WAG Need a nice hairstyle for meets.

[marie83]

Oh and just to say. We did have 1 girl with Afro type hair. She never had the French plait! To get hers into a pony tail was hard enough! So perhaps just be willing to accept some variation!

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I know I am "the parent" who had to get to a meet an hour early to plait the girls hair but I will say that , if taught properly a French plait (braid) is not hard - heck I even taught OH how to do one in 1/2 and hour, but some peopl do need a bit of instruction.

Braids are good for girls with old fringes (Bangs I believe you call them) that are growing out as it ties in the shorter hair that wont reach all the way back to pony tails. Its all about practice and instruction.

Equally, P&F has an 8 am start time for her next comp, 1/2 an hour away so her hair will be simple, maybe a plait across the front and a bun.

 

[Quadqueen]

I agree with having them wear the same scrunchie/bow, if you're looking for uniformity.

 

[Dr Maleficent]

We need to write a tv reality show- Braid Idol, or perhaps the Plait Factor. Starting with dunno and his vacuum cleaner technique for ponytails and ending with the phenomenal circular plaits of dynamic duo (seriously, how do you do that?) combined with all the tails of hair tragedies and successes, we could have something great! (Starts writing to patent office- Simon Cowell, you're not getting this one...)

 

[Iwannabemargo]

This is what you are looking for @GymMumInFrance ©

 

[stillgotmyleotard]

Braid Idol. I want in.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Braid Idol. I want in.

Ah but if I remember rightly you are a ringer ? Aren't you queen of braiding ?

 

[stillgotmyleotard]

Sshhhh. I'm the stealth expert you can all earn money on if you bet on me.

 

[Dr Maleficent]

Ah but the challenge won't be simply creating a beautiful hairstyle on a cooperative child - we need more excitement and drama. So I suggest contestants can start by persuading my 6 yr old to have anything done with her hair, anything at all, then capturing her for long enough to do the style before she changes her mind. Then they have to style a team of gymnasts with radically different hair, including dreadlocks, so they all look identical. The hairstyles must then stay perfectly in place whilst the gymnasts do backflips over a pool of pirhanas ( these have nothing to do with the hair but are needed for dramatic effect) - see how much fun this could be ?

 

[stillgotmyleotard]

Oh god. If this were not an anonymous place, I would show you something that would blow your mind.

May I just say, I still want in!

 

[Dr Maleficent]

Arrrgh, now I need to know! That's it, I'm starting a Braid Idol forum.....

 

[Iwannabemargo]

oooh oooh, don't say that - I'm having a crappy day, have ejected SIL from house physically and all in all its been pants - can you not edit it so we can see ?

 

[happychaos]

Well, my idea was pretty much shot down, LOL! Oh well, that's why I asked about this in a thread; I literally have no idea about these smaller team details yet. I want to thank all of you for your opinions, suggestions and honesty. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to mandate anything now because you certainly all have a strong argument that hair can vary so much, and also how many parents are not hair artists! I really, really, really want to try to avoid the typical bun though. So many people use it, and I want to try to find something more unique, but I suppose letting them choose individual styles would be fine too. What do you all think of the style of the little girl from my rec class? Does it seem hard?

Yes. I could literally NEVER get my DD's hair to look like that, no matter how hard I tried. And even if I could, my DD's wispy hair would look trashed by the time warm-up was done. My DD's hair would never stay in a bun either.

I have to admire you for seeking opinions on this. You sound like you REALLY care about your girls, and that just makes me happy

 

[3LittleGymmies]

How about a simple braid along the front into either a pony or bun? Hopefully this picture of my daughter works... http://tinypic.com/r/zvrcck/8

 

[3LittleGymmies]

This is also my daughter, in the hairstyle her old gym required. I wouldn't suggest that you require this unless you want to go from small team to non-existent team http://tinypic.com/r/2czsio4/8

 

[3LittleGymmies]

She actually requested it for her state meet at the new gym she was at. I compromised without the curls. Those curls are pure torture. http://tinypic.com/r/oayzo0/8

 

[3LittleGymmies]

She never competed with a bun because she was worried it would mess her up on the backward roll last year. But I think buns are easy and beautiful, especially braided like I did here. http://tinypic.com/r/mh9376/8

 

[SignHere]

Oh, but I love curls! I am the Queen of curls! Curl formers, sponge rollers, bendable hot rollers, and the tiny curling iron with the silicone glove. And lots of product. I've used them all.

All in pursuit of the perfectly curled ponytail for DD.

 

[dynamicduo]

We need to write a tv reality show- Braid Idol, or perhaps the Plait Factor. Starting with dunno and his vacuum cleaner technique for ponytails and ending with the phenomenal circular plaits of dynamic duo (seriously, how do you do that?) combined with all the tails of hair tragedies and successes, we could have something great! (Starts writing to patent office- Simon Cowell, you're not getting this one...)

Everything I ever learned about hair was on youtube!! Seriously, 2 years ago I had another mom doing my girls hair in 2 french braids because I could not do it!! Then, last summer I took to youtube and sat my girls in front of movies and I practiced and practiced until I finally got it down!! Now, my circular braid only takes about 10min and it used to take me at least 30!! So, sign me up for braid idol!!

 

[raenndrops]

I learned to french braid in 7th grade... on the way to a volleyball match, we had one girl going around braiding the entire team's hair (16 other girls)... I had short hair, so nothing to do... she had me watch her and before we got to the other school (half hour total drive time... I didn't start immediately) I had done 2 of the girls' hair.
Of course, I have been told I braid inside out (but the hairdresser that told me that always had the braid on the OUTSIDE, so I think SHE was inside out)... I also crochet "backwards" and do a lot of other cool "lefty stuff."
For my gymmies, we have done french braids, double upside down french braids angled to meet in front- when I ran out of hair, I took the leftover hair, gelled the heck out of it, braided it back down the middle, and secured it to the french braids just above the ponytail with ribbon (2 hours of my life I will NEVER get back), pigtails, spiderwebs (and braided spiderwebs... only "spiderweb" the front into 3 or 6 sections to keep hair out of face, then braid into 1 or 2 braids), ponytails, regular braids, french braid across the front into a braid on the side tied into a ponytail in back - whatever we have time and energy for basically