Alice bands for girls in bows, velvet and Liberty prints
Bows do most of the work in this range. The Pretty Bow Alice band is the everyday one, a neat single bow in a wide spread of plain colours like powder pink, navy, ruby and vanilla, so it’s easy to match to a school uniform or a party dress. The Big Bow version is the same idea scaled up for occasions, and the velvet styles feel a bit more special once the weather turns. If your daughter finds a bow gets in the way, the velvet top knot sits flatter while still looking dressed up.
Scrunchie Alice bands are the soft gathered ones, good in florals and tartan for everyday wear. For something with more occasion to it, the jersey bow headbands use Liberty prints such as Strawberry Thief and Emma & Georgina. Most styles come in more than one colourway, which helps if you’re buying for siblings or want a couple that work across different outfits.

Toddler Alice bands and soft headbands
For toddlers and younger children softer fabric bands tend to work better than anything rigid. These are children’s Alice bands rather than scaled-down adult ones, so they sit lower and don’t grip as hard, which matters when a two-year-old will pull off anything that pinches. The scrunchie and jersey bow styles are the gentlest, and they hold up to being taken on and off twenty times a day.
Width is the main thing to weigh up. Narrower bands suit fine or shorter hair and stay put without feeling noticeable, while the wider velvet and big bow styles make more of a statement for a party or a photo. For very fine hair, a band with a bit of give holds better than a hard plastic one, which tends to slide straight back off.

What is an Alice band?
It’s is a firm, curved band that sits over the top of the head and behind the ears, holding hair back off the face. The name comes from the illustrations of Alice in Wonderland, where Alice wears one in exactly that style. It’s different from a soft stretch headband, which pulls on over the whole head. An Alice band slots on and stays put, which is why it suits children who won’t sit still for clips.
Most of ours are fabric-covered rather than bare plastic, so they’re more comfortable for everyday wear and a bit softer against fine hair. If you’re near one of the London stores, the children’s hairdressing service is worth knowing about it.