Back-To-School

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Try These 12 Cute Hairstyles On The First Day Of School

A fresh hairstyle to help start the school year off right.

Back when I was a kid, I would meticulously plan out my whole first day of school look including shoes, my outfit, and accessories. Of course, I also had to consider some first day of school hairstyles to finish off my look. I imagine kids today still do this, but unlike me, they’re lucky enough to have the internet to help them out.

I am not ancient, we did have the internet when I was younger, but we certainly didn’t have Pinterest, blogs, and YouTube. Instead, I had to rely on the latest Mary-Kate and Ashley movie to inspire my newest hairstyles (suffice to say, there were a lot of styles featuring butterfly clips and zig-zag parts). Now, kids can simply type some keywords describing their hair length and texture into Google and get pages of results with step-by-step tutorials to help them get the look they want. First day of school hairstyles have seriously never been so easy.

Is it fair that kids today don’t have to walk around looking like bad knock-offs of their favorite trendsetters like I did? No. But, since they (and their parents) have the resources to look like total rock stars on their first day of school, they might as well take advantage.

1

Colorful Bands

How cute and unique is this colorful style? To recreate it, you’ll need small hairbands in varying hues, a few brushes, combs, clips, and styling products. Watch the full tutorial from Doris and Farook to get all the details.

2

Five-Minute Rope Braid

If your kid’s hair is always in their eyes, like my daughter’s seems to be, this simple braided style is the solution. Tessi Wood’s tutorial for this style shows how easy it is to create the rope braids, tie them together, and finish off the look with a bow. In fact, this still will only take around three minutes to recreate.

3

Twist Style

For natural hair with a little length, this video by Lil Bredoitall teaches you how to section it off into little twists for a fun look. She shows you exactly how to cut the bottom part of the hair with clippers as well as the technique and products you need to create these little twists.

4

Short Hair Updo

If your kid likes to pull their hair back but wants something with a little more style than the basic messy bun, try this cute (and easy) updo. It’s just a matter of twisting a few pieces and tying it all together in a low ponytail. Watch the full tutorial by Camila Coelho on YouTube.

5

Halo Braid

For this style, you or your kiddo will need a little bit of time (and skill), but it’s totally worth it. GlamFam Hair & Beauty goes through the process, step-by-step, showing you how to create the perfect halo braid as well as telling you exactly what products you’ll need (like hair oil, a brush, flat iron, and more).

6

Quick & Easy Bun

According to this tutorial from SweetHearts Hair, this gorgeous bun can be done in about two minutes (which is perfect if you find yourself rushing around on the first day of school). You just need to know how to do a basic braid, and it works best with long hair.

7

Fresh Cut & Swept To The Side

You can either bring this tutorial by Chris Bossio to your child’s barber or use it to try to cut their hair on your own. Either way, your kid will end up with a super polished cut with a side-swept style.

8

Fancy Pigtails

For a different take on classic pigtails, try sectioning them off like this. MIXED has a whole video that will teach you how to recreate the adorable look and you’ll need some rubber bands (in your choice of colors), a brush, comb, detangler, control paste, and some barrettes for a little extra style.

9

Y2K Style With Braids

I am personally still offended by the whole “Y2K Style” label, but I have to admit this hairdo by Summer Mckeen is super cute (and totally has some Baby Spice vibes). Her how-to video is on YouTube, but really all you need to do is pull the front sections up into mini pigtails and braid them, and pull some hair out around the face.

10

Heart-Shaped Braid

Braids seem to be a theme in cute first-day-of-school hairstyles, and this one is especially good for kids who love hearts. You can find a step-by-step guide for recreating it on A Beautiful Mess, but fair warning, if you’re not super skilled at Dutch braids, it might take you a couple of tries to master it. The final product is worth the trial and error though.

11

Long & Messy

For kids with short, but shaggy hair, Aaron Ramirez has a quick and easy tutorial for recreating this style. All it takes is some sea salt spray and hair clay to achieve the perfect messy look.

12

Twisted Half-Up

This twisted half-up style is super easy and works with a lot of different hair textures, lengths, and thicknesses. You’ll need a few rubber bands, a comb, a barrette (for a finishing touch), and a little patience if your kid is a wiggly one. Find a step-by-step guide for this look on Girl Loves Glam.

This is just scratching the surface of the many, many tutorials you can find online. With so many first day of school hairstyles to choose from, your kid may as well plan out their look for the entire first week of school instead.