Published On:Tuesday, August 24, 2010

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

Parents looking for the perfect back to school hairstyle for their little girls should look for styles that are manageable and require low maintenance local beauticians suggested.

Students in elementary school usually have very active days which includes outdoor activities at recess and energetic games inside and outside the classroom. Therefore children need a style that will stay put and not restrict their participation in these everyday activities.

Geri Julian, owner of Geri's Natural Hair studio said braids are best for little girls because they last longer and are easy to maintain. "Whether the child has natural hair or relaxed hair braids are the best for elementary school kids as oppose to a roller set hairstyle. Braids can get wet and it would not alter the hairstyle. Once the hair is plaited it can stay in for as long as two weeks," she said.

Getting Ready

Getting kids ready for school in the mornings can be a tedious task, but the convenience of braids can alleviate some of the pressure. " Once the hair is plaited parents don't have to do anything with the child's hair. All they have to do is maintain it by applying oil sheen to the hair and they are ready to go. It is easy and it won't take much of their time," she said.

There are a number of trendy braided hairstyles. For instance Ms Julian explained that she has done a number of trendy looks like the mohawk. "Braids don't have to be boring. The mohawk is a very cute style for braids. I have done this in a number of little girls' hair and they love it. Or they can try other braided styles like twisting the hair in the front and shingling it in the back. These styles are easy to achieve, all they have to do is angle the hair for the style they want," Ms Julian said.

Other styles include shingles and twist. This style can be achieved by flat twisting the hair in the front, and taking fine threads of hair and plaiting in the back. Shingles can be spruced up by adding curls to the look she said.

Tamara Ferguson at Chippendales Hair Salon said another option instead of braids are candy curls. "Put the hair in a ponytail on top then set it. This is much better for younger kids who are more active. Parents can take 10 -15 minutes the night before, and roll the hair with jerry or magnetic rods to keep the curls in place. Oil sheen can also be added to the hair," Ms Ferguson explained.

Like braids, ponytails are also an easy choice. "Ponytails are also a good choice because this is a style that most parents can do themselves. It is also saves a lot of time and the only maintenance required is moisturiser and sheen," Ms Julian said.

However, she explained that parents who have kids with natural hair might want to reconsider ponytails as an option. "Some parents don't know how to manage natural hair, and depending on the texture of the child's hair, ponytails might not look so good. And the process to getting the hair in ponytails might also be difficult for the inexperienced," she said.

Shampooing

Before doing anything with the child's hair, Ms Julian said parents should let the hair out and lather the hair with shampoo. After conditioning parents can achieve the desired look.

Additionally she noted that natural hair is best for children. However if a child's hair is relaxed then it must be relaxed on a consistent basis.

"Most parents don't know how to deal with natural hair so they end up relaxing it. For a child, natural hair is better because it doesn't get damaged as much as relaxed hair does. When the hair is virgin is much stronger. However parent's must relax their child's hair on time because if they don't it will have breakage."