Ballet bun/what do do with DD's fringe

[QuantumWeatherButterfly]

DD6 has her first dance show coming up in a couple of weeks. I learned a few days ago that I need to put her hair in a bun. I have NO hairdressing skills whatsover, but I have (what I think is) a good tutorial, all the equipment (gel, hairspray, pins, net) and I'm ready to have a go.

However - I've just learned that I also need to put her fringe back, and its completely thrown me! Do I just have to trust that the gel is going to hold it? Or is there something more I can do? DD's hair is extremely soft and slippery, if that is relevant.

Yes, just lots of gel. The spray ones are good. Some places ban hairspray due to asthma/fire alarms

As @Comefromaway says gel, gel and then some extra gel just on case.
Shorter hair I do pony tail and then wind it round bun net over the top and pin to death. Long hair a bun doughnut can be really helpful.
If she does tap get practicing in the French plaits.
I came to being a dance mom as some one who really never did hair or that stuff. There are great YouTube videos.

We used to grip the fringe back using Kirby grips and gel, then spray over the top; when the gel and spray is dry you can carefully remove the grips. I used to hate it but you do get used to it.

There was a girl in my DD’s class whose hair came down to her knees; she had two buns as it was massive with one!

i never mastered French plaits. If the teacher wanted those, she had to do them!

then as a teen Dd mastered the French pleat herself. Until she rebelled at 16 and cut her hair into a bob. She still gets it in a bun though!

You could slick it back with gelatin ie what synchronised swimmers use. It will be rock solid

Thanks everyone - it's the dress rehearsal on Saturday, so I'll give it a go then and see what sort of a state it's in by the time I collect her!

Now I just need to get my head around giving her a full face of makeup!

Don’t think of it as make up, think of it as face paint. Depending on the type of lighting in the theatre if you don’t use some make up your child’s face will look like a reflective blob of light and it would be a shame not to see her smiling face. (Yes I was the mother who decided not to put enough make up on).

For the bun itself, an easy hack is to make a ponytail and then put the bun net over it (make sure one edge of the elastic of the net is caught behind the bobble). Then, with all the hair inside the net, wind it round increasing circles before pinning. Remember that you're trying to get it as flat to the head as possible - a 'pancake bun'. I'm the mum of a now-professional ballet dancer, so had lots of practice until she was old enough to do it herself!

I'm a veteran of many ballet buns - for a show you need way more pins and gel than an exam, because it has to stay in for much longer, especially if there is a matinee and evening show.

Put her hair in a ponytail, then backcomb it and cover it with gel. Put the hair net round it and pull it together and twist it into a bun and use lots of hair pins (not kirby grips).

I would kirby grip and gel her fringe for extra security.

Get her to jump up and down vigorously a few times to check it is secure!

Our dancing days are a distant memory, but I remember the school asking us NOT to wash DD's hair before shows/exams.

They used a combination of sculpting hair gel and spray.

but I remember the school asking us NOT to wash DD's hair before shows/exams.

absolutely - freshly washed hair is a nightmare. Dirty hair all the way.

thankfully, DD is old enough to do her own hair for dance shows now.

I agree that lots of Kirby grips are required!

Grow her fringe out. It's clearly not compatible with dance. Failing that just clip it back.

I'm so glad you posted this, my DD has gotten into dance recently and is also asking for a fringe to be cut in, sounds like it would be endless hassle, I'll tell her this and hopefully dissuade her a fringe wouldn't suit her anyway

I have been trying to persuade DD to grow her fringe out for ages, but she is very change resistant!

Thanks so much for all the tips - it is so, so helpful!

@Comefromaway Do you use foundation? Wondering if I can get away with just eyeshadow, lipstick, mascara and blusher? Otherwise, there will be an emergency trip to Boots happening tomorrow!

I did but only because dd was very fair. Very young children with slightly darker skin may not need it. I used Boots Naturals Collection but they don't make that any more. When she got older she moved onto brands like Maybelline and Revolution

As PP said, unless your DD is fairly dark skinned she will seem very washed out under the lights. It may be a bit of a shock when you see your little one close up in a full face of make up with red lipstick and all, but it will be fine when she's on stage!

My daughter never wore red lipstick. Her recreational ballet school and the full time vocational school she went onto both asked for rose pink

@Comefromaway one advantage of being someone who grew up in the pony world and ending up with an MT child is that French plaits are what you do on ponies tails!

Thanks for your help everyone! I managed to get DD's hair into a bun that stayed put all day. Her fringe, sadly, did not - so will up the gel for performance day (though I fear there isn't enough gel in the world to control DD's fringe, which has a mind of its own at the best of times).

I initially decided against foundation, but wavered at the last minute when the school's tutorial requested it - luckily my own foundation was a very good match, so it worked out fine. Turns out that while I did not miss by calling as a hairdresser, I'm a decent enough make-up artist!

Do boys have to go through as much faff as the girls?

Well, they generally have short hair so no but they would have to tie it back if long and they do have to wear stage makeup.

Not if they have short hair, but if they have ling hair then it would all need to be tied/slicked back. And they also have to wear stage make-up.

Then of course there is the dreaded dance belt (usually from the age of about 10/11 onwards).

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These are good for holding a fringe back (with gel and spray and pins)

those Look great - DD might need those for her next show as she has a fringe and layers now 😂