Banishing Bad Hair Days since 1997!™

Hair Accessory Tips: Headbands Rule!

Introduction

Kelly Osbourne Cherry Red Charmeuse Silk Headband

I have spent the last twelve days on a headband safari. While some seasoned travelers board a jet for untamed continents where tigers and lions roam the under bush, I cram myself into the last row of an American Airlines 737 and fly off to New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Although wild animal hunters suffer the challenge of no bathrooms, I endure sharing a bathroom with over 100 people on a long multi-hour flight and the bumps and grinds of storms over the Midwest States.

But hey, in order to discover the latest headband fashions, I am willing to endure many discomforts and walk my poor tootsies for miles through showrooms to ooh and ahhh while my fingertips touch a dizzying array of fabrics on headbands in every imaginable color, size, shape and price range.

One major challenge of my headband hunting chores is to avoid buying all of them.

Although that might not seem like such a bad thing, giving into an innate laziness to just buy everything I see will ultimately win me the wrath of the HairBoutique.com team members who have to accept the delivery of thousands of pounds of headbands that would show up on the docks back home in Dallas.

Therefore, with careful discipline I managed to complete my whirlwind hair accessory travels with thoughtful precision buying. The good news is that only 80 pounds of hair accessory boxes followed me home this week.

Walls Of Headbands

Marcia Cross Desperate Housewives Striped Skinny Headband May 21, 2006

As I recently roamed through horizontal and vertical showrooms around the country I was amazed at the new hair accessory designs I discovered.

On one trip, at his insistence, I dragged along the Hairboutique.com financial officer who wanted to experience firsthand one of Karen's "buying trips".

I tried to warn him that when I am in my hair accessory buying zone, I will literally touch thousands of hair gems. He didn't believe that was possible.

Of course, now that he has survived four full days of watching me touch, pull, shake, caress, snap and unsnap thousands of sumptuous headbands, barrettes, pony elastics, claws, jaw clips with my fingers, he is in no hurry to go anywhere with me that involves hair jewels of any type.

As we entered one showroom his eyes widened as he viewed the trappings of thousands of accessories covering every spare inch of wall and floor space and he said, "how many accessories will you be looking at in this place?" I laughed "all of them".

To be fair, he kept an even pace with me watching closely and asking lots of questions as I examined each accessory item before weighing in a yeah or nay with the clipboard equipped rep who followed me everywhere.

As I made my way through walls of headbands, he wanted explanations about the differences between bra strap headbands, scarf bands and old fashioned U shaped models. Carrying on a running commentary, by the time we finished the first few showrooms he was a pro at determining the best hues, price points and designs. He also observed "headbands are sizzling hot".

Indeed, I have never seen anything like it since the brooch craze of 2004 - 2005.

Headbands- Setting Fashion Trends

Faith Ford Hope & Faith Headband May, 2006

While my ultimate goal was to buy HairBoutique.com's hair accessories for the next few months, I also wanted to get a feel for the latest fashion trends, styles and hues.

Yes, headbands were at the top of my radar but I wanted to figure out what the "next big thing" would be in the hair accessory world.

Although other accessories are available, right now headbands are the superstars of the hair world and it appears they will continue to rule for many more seasons.

Headbands So Hot?

Generally speaking, headbands are easy to wear, always a great option and great fun.

1. These versatile hair accessories can be worn by all age groups (as well as male and female) from infants to people over 100 and look smashing. 2. Headbands are designed for every imaginable hair type, texture, hair lengths and head shapes. 3. Price points for headbands may range anywhere from just a few cents (when bought in thrift stores or on auction sites) to many thousands of dollars. 4. Headbands are designed for every fashion event from hanging at the beach to walking down the aisle or dancing in the moonlight. 5. Fashionable since the beginning of time when cave people use leaves and tree branches, headbands never really completely disappear from the fashion scene. 6. Headbands may be designed to perform an actual hair styling functions (securing bangs, creating instant volume at the crown) or simply as a form of hair adornment. 7. Celebrities of all ages wear headbands for every event from Red Carpets to major photo ops. 8. Bad hair days are less traumatic when contained with an all purpose headband fix which can instantly contain out-of-control hair or camouflage a bad case of head hair. 9. Headbands can be worn on a wide range of positions on the head from right above the eyebrows to positioned at the back of the crown.

Headband Cheat Sheet

While headbands quite literally refer to bands that are worn on the head, throughout the history of this accessory they have quite literally included some of the following options in every imaginable color, fabric, texture, shape, width and design:

Listed below are some of the possible headband options:

1. Soft headbands which can range from self-adjusting bandeaus in every width, color and fabric including Lycra and a dizzying array of fabrics and hues to du-rag (also known as do-rags) headbands.

Bandeaus usually consist of one piece of stretch material sewn into a circle and pulled over the head. Du-rags or do-rags usually consist of a triangular piece of fabric head in place by ties or a variety of elastic options.

2. Hard headbands range from a variety of hard or soft metals, string, wire, thread, acrylics, faux tortoise or other shell, plastics or foam pads.

Whether constructed of metal, plastic or foam, headbands are often covered in a wide range of fabrics or encrusted with a variety of beads, crystals or other decorations included semi-precious stones.

Hard headbands, like soft bands can range in width from 1/16th of an inch to over 2 inches. They generally designed around a U shape with tapered ends and a wider bridge.

Hard headbands may be covered with traditional scarves that may end in tails. They can also be covered in a dizzying array of fabrics include silk, satin, fur, velvet, ribbon, leather (faux or real), suede (faux or real), cotton or cotton blends or other materials.

3. Headbands come in many different categories including, but not limited to:

  • Bra strap headbands based on actual bra straps and invented on the catwalks.
  • Wide headbands that can scale up to 4" inches in width or wider.
  • Turban style headbands designed to be worn similar to traditional turbans.
  • Hippie style bands worn right over the eyebrows and covering the forehead from the hippie era of the 60s.
  • Snood headbands built around a headband that holds netting as either a decorative or hairnet style of hair container.

Summary

Headbands will also be in style. Why? They offer both functional and decorative benefits to any hair length, texture, color and style. Headbands work for men, women and children. Even babies look smashing in age appropriate bands.

Social Media Network Information

Please follow me on Twitter at: http://Twitter.com/HairBoutique. I look forward to meeting new people from all walks of Twitter and learning from their Tweets. Visit us at Hairboutique.com located at: http://www.HairBoutique.com, on Facebook, MySpace and YouTube.

Thank you for visiting us at The HairBoutique Blog and for leaving your comments. They are very much appreciated. We apologize in advance but must remove any direct advertisements or solicitations.

- Revised Publication Date: 05/22/10

If you want to talk more about this or other hair care articles on HairBoutique.com or anywhere else, please post a message on HairBoutique.com's Hair Talk Forums.

Social Media Network Information

Please follow us on Twitter at: https://Twitter.com/HairBoutique. I look forward to meeting new people from all walks of Twitter and learning from their Tweets.

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