With each new school year comes new challenges, new friends, new teachers, and new trends. It’s also a time to try out a new hairstyle—even for toddlers and kids.
If you find yourself having difficulty drawing inspiration, we get it. It’s easy to get stuck in a hairstyling rut, especially if you’re always running late and rushing out the door. To help make mornings easier, we asked four expert hairstylists to break down 12 creative styles, so your child will look and feel confident on the first day of school and beyond.
“Back-to-school is an exciting time for both the kids and their parents,” stylist Ona Diaz-Santin enthuses. “It means fresh new beginnings, and what better way to express this excitement but through hair!” Scroll through to see these easy, unique styles created by celebrity stylists—who are all mothers, themselves. Adorable inspiration for this school year is right this way!
Double Dutch Braids
The style: Double Dutch Braids by Sarah Potempa
Description: This style features pigtail braids that look like floating French braids.
Skill level: Intermediate
Baby Pineapple Curls
The style: Baby Pineapple Curls by Ona Diaz-Santin
Description: This look showcases a child’s natural curls with an adorable accessory for some flair.
Skill level: Beginner
Pom-Pom Ropes
The style: Pom-Pom Ropes by Ona Diaz-Santin
Description: Get Instagram ready with two bubble ponytails and colorful elastics. “Pom-Pom ropes are easy and fun, not to mention they give your child the freedom to get creative with colors, ribbons, rubber bands, and other kinds of embellishments,” says Diaz-Santin.
Skill level: Beginner
Pulled-Back Headband
The style: Double pony with headband by Laura Polko
Description: For this ‘do, you’ll need a cute headband that sits atop two half-up ponytails and a low pony.
“This look just gets cuter with the more pigtails that you make, so if your kid has the patience, you can make as many mini pigtails connecting to each other as you’d like!,” Polko says. “But this look is a team effort, and even with just two pigtails, it’s adorable.”
Skill level: Beginner
Beaded Braids with Big Buns
The style: Beaded Braids with Big Buns by Michelle Sultan
Description: Two high buns with four braids framing the face complete this look.
“This is great for children’s hair that is really long,” says Sultan. “It’s also good if you struggle to find alternative styles and want to try something cute that looks cool.”
Skill level: Intermediate
Triangular Mohawk Plait with Hair Glitter
The style: Triangular Mohawk Plait with Hair Glitter
Description: This look features a French braid down the center of the head with glitter on either side of the style.
“Middle school can be overwhelming, but it’s nothing a little sparkle and a triangular mohawk plait can’t fix,” says Diaz-Santin.
Skill level: Intermediate
Wash and Go
The style: Wash and Go by Michelle Sultan
Description: Show off the hair’s natural texture, and then add some accessories to pull the hair away from the face.
“If the hair is a medium length and you don’t want to tie it up completely, then using cute little letter clips or grips in the hair is really effective,” says Sultan.
Skill level: Beginner
Waterfall Braid
The style: Waterfall Braid by Sarah Potempa
Description: A waterfall braid starts as a French braid, with hair continuously cascading down from the braid, like…a waterfall! Often it’s only a small section of hair.
Skill level: Advanced
Baby Waterfall Pigtails
The style: Baby Waterfall Pigtails by Laura Polko
The description: For younger children or for those with short hair, this easy double pigtail style is cute and fun.
Skill level: Beginner
Twisted Half-Up With Waves
The style: Twisted Half-Up with Waves by Sarah Potempa
Description: For a special occasion or school dance, this style is a showstopper. The hair is half-up and twisted with loose boho waves.
Skill level: Intermediate