Five Hairstyles for Five Minutes (Or Less) {Guest Post}

All moms agree, mornings can be hectic. Between getting the kids up and out of bed, organizing all of the kids’ clothes, and packing lunches, there is not much time in the morning to give your daughter an elaborate hairstyle that will keep her hair looking neat, clean, and off of her face all day. However, if you can spare five minutes in your morning while your daughter is finishing up some homework or eating breakfast, you can style her hair quickly and easily without the hassle. Here are five ideas for girls’ hairstyles that won’t put more strain on the morning routine:

 Looped Ponytail(Source)

This style is perfect for kids with longer hair that is straight or slightly wavy.

 How to do it:

1. Using a hair tie, loosely secure hair into a low ponytail at the neck.
2. Split the hair right above the middle of the ponytail with your fingers to create a gap in the hair.
3. Grab the ponytail underneath the hair tie and flip it into the gap above.
4. Stop here or add a cute barrette or other hair accessory on top of the ponytail for a unique look.

 Side Braid(Source)

This style works great on all lengths of hair, and can even work like a charm for pulling bangs off of the face. It is a smaller version of a French braid, but only on one side of the head.

 How to do it:

1. 1.      Part the hair off-center.
2. 2.      Take a section of the hair on the opposite side of the part and divide it into 3 equal parts
3. 3.      Overlap two sections of the hair like you would a French braid, but after the first criss-cross braid, take a little more hair from the top of the head, adding it into the braiding pattern.
4. 4.      Instead of grabbing another piece from the opposite side of the braid, continue to add pieces of hair on the top of the head.
5. Once you’ve braided to the crown of the head, take a bobby pin or hair tie and secure the braid in place.
6. Using another hair tie or scrunchie, pull the hair up into a ponytail.

 Heart Braid(Source)

This style was made popular by Cozy’s Complete Guide to Girls’ Hair. It can take longer to do at first, but you’ll be able to complete this hairstyle in less than five minutes in no time.

How to do it:

1. Starting with hair that is slightly wet.
2. Part the hair in the middle and clip one side up on the top of the head.
3. Focusing on the other side of the part, collect hair from the crown a couple inches from the forehead.
4. Separate this hair into three parts.
5. Much like the side braid, French braid it, curving it by the ears and then to the crown of the head. Only take hair from the side closest to the ear.
6. Pin the end of the braid with a bobby pin at the nape of the neck.
7. Do the same on the other side of the part to create a heart shape in the braid.
8. Secure the two ends of the braids together at the nape of the neck with a hair tie to finish out the heart shape.

Side Buns(Source)

This style is great for kids who like their hair out of their face but have moms who still want their kids to look classy and great for school. Hair can be easier to work with when hair is slightly damp.

How to do it:

1. Part hair down the middle.
2. Put one side in a hair tie to keep it out of the way.
3. Focusing on the other side of the part, take the section of hair and gather it to right around the ear.
4. Twist the hair and wrap it around in a spiral pattern.
5. Using bobby pins or a hair tie, secure the hair in place to form a bun. Buns can either be messy or sleek according to your preference.
6. Repeat on the other side of the part.

 Wraparound Side Pony(Source)

This adds a touch of elegance and style to any regular side ponytail and is great for all hair types.

How to do it:

1. Gather hair into a low side ponytail on the side of the head.
2. Release about 1/5 of the hair from your grasp and secure the other 4/5 into a ponytail using a small hair tie.
3. Taking the hair that was not included in the ponytail; wrap it around the hair tie used to secure the ponytail so that it covers it completely.
4. Use bobby pins to keep the hair “wraparound” in place around the ponytail.

Erin Martin is a fashion blogger on behalf of Carter’s and OshKosh B’Gosh. She loves writing about kids clothing and fashion trends for back-to-school and maintains her own kids blog, KidSource.

**All pictures are from Pinterest.