Looking after yourself is important. As well as eating healthily and exercising regularly, it's also nice to look after your appearance.

If you're not healthy, your hair won't be either. Make sure that you get all your vitamins and eat enough protein. If you eat right, exercise and get enough sleep you will be rewarded with great-looking hair!

It can be hard to keep away from things that can hurt your hair, but if you do it's easier to keep your hair healthy. Things like chlorine and sunlight can weaken and damage your hair, so perhaps wear a swimming hat or sit in the shade. Change shampoos and conditioners every now and again to meet your hair's changing needs.

Easy ponytail

If you've got medium to long hair, then an easy style for you is a ponytail. If you want to jazz it up a little, try using hair accessories such as flowered or fuzzy ponytail holders, jazzy headbands and/or clips placed at the hairline to hold back stray hairs.

You can wear a ponytail low or high. You can also style a double ponytail - divide your hair into top and bottom sections, making them as even as possible. Pull the bottom section up and secure with a band. Position the top section close to the bottom and secure with a scrunchie. Find out how to make a scrunchie here (this link opens in a new window).

Plaits are another way to create a different style. Try plaiting two ponytails at either side of your head, or divide a front section of your hair and fashion a single braid to one side, letting it hang loose.

High bun

A high bun is great for formal occasions, such as parties or events. It looks like it took you hours, but actually it's really simple to do.

Find your parting. Gather your hair into a high ponytail and brush it tight so it is smooth. Secure the ponytail with a band and start pinning the hair to the base of the ponytail. To do this, gather hair pins and neatly tuck the end of your ponytail into your hair. The last piece of hair should wrap around the band to disguise it.

French plait

French plaits are quite tricky to master. Find a friend with long hair and try out this pretty hairstyle on her.
Step one: Comb the hair back and away from the face. Imagine that the hair is divided into five layers. Take the top layer and divide it into three sections.
Step two: Cross the right section over the centre section, then cross the left section over the new centre section, just like a normal plait.
Step three: Pick up the next layer of the right section and join it to the original right section. Cross this bigger right section over the centre section. Do the same with the left section.
Step four: Repeat steps three and four until you have used every layer of hair. Once you have reached the bottom, continue plaiting as normal.
Step five: Your French plait is finished! Use a pretty hair band or scrunchie to finish it off.

Half bun

If you're in two minds whether to have your hair up or down, go for both with this sassy half-do.
Step one: Divide your hair into a top half and bottom half.
Step two: Twist the top half of hair until it forms a knot-type shape in the middle of your head and secure with grips or pins.
Step three: If you want to do something fancy to the bottom half, try curling it with a curling iron or adding a few pretty clips.

Cute clips

Short hair can look very funky when accessorised with short clips.
Step one: Find some clips to match your mood: bright colours, pretty pastels or groovy shapes
Step two: Try pinning back a section of your hair with the clips. If your hair has a little bit of length, try twisting it into a small bun in sections.
Step three: Make sure you clip back some of the hair at the back, and don't use too many clips. Less is more!
Step four: For perfect party hair, try some spray-on hair glitter and get ready to rock!

Get to grips with accessories

Hair accessories are a fun and easy way to give you a new style. Great things to try include headbands, clips, bows and ribbons. Hair accessories come in lots of different colours, so you could try matching them to your outfit. Tie a pretty piece of ribbon into a bow around a bun to give you a ballerina look. Or try using a piece of ribbon instead of hair to create an interesting plait.