How to wear a scarf on your head fashionably?

I get asked regularly how to wear a scarf on your head fashionably. Head scarf wraps can be trendy and are most definitely a fashion look.

Whatever your reasons for wearing one – holding and protecting your hair from sun or sea, patchy hair loss, Alopecia Totalis, chemo hair loss, or any other medical hair loss condition – head wraps are being worn out on the street all day every day. My point is that if you wear a scarf on your head, people do not automatically think you’ve got something to ‘hide’.

You may have a cultural or a practical necessity – if you’re reading this here, hair loss is quite possibly a key concern for you. This blog is all about how to wear a scarf fashionably, so that it fits your personal style and expresses something of you. Headwear can be and should be a pleasure to wear and compliment your day.

So how to wear a scarf on your head fashionably that fits YOUR look?

Think about your style of dress – smart or casual. This will dictate what colours and prints you feel comfortable in. Your face shape; what colours you like to wear and the right scarf fabric for the look you wish to create – combine all elements and you’ve cracked it!

Fashionable tying styles to try with a headscarf

There are definite trends in how to tie, what format of scarf to use and what scarf prints to select.  YouTube is full of the latest tying techniques, and much will depend on your own face shape as to what really works for you.  Read on for more info here – Face Shape Guide Styles can provide height at the front of the head or volume at the sides, view our video guides below to see how this works. 

Also be mindful of your scarf fabric – both these videos use a 100% silk long scarf.  Wrapping the same styles with either a viscose, or cotton scarf would provide more volume to the overall head wrap shape.

Consider fashionable prints and/or solid jewel colours for your headscarves

Prints work slightly differently worn on your head – my personal preference is to select smaller prints, textural repeat prints, bold geometric prints – strong blocks of colours and lines.  When wrapped they work well disguising defined head shape, and the pattern merges well in the turban head wrap. It’s understandable to think black, or a solid neutral shade that could be easily worn with everything.  But actually rich, deep colours bring warmth and well-being to tired or pale complexions. Long turban tying scarves can be viewed here.

Long scarf tie – 180 x 90 cms – front turban twist

Our model begins by ensuring her head is in the middle of the scarf length, with the scarf folded in half lengthways.  Silk is a beautiful fabric to wear it can keep you warm but also cool in the summer months as it is a breathable natural fibre. Silk’s soft sheen often enhances the many pretty intense colours that silk absorbs. In simple terms it looks dressy however you tie or wear it.

Just be aware of the thickness of your silk scarf – if it has a rolled edge, it will probably be slippy to wear. Too thick and the weight of the knot slowly drags the scarf off your head. (It doesn’t rule out all but check your silky scarf before you purchase it.) Paper silk tends to have a machine stitched edge.  (This rules out any polyester/ man-made synthetic satin scarves with a rolled edge for the same reason.)

Long scarf tie – 180 x 90 cms – wrapping around the head, knotting at front of head

Ensure your scarves are big enough i.e when laid flat they cover your head front to back. You are not wrapping your head with a bandage trying to achieve total coverage that way. This size of scarf is good as there is plenty of fabric to wrap and tie in place. You can tie it once in the morning and it won’t slip or loosen throughout the day. A square format scarf needs to be around 90-100 cms square to achieve the same security on the head.

Finally always tie your head wrap in front of a mirror. This quickly highlights what’s working – height, width, colour and the ‘flat picture’ in the mirror is easier to compare as you try different scarves on. It may take a couple of attempts but you’ll quickly master your tying look / shape, stick to it and simply ring the changes with your scarf fabrics, colours and prints.