Hair Accessorties Taking Over, Need Organizational Ideas, Please

Hi B.,

I can only imagine what my life is going to be like when my girls get older. They ae 3 and 4 now and they already have TONS of accessories. I recently went a bought a 4-drawer organizer that fits under the counter-top. Each of my girls have one with their name on it. They work GREAT! Brushes and combs go in one drawer. Hair tyes and things go in another and then their jewelry and accessories go in another and the 4th is for their hairbows, or some combination like that! I love them because it keeps everything organized and its under the counter top so there isn't clutter all over the top of the counter. Good Luck!

C.

Throw away / give away most of it. It will be such a relief for everyone! Hair without any accessories is all right too!

When my daughter was younger I helped her wrap a wire hanger with pretty yarn (super glue the ends), then we braided 3 LONG yarn braids that hung down from the hanger. She had plenty of room to hang all kinds of hair accessories from her yarn braids. Maybe you could try this with different colored yarn for each girl. The hangers can be hung in the bathroom or in their bedrooms. It's also easier to quickly see which accessory matches that days outfit without digging through buckets.

Try this web site. staymybaby.com Good hair organizer stuff.
D.

http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_ti...

Here are some cute hair organizers.

What I would do, is go through them with your girls.

Say, you each get to pick 10 hair accesories and 15 jewelry pieces, and then get rid of the rest. Honestly, they probably only wear maybe 4 or 5 of their favorites anyways. I know we always did (and still do).

Can they maybe store their own hair accesories in a drawer in their room? That's what we had to do. The top drawer of our dresser was for brushes, make-up, curling irons, blow dryers, jewelry and hair stuff. ANd now that I"m an adult, I still use that drawer for the same purpose.

Do you have any space on the wall to hang a basket or two? Also, if you haven't worn it in 1 year, get rid of it might help you problem (I hate throwing things out that I might use later).

I have a really nice basket from Southern Living at HOME for my daughter's lotions & potions (she is 16). You might try something like it. I have the black one.

Go to www.southernlivingathome.com/maureenm and type in under Our Products these two numbers...41000 or 41009.

Hope this helps! M. M

My husband is in the same boat. We also have 3 girls and they all share the same bathroom. First rule...no one is allowed to use mom and dads bath unless they are about to drip on the floor. That is our space and it keeps my husband and i sane. We know their bathroom and bedroom get crazy but we know we always have our to hide in. Another rule for us....the girls cannot shower inteh morning. They have to shower in the evenings. They go to bed clean and i never have to worry about steaming up room or privacy. When they get older and one is dead set, then she will have to get up earlier b/c by 6:30 the bathroom is no longer private...it is open hunting for all. The girls bathroom was a nice size but lacked storage. The first order of business was to add extra cabinets. I replaced the single sink with a double. I had an odd corner that was being wasted in the bathroom, so i had a cabinet made for it, from floor to ceiling. Anything i could add/change to make more storage space i did. I changed the mirror to a huge tri-fold medicine cabinet. I added cute shelves above the bathtub for pretty pretty stuff. The door has 3 robe hooks and a terry cloth bag on it. I also bought a few of the small plastic drawers that usually come together as 3 in a few differnt sizes. I have a set for clips and barretts....one drawer for bobbie pin style, one drawer for plain barretts, one for the crafty, gaudy barretts. I use another set of drawers for the hairband and headbands unusual hair items (clip in hair colors etc...). I have a plastic box for ribbons. I use to have the hair ribbons tied to a hanger and in a closet. Bad idea. The tied end was a mess and had to be ironed or clipped. Another thing i did was to actually go thru and get rid of junk. I was, am a mom who saves everything thinking i can fix it or i can recover that head band with a new fabric. Trash it! Boy was that hard for me. But when i did that, i found i had a lot more room. I will only allow real bathroom stuff inthe bathroom. Play jewelry goes with the toys. Real jewelry goes in their rooms. I am lucky that each girl has their own room and a separate playroom. I am with you all the way on having your own stuff. Each girl has their own drawer for their hairbrush, chapstick, pretty lotions etc... Mine are still not ready for the full make-up world...they are 2, 5, & 7, but by taking the time early on....it should be a little tiny but easier. Good luck!

I bought a small container that has 3 drawers on it so I can place rubber bands in one drawer, hair clips in the other drawer and the hair stuff for the youngest kid. I bought it at target and I put it on the counter in my bathroom and it doesn't take up a lot of space. When all my girls are a little older it will move to their bathroom upstairs.
Good Luck and I know how 3 girls stuff takes over everywhere.

try stackable drawers, they have them at Wal-Mart I think. The girls could each have their own drawer, which would be bigger than sharing one.

It seems that this kind of stuff is an organizational nightmare but it can be tamed :). The buckets sound like a great idea for the brushes and combs etc... Have you seen the bucket holders at Potterbarn Kids? You can get some ideas from there and incorporate them to fit your needs. Have you tried a small chest of drawers, with each girls name on them. Within each drawer organize the jewlry. Also once a month, or so go through and see which jewlry they wear and don't wear and put in a garage sale bucket or send to a womens shelter. Many times those women and thier children have to leave with out any possesions at all, it would be a kindness to donate the girls unused items and help them learn about giving. Back to organization, the small chest would be bigger than most childrens jewlry boxes and give them room to actually see what they have also the little accordian hanging racks are good for ribbons, or necklaces, and with some of these things you can utilize wall space instead of counter space, which is a good thing. Good luck!

we took yarn and braided a LONG braid. you can clip clips, barrates etc on this and it doesn't take much room - hanging on the wall. make one for each girl. a big clasp type ring for the scrunchies attaches to the bottom of the braid. Maybe recycle some - sounds like you have way too many - have them pick out 10 favorites move the others to there bedroom. they can change out favorites as needed - but make a rule - no more than 10 each in the bathroom.
for Jewelry - that we kept in the bedroom. Em took one drawer of her dresser for "jewelry - hair stuff - etc."
hope these suggestions help!

I bought a tool box with clear plastic drawers. Each drawer houses a different color of hair accessories. It's works wonderfully and it keeps everything organized. I got it from Home Depot for like 12 dollars.

I've found that the over the door shoe organizers work great for jewelry and hair accessories. Good Luck.

Hey B. - You go girl - all that and you still have sanity! My hat is off to you! I did have a suggestion for hair clips (barrettes) - someone once suggested I use old belts (got any old outfits in the closet w/those skinny belts?) - you can usually find some sort of hook (or make your own) and clip the hair clips on them and hang them from the towel bars (or a hanger in the closet) - that way they can see what they have and it looks like a "display piece" - the girls can probably put some of the scrunchies on there too if the barrettes are big enough.

And for jewelry - I don't know if they have many pins - but you can take an old T-shirt and while on a hanger use it to attach all the pins to - again, they can see what they have and it looks cool - I have one that hangs in the front of my closet - I also have some of my necklaces hanging from it.
And you can also use old frames - either string wire across to hang earrings, necklaces, clips. Or you can put a frame around an old window screen if they have pierced ears - they can just hook the earrings thru the mesh - you can make separate ones for each girl, or paint a design to divide sections for each one.

And I know what you mean about dealing with those awful head lice- my daughter brought them home from daycare every once in a while and now from school (she's in 1st grade). One suggestion that a nurse friend gave me - it sounds gross, but she did it with her kids when they were little and their ok - buy some cat or dog flea shampoo, and periodically wash their hair with it - it has the same ingredients as the lice treatments but not near as strong and it might help maintain hair health (as far as bugs go!) and these days some of those shampoos smell better than ours! My daughter doesn't mind it so much as it keeps her from getting the "itchies"!!

Hope some of this helps (I know it's a lot), right now I am a SAHM (w/Disability -bad discs in my back) with a 7 y/o (who's going on 13) and an 8 month old that we were blessed with unexpectedly!! ;-) I only have 2 and I can't keep up - and all my scrapbooking stuff is still in the carrying bag!! God Bless! B. W.

I second the clear shoe organizer over the door thingie. Lol. I have 4 girls & it's a life saver. My husband is a real neat freak too! Anyway, they are really cheap at Wal-Mart & practically take up no space & they have tons of pockets on them. Plus, you can see what you're looking for.

Been there. I have two girls and two boys. I am a germaphobe and have dealt with the lice problem with one of my girls. My girls had unfathomable amounts of hair clips, scrunchies, etc, etc... To solve the problem I took away all of the hair goodies to one place (my bathroom). I let them pick out seven hair accessories a week which are kept on THEIR brush handle and can be exchanged for different ones when those have been returned. (Sometimes they get lost so I occassionally make exceptions)This cut down on the number of them that showed up in the bottom of the shower, between couch cushions, backseat of the car, all over the BR counter, etc... (I also keep certain "special" hair accessories on the hanger with the outfit which they were intended to be worn with, ie. recital costumes, school sweatshirts, christmas dresses) I did the same with the jewelry. Only what reasonably fits can be kept in their jewelry box. All of the rest is put away for special occassions when what they have isn't appropriate and they need a different piece. Good Luck.

What I just did recently with my 2 (almost 3) year old daughter's stuff was buy one of those 3 drawer chest things. It's less than 12 inches tall and maybe 6-8 inches across. This was the smallest one they had, but it holds her stuff wonderfully. I had it all stuffed in a travel bathroom bag, but was constantly pouring it out to dig thru, Now, I have her clips and barrettes in one drawer, her plain rubberbands in the second, and her scrunchie type pony holders in the last one. Your girls may have too much for only one, but you could get a couple for each and stack them. They aren't that big, and shouldn't make your bathroom any more cluttered. Just go to Wal-Mart and look on the plastic storage asile. I think the brand is Rubbermaid. Good luck!!!!
PS: another suggestion is a tackle box. I had one of these in the beginning, but when Brooke would pick it up and dump it upside down, the contents would scatter throughout the box. With your girls being older, this may not be a problem?

Hello B.,

I put my daughter's clips on colorful pipe cleaners then you can hang them or put them in a drawer. =) Good luck! ~C~

It sounds like a great opportunity to help teach a wonderful life lesson to me...There are others who do not have what we do, so we share generously and lovingly with them. Have a sorting party and have the girls decide which of each grouping of 2,3,4, whatever amt seems appropriate to you item THEY love and wish to use regularly and which items they would like to bless others with and then experience the joy of taking those items to Goodwill or some thrift shop. Get a tax deduction while you get a clutter reduction!! :-)

My sister had the best idea!! She put a clear shoe organizer that hangs on the back of the door in her bathroom and she ahs different types of bows in each little pocket. That way you can see what you are getting into, and it is easy to keep up with. Good luck, I too have 3 girls and they have lots of stuff too!! ~A.~

I would recommend buying each girl a Caboodle. It is like a tackle box that men use for fishing supplies only they're usually pink or purple. Look for them in the cosmetic section of Wal-Mart or Target. They have different sized trays and a storage compartment for larger items as well. Let each girl pick one out, fill it with her things, and keep it in her room unless she is in the bathroom with it. Good Luck!

We also bought an organizer - clear plastic so you can see colors but I took it one step further with my two. ANY thing that was left out after the morning rush and dash would be gone when they got home. No preferences, no favoritism - I just raked everything off that wasn't put away and tossed it. It took about three days for my bathroom to "miraculously" clean up! (not without loud protest at first)

My girls surprised me with their creativity soon after. Each took her clear bundle box and decorated it with stickers, gel pens, etc. It was born out of argument about whose was which, but the decorations look great! If your bathroom is too small to store the boxes, have each girl take her box to her headboard or dresser when she's finished in the bathroom.

Good luck!

Just a couple of thoughts: time to weed out some of them! Make 3 piles, must keep, would like to keep, and get rid of because we haven't worn them in a month.
Also: what about color coordination? Everything that is the same color or color family has it's own basket. Then in each basket, maybe gallon zip lock bags for things like clips, barretts, and rubber bands. Then another bag for scrunchies, ribbons and headbands. I'm thinking that since we color coordinate how we dress, that would be how we do our girls' hair?
Been through the lice torture a few years back. I'm glad that's finally over! I have 2 girls still at home, plus a granddaughter.
C. G

I had the same problem when my daughter was younger. I bought an over the door shoe organizer with the pockets. Now we use it for a combo of shoes and jewelry.

Ok, I only have 1 daughter (+2 boys) & she's got such fine thin hair, we're not at this stage yet, but I'm married to a neat freak too. I'm always looking at home organization magazines & shows because I'm definitely challenged in this area. Anway, I've seen this idea I think will work. How about getting one of those clear plastic over the door shoe holders. It has a bunch of pockets you can easily slip all those accessories in. Each girl can have one or label individual pockets with their name.

I hope this helps!

K.

It sounds like the girls may have too much hair accessorties. You may want to take all of the hair accessorties, and you and the girls sit down and get rid of the everything that they no longer want or need. I think the girls having their own buckets is a great idea, but do the buckets have lids. Talk with the girls and let them know that you need their help in keeping their hair accessorties in order. I have 1 daughter and 2 older boys, and she alone HAD two hair accessorties until we sat down and got rid of a bunch of thinks, and now we are down to one container with a lid and we are keeping it under control. I hope that this helps you. Be Blessed, S. S.

Hello there!

You can take a wide ribbon and hang it up somewhere in the girls bathroom to clip the hair bows to [||||8|8|8|||] (that is an attempt at a sideways picture of what I am talking about) Ha!

You can also buy cheap organizing drawers from craft stores and have the girls or you decorate them in the style of the bathroom to store other hair things like headbands, etc. They have 2 or 3 drawer ones that you could use one drawer for each girl or have one set for each (that works better, especially when they get older and get even more stuff)!

I found that using the jewelry organizer that adults normally use when they travel works pretty well. (it is a large canvas like sheet (2x5) with little clear pockets of varying size) - it usually works for little ones so they can see what they have and don't get the whole mess out to find one necklace or something. :) They can also decorate that or you could get a pink one (I'm sure they have them) - I found some at Target in the luggage section. I keep mine hanging on the back of my closet door and that keeps everything off the counter so it looks cleaner and more organized but, doesn't take a lot of work to keep it that way! :)

I hope you can find something that helps with the accessory take over!

- J. K.

Could some of this be thrown away? I'll bet if you tell your grils that you are going through it and only we are only keeping our favorites and the rest we are giving to a little girls who doesn't have hair stuff they would be ok with that...if not then give them a number and sy you can on ly keep 10 things each. Surly they don't need that many hair accessories!
If throwing stuff away is not an option then I have some suggestions. Freestanding paper towels holders work great for scrunchies. I also have three girls, a little younger than yours, and we use one of those pocket things that you put over your door. You can find them on LillianVernon...I think they are really used to store dolls but we like it just fine for storing our brushes, rubberband holders, clips, and such...the drawer could be just for headbands. Also, you could take a cute ribbon, a long piece, tie knots in it every few inches and use that to clip bows on...then you can hang that on your wall. Hope these tips help!!!

Have you tried fishing tackle boxes? You can get trays with little boxes in them to separate smaller items like barrettes, ponytail holders, earrings, etc., and the bigger items like hairbrushes can be stored underneath. You can have one for each girl that can be kept in their room and brought to the bathroom when they are getting ready. I grew up in a family with 5 kids and 1 1/2 bathrooms - feeling your pain a little there! Good news is, when they go to college, they will be used to sharing a restroom with other girls!!

I use a drawer organizer with small capartments to seperate out rubber bands, barrets, etc. And my daughter has a vanity in her room, where she keeps her jewlery. It was an antique that needed a little love--so I painted it white to match her other furniture and changed to knobs and mirror. It has three drawers and 2 doors with shelves--so it can store a lot. My sister-in-law makes these frames with pretty mix-n-match ribbions glued on them and they are for clipping on bows and such.
The Caboodles sound like a grat idea--I used to have one!!
Good LucK!!

I saw the cutest idea at a store the other day. It was large letters (initial of your childs name) that were decorated very girly and they had long strands of ribbon attached to them. The bigger letters had 4-6 ribbons. You clip the hair clips on the dangling ribbons and adorn your kids wall. I use a clear tool box sort of thing myself for my daughters things. But I think I am going to make letters and match their room for the clips. Best of luck...my oldest girl is 2.5 and the other is 3 months, so I bet I will be in your shoes one day soon! Oh, I saw it at Kidd to Kidd in Arlington

I've got an idea that might help. I sell AVON and they came out with an 80 pocket jewelry organizer. I think it would also be great for hair accessories. It's to hang in the closet or over the door. If it's something you'd be interested in please email me and I will send you a picture of it. Thanks. Hope it helps, J. (Wolfforth) ____@____.com

I know this sounds weird but my step sister uses a clear fishing tackle box. It has all size compartments, and it has worked great for her. She says she can sort the bows by color and keeps a lot of looking and frustration down. It's not that fancy but you can use some ribbon and stickers to decorate it. She keeps it under the cabinet in the bathroom and it has a ton of stuff in it..