Six Easy Retro Ways to Wear a Headscarf

So I don’t think any of these are particularly creative, but I am constantly being asked how I tied a headscarf, how I got my hair to do that, how I keep them on, what my favorite ways are to wear headscarves, and pretty much any other question you could ask about the thing on my head. Most of these are just simple variations of ties with the same hair, but still I present: six easy retro ways to wear a headscarf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1oY6mYmYuw&feature=youtu.be

I don’t think any of the styles are too complicated, but in case you’re a read-learner instead of a visual one, I’ll include step-by-step instructions below. I hope this helps you add a little bit of retro scarf wearing to your day!

I started out with the easiest ones, because seriously this is a four step process at most.

1. If desired, part your hair down the middle (I find it looks better this way, but I have lots of hair to contend with, so if it’s all parted on one side that side tends to be in the way all. the. time.)
2. Fold a large square scarf into a triangle, and then roll or fold down into a long rectangle (it should be big enough to go around your head twice.)
3. Center the middle of the scarf at the back of your head, pull the sides forward, twist it once around itself, and wrap back around to tie behind your head.
4. Adjust hair as needed. 😉

Again, I doubt you need instructions. BUT. For the sake of continuity and satisfying my OCD blogger tendencies…

1. To make the tying process easier, tie the scarf OVER your hair and knot it at the back.
2. Remove your glasses because otherwise a mess will happen (aka, your scarf will get stuck on them.)
3. Pull the scarf down to your neck, get all your hair OVER the scarf, and push it back up like a headband.
4. Adjust as you like.

Victory rolls seem to be baffling to most people. But once you get the knack, it’s SO easy.

1. Keeping a fairly large section of front hair out, pull your hair back into a ponytail.
2. Roll the front section of hair around two fingers — you can do this upward for a roll that will pull back from your forehead as I did, or downward (starting the hair on top of your fingers instead of underneath) for a roll that will act more like bangs and look like this. — and pin in place, being sure to pin inside the roll as you secure it.
3. Tame away any random ends. If your hair is damp, or more textured, you won’t have wonky ends like I do. My hair is just a bit too straight and slippery to always work perfectly.
4. Corral the rest of your hair into a bun as messy or neat as you like.
5. Fold up a non-silky headscarf (it stays better) into a triangle and then a long rectangle.
6. Center the scarf at the back of your head, and tie in a bow behind your victory roll (this also helps keep the roll in place if you have slick hair like me.).
7. Pin either side of the bow on the inside with a pin to help keep the scarf in place.

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One of the three variations I do with a victory roll. For my face shape, I find that my head just looks odd when I don’t have a victory roll or some sort of sideswept bangs in front of my headscarves. And if tying bows is not your thing, this is another easy way to add interest to your scarf! And since this is just the victory roll + bun with the hippie twist tied behind the victory roll, I won’t write instructions.

This way of tying scarves always reminds me of Carmen Miranda and I’m not sure why. At any rate, it’s a GREAT option for when your hair is dirty and you don’t want to deal with unruly strands!

1. Style your bangs/victory roll as desired (or not at all) and pin your hair into a flat messy bun.
2. Using a large square scarf folded into a triangle, settle the center of the scarf at the back of your head and tie the two ends behind your bangs/at the top of your head just once.
3. Bring the point of the triangle forward and lay it over the tied portion of the scarf, then knot the other ends over it.
4. Pull the point forward to flatten out/tighten up the rest of the scarf (the puffier you want your scarf to end up, the less you need to tug the point through.), and lay it back over the knotted section.
5. Tie the other points over it once again.
6. Tuck all three ends into the rest of the scarf, and adjust as needed.

This is one of my favorite ways to do a headscarf, although I don’t do it nearly enough! I think many people are intimidated by trying to do a beehive, because nobody REALLY wants to rat their hair. But you don’t HAVE to rat your hair to get some oomph to your beehive! So, you’re welcome for that. (And I know, I did it fairly messily in the video. Usually I fuss more.)

1. With your bangs/front part of your hair in a victory roll (or not: if you skip that, your beehive will look like this.), take half of your hair back as if you were going to put it in a half-up ponytail.
2. Twirl the ends of that chunk of hair into a roll, and then keep rolling towards your head.
3. Push the roll as forward as you like — the further forward, the more volume it will allow you — and pin in place, not worrying too much about how dorky or messy it looks at the moment.
4. Twirl the rest of your hair into a semi-twist on the back of your head, and pin in place.
5. Tie your headscarf up in a knot or bow behind your bangs.
6. Smooth down any areas that you don’t want to be… hived… (ha!). This might take a bit of practice before you can get your beehive to behave, but I promise: once you’ve figured out how your hair works with this method, it’s easy to whip it into shape. Pull out any hair that’s too flat for the hive, and ideally… hairspray with a fury.

And there you have it! Hopefully these easy retro ways to wear a headscarf will inspire you to wear more scarves. Because scarves are too pretty an accessory to pass up!

P.S. Since I am vastly pregnant (six days left when I shot this, four days left by the time you read it) , this may be my last post before I have my baby and take two weeks of maternity leave from blogging. Don’t despair, though; I have a ton of REALLY fantastic bloggers who have volunteered to contribute posts while I’m gone, and you’re going to love them all!

Have a wonderful week! (or few weeks while I’m gone!)

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