I don’t like simple ponytails, not just because they are boring, but because they come off easily, or strands of hair escape, they become loose and they end up looking messy and dull. So I’ve created a lot of different variations that either make a ponytail a bit more interesting or hold the hair better. One version that I quite like is this ”french braid ponytail”.

For the smallest ones with lots of fine baby hair,  both pony tails and normal (one or two) french braids are difficult, as there isn’t enough hair to hold the hairdo together. So I like to do this ”3 french braids into a ponytail”:  just do a little french braid in the middle of the head, leaving roughly one-third of loose hair on both sides. There is no need to divide it evenly, just do it quickly before the girl looses patience. Then french braid the two sides, and tie everything into a ponytail.

For my oldest daughter, I’ve done this ”2 french braid ponytail” a few times. It lasts long, holds the fine hair at the front and at the back of the neck well, and looks nice. But this is a bit trickier to make, as she can’t watch tv when I make the back part of the braid.

So, to make this one, I’ve divided the hair into two parts: front/up- and back/down-part. Next, I’ve made a french braid from the back of her neck up to the middle of her head, and then another one from the front of her head down to the middle. And finally tied the two into a ponytail.

To get the back part done, she had to lie down on her stomach and look at a book while I braided. After that, the front part is easy, but as you can see from the picture, my latest trick to get them to sit still is to get them to look at hairdos on Pinterest!