Tootsie Rolls

I have been much more cute and creative with Miriam's hair lately. It helps that her 1970s-little-boy-bowl-cut has grown out quite lovely. My hair interest might have started when she took ballet last fall and I had to have an "updo" for her. See, for myself, it was pretty fancy to put a barette in rather than just leaving it down. Then I started putting cute little braids in to hold my hair back. Then with working with Miriam's hair, I've gotten suprisingly good. I have found it is most important to have something to do with the top of her hair, then to take it back into ponies. If I just do the ponies, the front and top fall out and are in her eyes. My cousin Eve (actually she's my cousin's wife, but I claim her) taught me how to do this cute little thing on top. We call them Tootsie Rolls and we love them. Miriam adores all the attention that she gets when she wears them and it's so nice to be able to keep her hair out of her eyes. We do these every other day at least. Anyway, I check out www.cutegirlshairstyles to get ideas, and I sent a little how-to to CuteGirlsHairstyles because I constantly get the "how do you do that?" and it would be nice to give them a place to see how I do it. But I haven't yet heard back yet, and since I already have the writeup and pictures, I figured I'd pass it along!

TOOTSIE ROLLS

Time requirement: 10 minutes
Materials needed: rat-tail comb, spray bottle, rubber vands if finishing into ponies

1. Partition off a thin section in the front. Wet down and divide into two.
2. Take one side and cross it over then under the other like you're tying a shoe.
3. Go over and under once more with the same strand.

4. Go over and under twice with the other strand.

5. Slowly cinch the hair down. The twisted part will go underneath the tunnel formed by the roots of the hair.
6. Pull tight to finish.

7. Continue with the second Tootsie Roll.
8. And as far back as you want.
9. You can stop here and wear it down.
10. Or continue into ponies.
11. Or add twists, braids, etc.

I find it is easier (and stays better) to work with damp to wet hair. Smaller portions also work better than bigger ones.

Thanks to my sister Erin for taking the pictures, and to Miriam for sitting through it (my favorite shot is her playing her Leapster. VERY common hair-doing activity), and to my niece Adelle for posing with the twisties. This is Miriam's favorite way to wear it right now because she likes to shake her head back and forth and hit her face with the braid ends. Whatever floats your boat. But I feel like a COMPLETE SUCCESS when we do these because she looks so good and everybody knows that her Mama did it for her. YAHOO!