How to Make a Bow out of Your Hair


Brush to remove any tangles or snags. For a clean, smooth bow you’ll want to make sure your hair is ready for styling.

Pull your hair back into a ponytail. Instead of pulling the ponytail all the way through, create a loop using about half to three quarters of the hair in the ponytail, leaving a long loose end. Tuck the loose end into the elastic to keep the loop in place. (This loose end becomes the centerpiece of the bow.) You should be left with what resembles a loose bun with the hair ends securely fastened underneath the hair tie.
  • Adjust the hair tie if needed. If you didn’t get a good grip on the hair ends, your bow may fall flat. Make sure that both your ponytail and its ends are very secure in the hair tie. This may take a few passes until you get a feel of how tightly you can wind the hair tie.

Divide the looped hair. Section off your hair into two evenly distributed sections (these will form the sides of the bow). Use the mirror to guide the division and to help you keep it even.

Create the middle piece of the bow. Take the loose strand of hair in front of the bow and pull it back over and through the middle of your bow sections. Then:
  • Tuck the strands of hair securely into the hair tie. You may need to use a little hairspray to keep the hair in place but try to stuff as much of the top strand into the hair tie as possible.
  • Secure the strand with bobby pins. Push at least three or four pins into the strand and into the hair tie to connect the entire piece.Fluff out the bow. Use a teasing comb or your fingers to fluff the hair. This is where you shape and create the actual bow. If your hair doesn’t hold the bow shape on its own, hold one section out and spray with extra-hold hairspray. Do the same with the other section.