Love your hair

It is a woman’s crowning glory for which jewellery was specifically made to suit different styles. Alas, with our lives getting more complicated and dressing getting simpler that whole Victorian romance of dressing up your mane faded away.

But things are changing. Accessorised hair can create such an aura about you that it can take you from bohemian to sexy; from hippie to sophisticate in two minutes! So here are some hair trends and some thoughts. Never undermine the effect of a well-turned-out hairdo. You don’t need to visit the salon: just spend two minutes, think out of the box and Voila!

Hair bands: One of the most interesting hair accessories are hair bands. Don’t ignore their power. I just got myself one that’s completely made of a measuring tape! Try crystals/ pearls/rhinestones or even dried flowers. Wear them with a ponytail or with open hair: short or long. Have fun with your hairband. Make bows with fancy ribbons and use double-sided tape to put on a plain plastic hairband (on one side) and you’ll have a new hair band everyday. Cool?

Rhinestone hair clips and butterflies: Available in most stores, they could instantly glamourise you. But remember to take into account your face size. The trick is to adorn, not overpower. Wear them with any hairstyles. Try pinning multiple clips on one side or real cute and girly ones on both sides!

Brooches: Not a conventional way to go about decorating your hair but it’s a trick I discovered and have enjoyed.

Pearls: Sew some thread into loose pearls and create a motif like a flower or a circle and wear them in clusters on one side with the support of basic black pins.

Fresh flowers: The real fashionable way to wear them would be tucking them together in a cluster on one side of the hair or the traditional way on a bun. Tiny mogras worn with pearls and fastened with black clips are just ethereal.

Long necklaces: Use long necklaces and wear them like hair bands.

Bangles/cuffs: If you have broad bangles or cuffs of the sort that can be pressed and made smaller, wear them on your rubber bands over a ponytail.

Earrings: A broad but light chandelier earring can be worn to a wedding as a kilangi. Simple pearl or uncut diamonds studs can be tucked in at different spots for drama.

Ribbons: Decorative ribbons maybe made into tiny bows and tucked in different spots for a summer girlie look.

Gemstones: A cluster of inexpensive gemstones may be sewn on a small piece of fabric and worn on one side of the head. Remember to secure them with black clips. Or take one large gemstone per clip (sewn or glued) and wear multiple clips together.

Scarf: Wear it like a thin turban or bandana or triangular kerchief, the more Indian your prints, the more exciting a scarf would look. Or weave a scarf through your braid!

Lace: Take old vintage lace and wear it like a hair band.

Buttons and baubles: Unconventional, but use buttons… metal or plastic or wood and sew or glue them on black pins. Tuck them in places in your hair. So next time you are wondering what to do with your boring hairstyle, open your dressing table drawer, yank out whatever catches your eye and simply have fun!

The writer is a jewellery artiste and metal smith based in Hyderabad