Going into a home where everything is perfectly arranged and coordinated can be cool, but it can also be intimidating.  If you don’t have a natural flair for spatial relations, moving past milk crates and a futon can be sort of scary.  But your dish towels don’t have to match your pot handles; there’s more to having an attractive home than that!

I always tell people who are moving, put up your curtains right away.  You could have a housefull of cardboard boxes and partially-assembled Ikea stuff, but if you’ve got curtains in the window, your place looks lived in and put-together.  It’s practically magical. Read the rest of this entry »

No one should ever leave the house without a scarf of some sort.  If you don’t have one in your purse/glove compartment/desk right now, go get one.  You never know when that piece of fabric is going to come in handy!

Your backup scarf can be rectangular or square, and I recommend that you pick a nice sturdy cotton tichel or a light pashmina.  Here are a few potential uses – besides using it as a headcovering or for warmth – that you may not have considered.

• Baby carrier - in a pinch, you can use a good-sized rectangular scarf as a sling Read the rest of this entry »

You have to admit, superheros always look good.  They’re fit, they’re put-together, and anyone who can save mankind from a deadly scourge is going to have a certain appeal.  With all the superhero movies that have been coming out lately, I decided to take a closer look at what makes them so attractive.

Superheros are incredibly modest – well, in some ways.  Skintight jumpsuits and spangly leotards aside, they love masks.  They don’t want credit for their good deeds!  Sometimes you just feel like hiding in plain sight, in which case a mask would be just the ticket.  If you’ve been crying and don’t want anyone to know, all you have to do is whip out your trusty half-mask.  It’s too bad they aren’t a current fashion trend. Read the rest of this entry »

When you think of a bonnet, you probably think of Laura Ingalls Wilder on the prairie, or little girls in fancy dresses with frilly hats.  Can you believe that they used to be the height of French fashion?

Well, maybe not the height, but certainly in style in various forms, for a good 150 years.  Technically, a bonnet is a brimless hat (hence the term being used to describe several hats that aren’t what you might think of as bonnets – particularly certain Scottish caps).  The predecessor to the sunbonnet were small caps worn to protect hair from dust and so on – similar to what might also be called a coif.  Early bonnets were very unstructured, and sometimes became more like turbans.

By the 19th century they began to take on more specific shapes.  They were made of both cloth and straw, and elaborately decorated with flowers and ribbons.   Read the rest of this entry »

Most women wish, at some point, for different hair than they were blessed with.  In many cases, there are ways to circumvent nature: perms and curling irons, straightening devices and chemicals, dyes and cuts and styles and products, and more.  Today, I got to thinking; people with long hair can always cut it shorter, and there are lots of interesting style options when your hair falls below your shoulder blades; you can put it up if you want it to look elegant, or keep it out of your way.  But what do you do if you’ve got short hair and are longing for some length?

When a celebrity needs longer/fuller/more dramatic hair, they spend thousands of dollars on professionally-applied human-hair extensions Read the rest of this entry »

Did you ever stop and wonder what the difference between curly and straight hair really is?  I mean, obviously they look different, and require different methods of hair care, but what is the cause of this difference?

Scientifically, follicle shape is to blame.  Straight hair grows out of round follicles, while curly comes from oval-shaped follicles; it also grows out of the head at more of an angle.  Softer or looser curls have fewer twists over a given length than tighter curls.  Because it is easier for the oils secreted by the scalp to flow down straight hair, curly often seems dry in comparison.

The chemical makeup of a hair also affects its curliness.  Hair is mostly made up of a protein molecule called keratin (the same protein that fingernails are made of).  If the protein in your hair has formed a lot of disulfide bonds, it will be curly.  Changing the texture of your hair, either through water, heat, or chemicals, involves breaking or creating more of these bonds.

Because curly hair is prone to dryness, it shouldn’t be washed as often as straight hair; it may even benefit the most from a shampoo-free wash routine.   Read the rest of this entry »

I know there’s a month left til school really gets going, but the sales are already heating up, and duty-free weeks are taking place soon too.  Who doesn’t love the back-to-school supply rush?  Or at least have a weird love-hate relationship with it?  You have to drop a wad of cash, but at least the kids will soon be out of your hair for a good chunk of the day, and they may even learn something!

Some kids are content with a new box of pencils and a couple of clean folders, but there are SO many colorful, funky, personalized, designer, etcetera, objects for sale out there that it can be hard to get even one kid shopped for and organized, much less several.   Read the rest of this entry »

For the last three years, putting on my wig has involved twisting a bit of my front hair into a knot, clipping it with a barrette, and then sliding the front comb of the hairpiece under that knot of hair.  While there are any number of ways to get your hairpiece firmly attached to your head, anyone who’s done that method (or loads of others) knows exactly why it stinks: your hair gets knotted and broken and pulled.  Now that I’ve tried a wig headband, I don’t have to worry about any of those problems again.

The headband comes in three colors (light brown, dark brown, and black), so you can roughly coordinate with your hair tone (for safety’s sake: it’s not meant to show). Read the rest of this entry »

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One of the biggest challenges that hair-coverers face is what to wear to work.  You want to look professional, and you probably don’t want to stick out too much or attract unwanted attention – or at worst, hostility.  But you also don’t want to compromise your principles, comfort, or health by leaving your cover at home.    If you work in a more casual or religious-oriented environment, this may not have been a huge dilemma, but in a very businesslike workplace, or where you’re the only one who covers, this can be a really stressful decision.

Read the rest of this entry »

The cloche hat is iconic of the 1920′s, but it is still popular today.  It is characterized by its bell-like shape (cloche is the French word for bell) and a close fit around the head.  Cloches can be made of felt or straw, and are worn low on the forehead.  They could be plain or elaborately decorated with ribbons, beads, applique, embroidery, jeweled brooches, or clusters of feathers.  A cloche’s brim can be worn down or, more typically, turned up.

They were first designed in 1908, but became wildly popular in the 1920′s, in the Art Deco fashion culture. Read the rest of this entry »

When giving gifts, whether for birthdays or weddings or holidays or because I feel like it, my personal style is to blend whimsy with practicality: I like to find something useful that also happens to be really cute.  So when I saw a whole bunch of my favorite headbands in Rite-Aid on Friday, I immediately bought a pack – and gave several to a friend at her bridal shower this weekend.  These particular headbands are perfect for wearing under tichels to help keep them in place, and I know that this friend has a fantastic collection of tichels waiting for after her big day.  (She’s Orthodox Jewish, and will be covering her hair once she’s married.) Read the rest of this entry »

One of the first things you notice about a bride is her hairstyle.  One of the big things a bride has to decide is how to wear her hair!  What kind of veil, and which hairpiece are only a part of that decision.  The hairstyle itself is a big deal.  Whether you want to go up or down, classic or contemporary – there’s a lot to consider.

First off, think about your dress, your veil/headpiece (if you’ve already chosen it), and the overall style and vibe of your wedding.  Your personal taste – and comfort – count as well.  If you’re getting married out of doors on a hot summer day, Read the rest of this entry »

Water is your hair’s best friend.  Seriously, think about it.

You wash your hair with water.  You wet it in order to cut or style it.  And drinking enough water helps keep your hair healthy.  In the heat of summer, there are plenty of reasons to make sure that you stay hydrated!

I’m one of those people who needs to be reminded to drink.  I keep a stainless-steel water bottle on my desk at work Read the rest of this entry »

As much fun as it is for me to dress up my baby daughter, you’d think I would understand that pet owners get a similar kick out of cute accessories for their animals.  But I have to admit, I cringe when I see a dog that’s better dressed than I am.

I mean, it really is understandable.  If your puppy has really long hair, it might need a barrette or two to keep it out of her eyes.  A short-haired animal living in a cold climate might need the additional warmth provided by a coat or sweater.  You can get paw-printed collars and sparkly ID tags.  I’m even down with the old bandana-around-the-neck thing: I would have tied a Yankees one around my dog’s neck during the World Series, he just wouldn’t let.  But a Swarovski crystal choker that costs over $100?  Doggie sunglasses to protect them from the UV glare on ski trips?  Hand-knit cashmere Fair Isle sweaters? Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever seen women working out with their hair down?  I’ve never understood how people can do that.  Doesn’t it get extra-messy?  Isn’t it annoying to have it flapping in your face as you run/bike/dance?  And don’t get me started on the ones I’ve seen wearing wigs on the treadmill!

When you’re exercising or playing sports, the last thing you want is your hair getting in the way.  It can even be unsafe; if vision is blocked or loose hair gets caught in equipment, you could get hurt.  The same problems can apply if you make the wrong choice of hair covering, not to mention that certain items can be ruined from sweat or frequent washing.   Read the rest of this entry »

Summer is upon us, school is nearly out, and everyone’s anxious to beat the heat in one way or another.  Do you cool off at the pool, or are you more of a beach bunny?  Personally, I think there’s a time and a place for both, preferably at a resort in Jamaica (although I will never understand salt-water swimming pools).  But whether you’re getting wet in salt- or chlorine-infested water, you need to protect your hair to keep it healthy and manageable.

One overall piece of advice is that wet hair can’t really absorb more water.   Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve been blessed with a very full head of hair, or you wear dreadlocks, it can present some challenges.  We’ve talked about covering short hair; now here’s the flip-side.

The more you have to cover, the more cover you may need.  A typical tichel may seem more like a bandana if there’s a lot to fit under it.  Pashmina-style rectangles, snoods, or untied headbands are most likely to go all the way around your hairstyle.  If you want to buy a hat or fitted headband but are worried about how well it will fit over your big hair, measure around the widest part of your head and find a size that accounts for the space taken up by your hairstyle. Read the rest of this entry »

As much fun as it is to have a headcovering or hair accessory to go with every outfit, not that many of us have unlimited funds to blow on every cute hat or headband we see.  And for someone who is just starting out with covering her hair, the possibilities can be overwhelming.  So let’s talk about what constitutes your basic stash; what are the essential pieces that no hair-coverer can get by without?

The most obvious thing is your basic black, whether it be a tichel, pretied bandana, snood, beret, or headband.  As big an advocate as I am of wearing color (lots of it and bright!), black does in fact go with just about anything.   Read the rest of this entry »

Straw hats are the perfect summer accessory.  They’re light, they shade you from the sun, and they come in every possible shape, size, and style.  And while they have a long history, they are anything but outdated!

Straw hats aren’t always made from straw, you know!  The term is applied to most hats made from woven or braided plant fibers.  Straw itself refers to the stalk of grain plants such as oat and rye. Other common hat fibers are sisal, raffia, rush, buntal, abaca, jute, seagrass, ramie, and toquilla palm (used to make those famous Panama hats).  These materials vary in color and texture, so they make a wide variety of hats. Read the rest of this entry »