Carolina Herrera Inspired DIY Hairpiece

Over the weekend I recieved an email about how to get the look of the metallic hairpieces used at the Carolina Herrera Spring 2010 RTW show (original post here). Since the pieces were custom made for the show the only way to duplicate the look is to create your own, but luckily that's not too hard.

This look is great for special events like weddings, prom, etc. It's really versatile since it can be styled in a variety of ways depending on the length of your hair, and it can be made in any color you like. I made my hairpiece from bronze beads since that's what was used at the Herrera show for dark haired girls.

Supplies

These are the supplies that I used for this prodject.

• Headband comb (a headband with teeth) - $4 from target
• Fire Line or another durable thread - $12
• Beading needles - $4
• Needle threader - not necessary but very helpful
• Tape measure
• Craft glue - optional
• Metallic round beads - one package should be enough
• Metallic bugle beads - the amount needed will depend on your hair length and the number of threads you want to make. I paid $10.5 for 240" (enough to make about 20 strands for my hair length)
• Scissors (not pictured)

Prep

Before you can measure your thread you'll need to determine the length from the crown of your head to the ends of your hair. I have shoulder length hair that measured about 14" long. A measuring tape is good for this, or you can pluck out a hair and measure it with a ruler.

For my hairpiece I used three lengths of thread (14", 12", and 10"), the longest pieces were placed at the crown with pieces getting progressively shorter towards the sides, so the beads would blend in with my hair more easily.

At this point you can measure out and cut your thread. Each piece needs to be twice the length of a finished beaded strand plus 2-4 inches for knots and whatnot. For example, to create a 14" metallic strand measure out 30-32".

Assembly

Take one of your threads, fold it in half, and place the loop on top of the headband, pointing in the direction of the teeth.

Next wrap the ends of the thread under the headband, and as you bring them up slide them through the loop.

Pull the ends of the thread to secure them; it should look like this.

Next thread you needle and slide one round bead over both threads; this will help secure the thread a little and add a tidy look. After that you can begin adding bugle beads to each length of thread separately.

Once you've completed a strand, add a round bead to the end and make a little knot around it. You want to get this bead as close to the other beads as possible so you don't have any gapping. If you need to, use your needle to help you slide the knot towards the bugle beads. This part might take a little practice. Feel free to add a second knot once everything is in place just to make sure nothing will slide around. A dot of craft glue can also be added to the knot to prevent slipping.

Once everything is secured you'll still have a visible little tail of thread. Rather than cutting it off, it's better to hide it (in case anything becomes loose and needs to be knotted again). The best way to do this is to slide your needle through the last few bugle beads with the eye pointed towards the end of the strand. Thread the needle and pull it through the bugle beads (like you're threading them again). Now your knot and tail should be completely hidden.

Repeat the last three steps on the opposite length of thread and once you're done it should look like this.

Repeat the assembly process around the headband. For me it was easiest to work on one side of the headband then the other. I was able to keep my work symmetrical this way and it prevented me from getting mixed up about what length of thread I was supposed to be using.

Once you've added your desired number of strands you hairpiece should look somewhat like this; yours might be longer and/or fuller.

If any of the thread loops feel loose or are sliding around the headband now is the time to apply a small dot of craft glue to each one to hold them in place.

How To Wear It

Part your hair along the crown of your head. If your hair is very full part your hair closer to your hairline.

Insert the hairpiece so it lays along the part.

Smooth the front of your hair, the portion in front of the headband, over the headband and the beads. The beads should be slightly visible through your hair, so it looks like you have metallic strands of hair. From here you can complete your desire up-do.

The finished look!

Carolina Herrera DIY Hairpiece
Skill level: 1.5/5 (1 is easy, 5 is hard). The prep section is the hardest part.
Time: 4 hours maybe.

Notes: During the process of making this I learned a few things that might be helpful to you if you want to make your own.
1) Beads are heavy and have a way of sitting lower on your head than you might expect. To counter this concentrate your strands a little highter on the headband. For example, if you want most of your strands to sit near your temples attach them to the top of the headband and if you want them lower, near your ears, attach them to the temple area of the headband.
2) If you have very thick hair you'll probably need more strands if you want them to show up well. My hair is quite full and the beads have a way of dissapearing into it, so I think I might go back and add more beads later.