest of the hair to hang loose below the elastic. Split the loop in two, pulling each half towards the head to form the loops of a bow. Lay the loose hair through the centre of the loops and secure. Check out the full tutorial with pictures at Lilyshop.
2. Crowning glory
Channel your inner stage mum and put your styling talents on show with the Twisted Ballerina Bun. Also known as the Crown, it’s a regal do for your little princess. Starting at the side, French braid across the top and around the crown of the head. Finish off with a bun to secure. Follow the full instructions at The Blue Closet.
3. Sock it to me
Take that, bad hair day, with this top-notch Top Knot. You won’t believe the secret weapon is a sock! Cut the toe off a sock and roll it back onto itself to make a tube. Slide the tube over the top of a pony tail and roll the tips of the hair over the tube, top and bottom. Keep rolling towards the head so the hair rolls around the tube and pin in place. See how to make and use the sock tube at Kojo Designs.
4. Fake it ’til you make it
Fakers gonna fake, but there’ll be no haters of the Fake Waterfall Braid. It’s as good as the real thing but swift! Start a French braid to one side, running across the back of the head. Drop a strand of hair from the bottom loop of the braid each time to create the waterfall effect. A step-by-step is available at Snapguide.
5. Let it grow
We probably could have started and ended the list with this one because, once you’ve mastered the Elsa Braid, it might be all you’ll be doing. But Frozen has to melt sometime, right? Start a French braid to one side and braid across the base of the head. Sweep hair above the braid across to the opposite side and only add hair into the bottom loops. When the braid reaches the opposite side of the head, add in the hair from above and finish off the braid as normal. Kids Activities Blog has a full tutorial.
6. Out of the closet
Remember when you had time in the morning to accessorise? Dig into your closet, blow the dust off that box of old scarves and give them a new life. The Scarf Bun is the perfect up-cycle up-do. Loop a scarf into a pony, divide hair in two and braid, using the scarf as the third strand. Twist up into a bun and secure. A how-to guide is on The Chic.
7. Miss Piggy
There’s nothing fishy about these cheeky Fishtail Piggies – a playful spin on an old classic. Start a fish bone braid at the back of the head. Once your reach the nape of the neck, tie it off into two pigtails. Princess Piggies will step you through it.
8. Knot what you think
Hair bands tend to disappear like socks in a washing machine. So, next time you turn your house upside down and your handbag inside out and can only find a couple of bobby pins, try the Hair Knot. There’s surely a scout badge for this one. Just split hair in two, knot, knot again and pin in place. Check out the tutorial on Fashionising.
9. Daddy do
We’ve all seen the pictures on Facebook of the poor girl with a bread roll on her head because Dad was asked to put her hair in a bun. The Pull Through Braid is one even Dad can’t get wrong. If he can tie a pony tail, he can do this. No bakery products required. Just tie a pony, split hair in two (top and bottom) and tie another elastic on the top piece about an inch below the first. Pull the hair from the bottom half through the hair between the two elastics so it becomes the top strand. Repeat the process of tying an elastic on the top strand and pulling through the bottom strand until you reach the end of the hair. Secure both strands with an elastic. Get Dad to watch the full instructions at Cute Girls Hairstyles.
10. Let’s do the twist
It’s simple with a twist – literally. Great for short hair, with the Simple Twist you just twist, clip and go. A great idea from Girly Do Hairstyles.
11. The Classic Ballerina Bun
Take centre stage with a ballet bun up-do. Brush hair to smooth out the strands and pull the hair up in to a high ponytail with an elastic. Twist hair in to a bun, then fasten with a second elastic, hair net or French hairpins. To finish the look, pop on a ballet-themed baby pink ribbon or headband and she’s ready to dance her way in to the classroom. (via Liipstik & Makeup Geek)
12. Triple Plaited Princess Bun
13. Let’s Twist Again
14. This Little Piggy
15. Sky-High Bubble Pony
16. Heidi Braids
17. May the Force be with You
18. A-Head of the Pack
19. Mouse-ear Top Knots
20. Loop-the-loop
As you’ll see, the effect is a loopy-bun. Fasten with pins and finish with a floral decoration. (via Babes In Hairland)
9 easy braid hairstyles for school
1. French braid
Let’s start with the French braid. This is the next step up from a standard plait. Simply gather the hair on top of the head and divide into three sections. Start plaiting as you usually would, but with each strand, add a small bit of hair from the right section, followed by the left section. Repeat this process until all the hair is braided and secure with a hair tie.
2. Dutch braid
Once you’ve mastered the French braid, it’s time to go Dutch. The main difference between the two is that the Dutch braid sits on top of the hair and the French, within. To perfect the Dutch style, you will need to split the section into three equal strands and alternate crossing the right and left strands into the middle. However, when you cross the strands, cross UNDER, rather than over.
3. The anti-braid
Also known as the “I hate plaits with a passion braid”, this braid is my personal favourite. Simply split hair into sections and attach each section with a small hair tie. Puff the hair as you go and you’ve got a cute anti-braid plait made of hair ties.
4. Milkmaid braid
The milkmaid style is the easiest of the easy braid hairstyles to master. First, part the hair down the middle and braid the two back sections. You will be left with two pigtail braids. Then flip the braids up to the top of the head and secure with bobby pins. What you are left with is an adorable alternative to the basic pigtail braid (and one that takes all of five minutes!).
5. Crown braid
Similar to the milkmaid braid, the crown braid keeps your little one’s hair out of her eyes and close to her head. Plus, she gets to look like a princess! There are a few ways to do this style. One option is to split the hair into two sections and do a Dutch braid.
If you haven’t mastered the Dutch braid yet (don’t worry, we haven’t either), then you can just opt for a standard plait. Once the braids are finished, wrap them around the head to form a ‘crown’ and secure with bobby pins.
6. Flip braid
Another starter braid to try is the flip braid which combines a flip ponytail with a simple braid. Start with a lose ponytail, pull the hair through the back of the ponytail to create the “flip” and then braid. Add a cute flower to complete the look. Easy peasy!
7. Stacked fishtail braid
The fishtail braid is another braid that starts with the basic ponytail. Section the hair in the ponytail into two pieces (but leave a small strand out for the final braid at the end). Separate a not-quite-two-centimetre section of hair from the outside of the left ponytail and pull this piece across the top of the left ponytail over to the right ponytail. Do the same with the other side and complete this process until you run out of hair. Secure with an elastic.
To make the ‘stacked’ look, simply braid the leftover strand of hair and secure into the elastic as well. Adorable!
8. Chopstick braid
As exquisite as it looks, the chopstick braid is deceptively simple. Start with a ponytail, add a chopstick through the middle and start to French braid the ponytail. For every few braids, pull the hair up through the chopstick and continue. Secure the full braid with a hair tie and pull under with a bobby pin. Then, simply pull the chopstick out and voila!
9. Elastic braid
Once you have a good handle on the different easy braid hairstyles, you can begin to have fun with them. Split hair into different sections, try different braids combined with basic ponytails and style with bows. There is no limit to what you can do!
10 school girl hairstyles that fit under a hat
1. Baby braid
Getting a toddlers fringe out of their face is tricky. They have such fine and wispy hair and you can forget about any clips (they last about 2 minutes!). This braid is easy and will stay in all day. (via Heart and Habit)
2. Let’s twist again
Have some twisty fun with this easy peasy hairstyle. Just make three small sections and twist. It will keep their hair at bay all day long and looks just a bit special too. (via Somewhat Simple)
3. Lovely locks
Two separate braids gather at the nape for a hairstyle so lovely you might just want one too. (via Easy Hair Models)
4. It’s a waterfall
This is a combination of a waterfall braid and a dutch braid and it looks amazing. A perfect one for school as you can fit the hat on and it keeps their hair out of their face all day. (via Abella’s Braids)
5. Easy cascades
How easy is this! Just lots of little pony tails all cascading down. You can use this as an everyday hairstyle or whack a flower on it for a special occasion. (via Babes in Hairland)
6. Over the side
Try a braid starting from one side and go over to the other side. Perfect for those kids who want their hair out of their face but don’t want it all up in a braid. (via Make it Cozee)
7. One for the wavy hair
How gorgeous is this hair! This is a waterfall braid which you start at one side and work your way around the back. Perfect for those with thick and wavy hair (via Sweetest BugBows)
8. Ready in 60 seconds
Simply don’t have time in the mornings? Here’s a handy video to get you twisting, braiding and twirling like a pro in a flash.
9. Lots of love
This hair do will have your heart singing! Easier than it looks this cute hair style will take you from pre-school to party in a breeze. (via Watch out for the Woestmans)
10. It is anything but fishy
This one is a fishbone or fishtail braid, although there is nothing fishy about it. With a step by step tutorial to help, you will get the perfect braid every time. (via Girly Do Hairstyles)
