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Six Simple steps to the perfect turban
After wrapping hundreds of turbans that shifted, unwrapped or just plain drooped, we each developed our own style of turban wrapping that will hold up through the most strenuous performance.
1. Start with your hair in a secure bun.
2. As a base, we use a cotton piece of fabric that is 3 yards long by 45 inches wide, folded in half lengthwise so the final width is 22 inches. Center the fabric over your forehead, allowing it to touch the bridge of your nose (it will work its way up later). (Many dancers precede this step with a small, easier to wash scarf.)
3. Twist the ends on either side and knot once at the base of your neck.
4. Tighten the headcovering by tucking it into the knot. This will pull it snug against your head and is the anchor to the whole turban.
5. Cross the twisted ends in front and tie with a square knot. This gives you the height of your turban. (If you wish to have a turban that is the same height all the way around, don't knot it here-use that excess fabric to wrap around your head) Tuck in the ends.
6. Embellish your turban with accent scarves-as many as you like. Twist them through the base wrap to tighten and further secure the turban.
Hint #1:
Practice in your turban MANY times before dancing in it. The greatest mistake beginning turbaners make is to tie it too loosely. We used to say your ears should hurt by the time your set was done and this was an indication your turban was tight enough. We now have the knack of wrapping them so they stay secure but we still retain feeling in our ears! However, I would err on the side of too tight rather than risk having my turban hit the floor, or worse, droop over my face in performance!
Hint#2:
Always unwrap your turban completely and hang scarves to dry-you don't realize how much your head sweats!
Hint #3:
If you are going to be performing in hot weather, wrap one of those bead-filled cool neck wraps around your head first-your body may get hot, but your makeup won't melt off!
After wrapping hundreds of turbans that shifted, unwrapped or just plain drooped, we each developed our own style of turban wrapping that will hold up through the most strenuous performance.
1. Start with your hair in a secure bun.
2. As a base, we use a cotton piece of fabric that is 3 yards long by 45 inches wide, folded in half lengthwise so the final width is 22 inches. Center the fabric over your forehead, allowing it to touch the bridge of your nose (it will work its way up later). (Many dancers precede this step with a small, easier to wash scarf.)
3. Twist the ends on either side and knot once at the base of your neck.
4. Tighten the headcovering by tucking it into the knot. This will pull it snug against your head and is the anchor to the whole turban.
5. Cross the twisted ends in front and tie with a square knot. This gives you the height of your turban. (If you wish to have a turban that is the same height all the way around, don't knot it here-use that excess fabric to wrap around your head) Tuck in the ends.
6. Embellish your turban with accent scarves-as many as you like. Twist them through the base wrap to tighten and further secure the turban.
Hint #1:
Practice in your turban MANY times before dancing in it. The greatest mistake beginning turbaners make is to tie it too loosely. We used to say your ears should hurt by the time your set was done and this was an indication your turban was tight enough. We now have the knack of wrapping them so they stay secure but we still retain feeling in our ears! However, I would err on the side of too tight rather than risk having my turban hit the floor, or worse, droop over my face in performance!
Hint#2:
Always unwrap your turban completely and hang scarves to dry-you don't realize how much your head sweats!
Hint #3:
If you are going to be performing in hot weather, wrap one of those bead-filled cool neck wraps around your head first-your body may get hot, but your makeup won't melt off!
