Girls' Hair Accessories

If you are in the position of coaching a daughter, sister, or student about her appearance, and especially her hair, here are a few tips to pass along that will provide some creative fashion options:

1. Encourage an athletic look for sports. Whether she plays on a team or cheers an event from the bleachers, a girl wants to feel that her personal style matches the event. Scrunches, which are cloth-covered elastic ponytail holders, come in a variety of colors, designs, and shapes. Encourage the preteen in your sphere of influence to experiment with several types and wear different ones each day that coordinate her clothing colors and style. Scrunches will help keep her hair neat and under control while promoting a sense of fitting in, since the vast majority of preteens use them for their hair.

2. Support a functional image for school. Keeping hair neat and in place is an important part of being dressed to learn. Provide her with barrettes, clips, hairpins, or hair combs that can pull one or both sides and possibly the top back. Tiny rubber bands or clips can assist the support of braids or smaller pony tails if a more intricate style is desired. The point is to add a cute touch to the hair to keep it from becoming a distraction.

3. Try dressing up for social events. A simple ribbon or attractive headband can dress up a basic outfit. These accessories can add an elegant touch that is just right for a preteen, who should start giving thought to her public appearance without being consumed by a need for sophistication. Hair decorations can coordinate with earrings for pierced ears or an unpretentious necklace.

4. Styling mousse can add a mischievous touch. Teach your preteen how to use a daub of this gel to work through her fair for body and shine. While she need not wear a style that looks wild or avant garde, she can adopt a look that fits in with her peers to give her hair a bit of height or body. Be sure to emphasize that a little bit of attitude goes a long way, so she shouldn't overdo it.

5. Designer hairclips can showcase themes like Disney figures, popular film characters, or traditional role models. Browse the hair accessory aisle at your local department store to shop for options that can help a preteen change her look every day--a goal that is very important at this stage while she struggles to find herself and carve out a more permanent identity after experimenting with several.

Preteens should not have to worry about perms, hair color, or extreme hairstyles. A few attractive pins or clips can make them feel stylish and help them make the most of their natural assets to fit in.