It’s summer. It’s hot and humid. Your children are in and out of the pool or jumping in front of the sprinkler all day. You need to style their hair in a way that’s cute but still relatively care-free. Go for a kid’s look that is somewhat relaxed and natural.

Twin Twists

If your daughter has hair that is shoulder length or longer, sweep it off her face with twin twists. Brush her hair so that it is parted in the center. Gather two small sections of hair, no more than 1-inch wide in the front, on each side of the part. Gently twist each section so that they look like little ropes and bring them behind her head. Secure in place with a cute barrette or elastic band.

Pigtails

While pigtails are cute all year-round, they seem to become even more adorable in the summertime — especially if your daughter’s hair is somewhat tousled and messy. Save the super-tight pigtails with ribbons for school picture day. Divide her hair into two mostly equal sections. Gather each section just above the ears and tie loosely with an elastic band. Pigtails will work well if your child’s hair is slightly curly or wavy from the humidity.

Buzz Cut

At the start of summer, send your son to the barber for a buzz cut so that you won’t have to worry about taming his unruly hair during the hottest months of the year. You can even buzz cut his hair yourself. All you need is a set of hair clippers. Cut his hair down to 1/8 inch if you don’t want to worry about for most of the season. Buzz cuts can also be longer, up to 3/4 inch.

Tousled Style

If your son prefers longer hair and has a somewhat laid-back style, try giving him a tousled hairstyle. Tousled hair can be anywhere from 1-inch long to just past a boy’s ears. After washing and drying his hair, gently brush it, and then mess it up a bit with your fingers. If the hair is on the short side, try to make it stick up. You can use gel to achieve the spiky look, but that may be too much work for the summer. If his hair is longer, brush it to one side of the face.

Headband Ponytail

Keep your daughter’s hair off her face while she plays in the summer by pairing up a headband and ponytail. Brush her hair back, away from her face and gather it into a ponytail or messy bun. Have her push a headband over the top of her head, a few inches from the hairline. Smooth any bumps of hair on the top of her hair and secure the ponytail with an elastic band.