How do I get her hair to stay 'decent'?

I am utterly hopeless at doing DD's hair for school. I end up just pulling it back into a ponytail, sometimes two, with a coupls of hairclips to keep her growing out fringe off her face. It is messed up before she even gets to school, and I feel so awful. She is so pretty, and I let her down by not being able to do something nice with her hair. I can plait (not braid), so I guess I really need to get more time in the mornings to do it. How does everyone else do their little girl's hair for school?

I'm the same. My daughter's hair is fine, a bit curly and very tangly. She won't even let me put it in a ponytail so I think you're doing super well.

I've decided not to worry about it until she worries about it. She's a tomboy and couldn't care less.

Maybe ask the hairdresser to show you a few tricks.

I do my girls hair in buns (messy buns are cool), little pony at the top with pretty much just the fringe in it, then a bigger pony tail at the back.
Or just the little one at the top. Or do the same thing, but with 3 or 4 hair ties going down. Side pony tail. Little one on the side, then 2 pig tails, or plaits.

DD2 has thick knotty hair that is hard to keep tidy. I need good quality hair bands for her or they just won't hold her hair.

I use little elastics. We are growing out some fringe here too, so I gather that up into little elastics rather than clips (which are usually pretty hopeless I find) and then join that into either a plait or pony. Or you can do a row of elastics.. google 'elastic rows girls hair' and look at the images.. you'll see what I mean. You can get pretty creative with it if you have the time! haha.

I've found with elastics the hair survives the day and even survives wearing a hat! Clips have never been our friend here. Or headbands.

She's 5, I don't think it would matter what you did to it, it probably would look all messed up in the afternoon anyway.

Perhaps though, you could do a couple of small ponytail bits on top to hold back the shorter stuff and join them in with a long pony at the back - probably makes no sense whatsoever.

My mum wasn't much chop at hair, in my grade 5 school photo I have pigtails, one about 10cm higher than the other lol.

I've been wondering the exact same thing. I see other little girls at DD's school whose hair is tied back immaculately. I've formulated some theories - I reckon at least part of it is skill/practice. I've never had long hair myself so I'm probably already about 20 years behind LOL. I suspect some of it is the type of comb/brush you use to pull the hair back. And my other suspicion is that there's a secret club of mummies who trade secrets like some kind of secret-immaculate-hair product, like leave in conditioner or a quick wizz of hairspray or something that the uninitiated among us will never. ever. know.

ROFL Marydean. My DD's hair is really straight and so easy to do. I find making the hair damp before tying or plaiting keeps it looking really smooth :)

and I can guarantee that no matter how you do it, they will pull it out by recess time.

If it really worries you though, make sure you wet it quite well and use a comb to pull it back tight. I can get my girls hair looking like they have had a facelift it's pulled back that tight :rofl: when growing out fringes, those tiny little elastic bands are fantastic for pulling back a small amount of hair that you can then pull back in with the rest of it for a pony tail. And even then it doesn't matter how wet or how tight you pull it back, by the end of the day bits and pieces have managed to escape by the end of the day anyway. And after seeing kids turn up to school who I"m sure have never even used a brush or comb their entire lives I don't think your DD's hair would be that bad.

Isla's hair is also difficult to manage. She wants it long & out but I want it up when she is at school. Its fine wispy hair that has curly bits. I find mouse helps keep it tidy for most of the school day. Google cutegirlshairstyles heaps of cool idea's that are actually a lot easier then they look.

lol at the ponytail facelift.

They all look pretty messy by the afternoon so I wouldn't worry too much. In my boy's classes the ones with the neat hair seem to be the ones with the short bobs that don't get tied back.

Georgia's is very curly but still pretty fine, and all different lengths so bits come out thru the day and she looks like a bad scientist with ringlets sticking straight out the sides! I've found wetting it with a spray bottle the using a fine comb helps get it all back, and doing 2 small pigtails up the top then pulling them and the rest of her hair into one bigger ponytail at the back. Clips are useless here too :/

Or you could just put a hat on her all the time :D

Messy hair in buns and ponytails is totally in though! The high school girls on my tram have perfected the messy bun look!

I would try using spray in conditioner or some mousse or even just a water sprayer to comb her hair into a ponytail if you want it smooth. My dd is 4 and there is no way she would let me to that though. So a compliant child has to be part of the equation. I figure it's her hair and how it looks is no reflection on me or how well she is cared for.

:hug: Hun Miss A's hair is like that at the moment.
I do a side part (left to right) wet her hair and use a come to pull it tight and do a side pony with the small elastic.
Pull back the rest into a back pony then join both together.
If she wants it part out then I just add a clip to make the side pony a bit prettier.

Will FB you some close ups if you like.

I'm tired of nits and ponytails feel awful under a big hat so DD gets 2 side plaits, I have a tea tree water spray that keeps it smooth while I plait it then a bit of hairspray and a clip at the end! Stays pretty neat all day and looks cute! Ponies always slide out because she doesn't know how to tighten them properly. I'm amazed at the number if girls with long hair out and flowy- it's hot and plus no wonder there are nits!!!! !

Lol at the facelift- might try it on myself!!!!!! :rofl:

DD1 has hair down to her bottom which tends to fall out of pony's and be a bit flyaway around her face. I've found that the best method is to spritz with a water bottle to get it to stick down when making the pony or plait, then spray with a bit of hairspray when done. Hairspray is pretty good these days, the hair stays soft rather than going crunchy! Her hair is still messy by the end of the day, but at least She gets to school looking tidy!

Hairspray, hairspray and more hairspray, keeps the hair tidy and nits (hopefully) away!

DD1 has really whispey hair so she always has tendrils around the side of her face that escape. I do "top and bottom" pony tails - use a comb to pull all the hair from basically the front of the ears to the top of the head and put a band in, then gather the rest of the hair into a normal pony tail, pulling the end of the top pony tail into it too. Keeps the growing out fringe in place better without the need to use clips. They're generally pretty neat still by the end of the day, but there's always some whispey bits escaping.

If we actually have time to spare in the mornings then I will do a couple of braids in their hair. I think you can buy braiding tools that make it easier - might be worth trying to track one down

Tanstar - I'm not sure that pony tails stop nits at all. The girls go to a private school and so the boys have to have very short hair and the girls have to have it tied up if its collar length but in the early learning centre you never go longer than a few weeks at the absolute most without a note saying that someone that day had nits.

I use hairspray too. I either do the top and bottom ponytails or else pigtails and then I plait them.

Last week I put her hair up in one big ponytail but it had all fallen out by pick up time. She looked like she'd just got out of bed lol.