Winner of our Giveaway!!

AND OUR WINNER IS:

AMY PUGMIRE!

Her name was chosen using random.org. I would put the little doohickey on here, but I don't like it, plus it was too much work. :)

Congratulations Amy! Please email your address to: hollie@twigglebox.com and she'll get that sent out to you! Thanks to Hollie over at Twiggle Box as well! This amazing woman went and had baby #4 during our giveaway! Go and take a peek at her darling new boy: http://www.twigglebox.blogspot.com/. Congrats to you Hollie.

Thank you to all who participated!! I am now almost to 100 followers on Facebook! I am taking suggestions as to what to do to celebrate? Thoughts??

Oh, and Happy St. Paddy's day! My girls and I spent the evening last night painting all our nails green. What did you all do? I want cute St. Paddy's day hair pics to post!

Little Girl's Hairstyles -- Twiggle Box Giveaway!

Time for another giveaway!!!

Have you visited Twiggle Box yet? The owner, Hollie, has some darling accessories for your princess. Take a peek:

She makes wings, tutus, beanies, bows and everything else your little gal could ever want! She is generously offering one of these to our giveaway winner:

A personalized bow holder

She'll personalize it for the winner!  The giveaway ends on March 16th. Here's what you need to do to enter:

Mandatory for 1st entry:

• Become a fan of Pretty Hair is Fun on FaceBook  (fan box is at top of my page).
• Sign up for Twiggle Box's eNewsletter and promotions here:

Join Our Mailing List

Email:

Additional entries:

• Tweet about this giveaway, and include the post url in your tweet.
• Tweet about my new eBook.
• Send an email to someone with the post url and cc girlzhair@gmail.com.
• Follow Pretty Hair is Fun (shaunellshair) and Twiggle Box on Twitter.
• Buy my new eBook! (For 2 entries!)

Leave a comment here telling us what you did! We'll use the random generator widget to choose the winner and post it on St. Paddy's Day--March 17th.  This giveaway is open to all U.S. residents.

Go see Twiggle Box's March Promotional, which expires March 17th: FREE SHIPPING at www.twigglebox.com with coupon code: potofgold.

Little Girl's Hairstyles --Q & A "What Hair Products Do You Use?"

I told you all that I will never show my OWN hair on here--because I detest doing my own hair! But, I am sure many of you have similar hair strife, right!? 

I had a reader ask me what products I use on my own hair, since I've mentioned that my hair is thick, curly, and as such, dry dry dry! Well, with the help of some good stylist friends, who get product for me at their salon distribution stores, I've found some really great stuff. So, here it is! Hopefully this is one hair care tip you can use on yourselves, friends! Here is what is in MY shower:

My two favorite conditioners in the world are:

Biolage Conditioning Balm (see below)

Redken All Soft Conditioner

If you ever get dry damaged ends, and need an awesome deep conditioner:

It's a 10 or

Redken Real Control Intense Renewal

I love love Biolage. They are formulated specifically for drier hair (curly hair tends to dryness, since the hair shaft itself is more porous), and I love their Hydrating Shampoo.

Now on to styling products:

Since curly hair tends to be dry, and doesn't have a lot of natural shine, I like to use a shine serum. This is not just for when you straighten your hair either-although it's wonderful to smooth on the ends when you do--but I use this when I'm mixing up my styling concoction for when I want my hair curly.

My favorite shine serum is:

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny (you can see how it's almost gone!) I just use one squirt of this, and mix it into my hand along with a dollop of Paul Mitchell Super Sculpt (see below), and a squeeze of Redken Curl Refiner (see below).

These are available at your salon, or if you have fabulous friends (like mine) or stylists that will get them for you at a discount, then you are blessed. I'm a die hard fan of these hair products, and no, I don't use these on my girl's hair. These are for ME and ME only. :)

For some tips on little girl hair care, see my post here.

Some basic rules if you have curly hair (or if your girl does!).

• Don't wash it every day. I used to think this was horrendous, since I'm a clean freak, but washing it even just every other day does wonders for the elasticity and strength of your hair. As I said before, dry hair is more porous, this is what gives it it's texture and curl. It also makes it break easier. The natural oils from your scalp hydrate your hair and keep it healthy, Washing your hair too much strips away these necessary oils, and, thus, split ends and breakage. The curlier your hair, the drier the hair shaft will be.
• Getting frequent hair cuts (8-12 weeks) is also a must for good hair health--especially if you are trying to grow it out!
• If you have really dry ends, and don't want to cut off several inches, try masking your hair ends in one of the deep conditioners I mentioned above before you get in the shower. You can let it sit while you shower and then reapply conditioner again. You can also put it on your ends and put on a shower cap, and blowdry the shower cap for 5 or so minutes, then wrap your head in a towel to keep the heat in. The heat will open the cuticle and allow the conditioner to do it's job.

Here's to your happy healthy hair!

Little Girl's Hairstyles - I LOVE KID TO KID!!!

I had to go out in my garage the other day to find something (scary-venturing into the unknown), and as I was fruitlessly perusing from my doorway (since I'm scared to go any farther), I realized that at least HALF of the clutter in my said garage is child equipment:

Car seats, strollers, swings, crib, gate, and oh, about 2 dozen bins of clothes!

I then imagined what my garage would like like sans child equipment--NOT SCARY!

So my friends, let me introduce you to a most fabulous place that will help you (and is in the process of helping me) declutter your garage, storage room, etc. of all that lovely child equipment.

And I don't mean just any old Kid to Kid. I'm talking about the American Fork Kid to Kid (sorry for those of you who don't live in Utah).

I went to go and check it out last week, hoping to downsize the clutter in my car trunk, and WHAT *gasp* did I see upon entering??

This:

and this:

Do you see what I'm seeing? Walls and walls of hair accessories!!! They have EVERY color of the rainbow.  They have flowers (maribou!!), bows (rag and fur), headbands (crocheted, stretchy,cotton, adjustable), and bows made to match local high school colors.

Of course, I was in heaven, thinking of even more child equipment I could purchase. Once I tore my eyes away from the mountains of flowers, I saw their dance section (who hates buying new ballet shoes and leotards every year?), and their costume section, with things for girls AND boys. Their shoe section covers a large corner, with like new shoes in all sizes, with sport shoes, and sports equipment.  There's also an infant section with baby equipment (carriers, baby linens, nursing covers) and maternity clothes! Brilliant! The children's clothes are from newborn to size 14.

Diva hats, baby legs (!), purses, and princess dresses.

If you are not familiar with Kid to Kid, they are not a consignment store (I had to have this explained to me), where you are paid for what you bring in only after they sell it. Kid to Kid gives you cash up front, or you can take a 20% increase in store credit (which never expires). So you can take in your stuff, Monday through Saturday, anytime between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and they'll have a buyer available. No appt. necessary. There is also NO limit on the amount you can bring into sell (hello new garage!).

The owners are Jack and Ele Morgan, who started up their franchise in American Fork as a way to return to their home state, and as a way to benefit other families, who like them, were always on the hunt for stuff for their 4 kids. The Morgans love local vendors, and sell a huge variety of their brand new stuff like the hair accessories(!), matching ties for kids and dads, and beanies, to name a few.

They also donate items to an amazing organization called Gifts of the Heart Exchange, which organizes free events where student families can obtain clothing and other children's items that they need, thanks to wonderful donors. Check out their blog to see what you can do to participate.

Overall, ladies, this is a store for moms. The owners are people you can feel awesome about supporting, who in turn support our community. I came away with such a positive impression and excitement (and a little cash in my pocket!) about finding this store! If you need a baby shower gift, new Easter clothes for your kiddies, a new car seat, or your kids just want some new toys to play with, go check them out.

Important stuff:
1438 E Main St in Lehi (behind Texas Roadhouse) and yes, it's the AF store, but technically in Lehi.
Owners: Jack and Ele Morgan
801-766-8400
americanfork@kidtokid

When you go visit Kid to Kid--mention you saw this review on my blog, and get 15% off your purchase!!!

Then come back and tell me what you bought!


Oh, and let's not forget my gal's favorite part: The princess pink doorway for the little peoples.

Little Girl's Hairstyles - French Braid into Wrapped Ponytail 10-15 Min

So, if you come and hang out here looking at little girl's hairstyles, then we share something in common. We like cute hair on these little girls! Well, I love looking at other hair blogs and seeing their creative genius and admiring their handiwork. It's amazing what some of these gals can do! Right? Right. Well, like some of you too, I am a mom. A busy mom who has things to do, and most of the time it does not involve a lot of time to do fancy hair. Alas.....I share with you practical, cute, easy and fast hairstyles--most of the time. Right? Right.

Take example A below.

This is a real life, real time hairstyle that we favor quite often in my house. Ponytails are often requested, and since I cringe at doing JUST a ponytail, I have to dress it up a bit. So here's our dressed up ponytail:

Start with semi damp hair in front, parted off to the side of the face. A good rule of thumb for a side part is to start the part in line with the center of the eye, and pull back to the crown.  I like to spray the parted hair with water and comb down both sides of part to keep it smooth.

Do a french braid on the larger side, angling it straight down to the ear, and continue the braid to the ends of the hair.

Comb the rest of the hair straight back into a ponytail, bringing in the french braid on the side. I spray all around the head where I'm combing in the hair, as the water will make it lay smooth and stay in longer.

To make the wrap around the ponytail, take a section of hair from underneath. I like to take a fairly thick piece of hair, to cover the elastic nicely.

Wrap the piece around the elastic and the french braid piece of hair until you come to the ends.

At this point, wrap the hair ends in, and grab your clear elastic.

Wrap your clear elastic around the ponytail, making sure to tuck in the ends of the wrapped section. When it's secured, take the elastic out of your french braid and smooth that section into the rest of the ponytail.

This hairstyle was featured in my Christmas hairbow section, showing off these cuties from Lil Cutie Hairbows.

With a little hip action as well.

If you are ambitious, and the ends of the ponytail need some help, curl it with your curling iron, or round brush it, or wet it down (if she has some natural curl) and wrap it around your finger and spray with hairspray.  Or do what your conscience dictates (or if you are like me, what the clock dictates!).