Tips To Learn to Wrap Like a Pro

So you want to wear headwraps but don’t know where to start. We get it, it can look intimidating at first. But we’re here to break it down and make it simple for you.

What are headwraps? Drawing of a woman in a headwrap and a woman wrapping her head.

A headwrap is a fabric that covers most or all of the top of a person's hair and head.

Who uses headwraps and why?

Headwraps are worn by different communities all around the world. For example, many Muslim and Jewish women wrap their heads for religious purposes, while in Africa, some women wear them in ornate and large shapes as a symbol for celebration, like the Nigerian gele. Some have covered their heads to protect their scalps from the elements like sun or dust. Others cover baldness from chemotherapy or alopecia as a way to feel more confident or protect their scalps from the sun or cold air. Whether you choose to wrap for function, fashion, or connecting to your culture and ancestry, when you wrap your head, you are participating in centuries long tradition.

Before You Start. In a sketch drawing a woman is holding a dropper over her hand. In the top left corner, there are stars and a moon. Presumably, the drawing is of a woman applying hair product to her curls at night.

If you regularly add moisturizers and oils to your hair, apply them the night before or as early as possible. With rayon, stretch knit, and metallic headwraps, it’s better to avoid contact with oils all together. These fabrics are more likely to absorb the oils, which can leave stains.

Back to Base-ics. A sketch drawn woman in braids is smiling in one picture. In the next picture, still with her braids down, she is wearing a headwrap and has her hands up touching it. She is smiling in both drawings.

Understand that your hair is your base. Tall headwrap looks rely on your hairstyle to give them height. Locs, long braids, or a high puff or ponytail can give you the additional height you need. If you have shorter hair, you can create a base with a soft headwrap, like stretch knit.

To do this, take a stretch knit headwrap and place the center over your head. Bring the two ends of the headwrap together and twist around each other. Wrap the twist into a bun at the desired location. Now you are ready to do your preferred tall style, even with short hair.

Time to Wrap. In this picture, there is a women wrapping her head. In one picture she is wrapping it with both hands, and in the other, just with one hand.

Select your headwrap. Stretch knits and rayons are softer and easy to manipulate. They’re best for more relaxed looks, like back buns, or looks with less height, like halos and crowns. Silk headwraps and wax prints offer structure, great for bow styles or the iconic Nefertiti. Our cotton wraps are the best of both worlds: they are soft, but still offer structure for you to build both tall and short styles.

Select which style works with your hair and outfit! We have a plethora of headwrap tutorials catered to hairstyle and length, so you can select the perfect one.

Here are some examples of wrap styles great for beginners:

For big hair, for short hair, for braids and locs.

The last step: begin wrapping, of course! And remember, no one was born knowing how to wrap. Just like every other skill, it takes practice. No headwrap style will turn out exactly the same every time, so stay positive and have fun! Chin up!

Some of our beginner-friendly wraps: