Head Wrap Styles

Colorful head wraps can turn a bad hair day into instant glamour.

The head wrap has a deeper meaning that goes far beyond fashion. In the Middle East, Muslim women wear head wraps (hijabs) as a part of their religious belief that women should practice modesty. According to Cornell University, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the head wrap was a status symbol for men and a sign of spirituality in women. In the modern world, head wraps can hide hair loss due to chemotherapy or other circumstances, guard a sensitive scalp from summer heat or simply provide a fashion alternative.

Traditional African Scarf Wrap

Use a long rectangular scarf, about twice the length of your hair, for this technique. Tie the short ends of the scarf together at your forehead, while the rest of the scarf rests under your hair from the nape of your neck. Fold the wrap lengthwise over your hair, enclosing it in the scarf. Twist the entire wrap from the base, then twist it around your head. Tuck the end into the front of the finished wrap to secure it, or use pins.

Ponytail Scarf Wrap

Fold a square scarf in half to form a triangle. Lay the creased edge of the scarf along your hairline on the top of your head. One point of the triangle will point toward the back of your head, with the other two points hanging down the sides. Tie the side points together at the nape of your neck, under your hair. Take the right "tail" of this tie and wrap it around and over your scarf, then take the left "tail" and wrap it over the scarf. Where the two ends meet under the ponytail, tie them. The overall effect should be a knot leading down to a long ponytail.

Braided Scarf Wrap

Begin with the same method as the ponytail scarf, tying the left and right tails under at the base of your neck. These two tails and the main ponytail draped in the back will become the three strands to your braid. Cross the left strand over the center strand, then the right strand over the center. Repeat this until the end of your braid, then secure the braid by tying the two outer strands into a knot.

Two Scarves

Fold one scarf in a triangle and place it over your head. Repeat with a second scarf, placing it over the first scarf just 1 inch back. Take the front inch of the bottom scarf and bend it over the other scarf, creating a headband effect. Tie in any way you desire. Use scarves of different colors or textures to highlight the contrast between them.

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