How to Wrap Headwraps, Scarves & Turbans

Head scarves are easy to tie around one's head to hold back long or short hair.

The headwrap is known by many names: turban, scarf and others. This one piece of cloth can truly mean many things to many cultures, such as respect for elders, hair coverings for women or even just a way to keep your hair out of your face. Regardless, the instructions for how to wrap it around your head and hair are strikingly similar and easy to accomplish with proper instruction.

Things You'll Need

• Head scarf
• Hair pins

Instructions

Headwraps

1. Hold the scarf unfolded with both hands in front of you. Bend at the waist, and flip your hair over your face so that it dangles towards the ground.

2. Pull the scarf up in between your face and your hair so that the edge of it rests against your forehead. Pull the two ends you are holding around your head past the ears, and tie them at the back of your neck tightly.

3. Stand up straight, and flip your hair and the front of the scarf back onto your back. The scarf's knot will now be on the back of your neck under your hair, and the scarf will be covering the top of your hair.

4. Grab your hair and scarf together in one hand as though you were going to put it into a ponytail. Twist the hair and scarf together in a clockwise direction tightly through until the end. The hair will naturally want to curl itself into a bun, so let it do so. Wind the remaining part of your hair around this bun.

5. Tuck the loose ends of your hair under the bun, and secure with hair pins.

Turbans

1. The turban is extremely similar to the headwrap, only instead of wrapping the bun in the back, you will bring the excess fabric around the front of your head. Begin by following steps 1 through 3 in the headwrap section.

2. Twist your hair and cloth together in a clockwise motion as you did in the first part of step 3 in the headscarf section. Instead of allowing the "rope" of hair and cloth you now hold in your hands to curl into a natural bun, pull it back and straight to tighten it.

3. With tension in your hair, wrap your hair and scarf around the front of your head. If you use a scarf that is at least 2 meters in length, you will have enough material for the scarf to wrap all the way around to the back of your head. Tuck the ends of the scarf under the tight portion at the top of your neck. Secure at the back of your neck with pins.

References

• Easy African Headwrap Instructions