DIY Hair Ties

I ruin, overstretch and break about a gazillion hair ties (or hair bands, elastics, however you like to call them. Let's throw in a Slovene version as well: gumice za lase). Basically I'm the place where hair ties go to die (exhibit A). I change my hair style about ten times a day, from loose to a pony then to a bun or a braid - you get the gist. You won't see me without a hair tie around my wrist or in my hair and I buy a lot of them in one year.

If you're on Pinterest, you've seen this idea of DIY hair ties, so technically I am a bit of a copycat *bows head in shame*, but I wanted to share it with you anyway. These ties are sold for 11-13$ in USA (Emi-Jay elastics) and I've seen them in H&M here (they look like this click). These ties are supposedly more gentle to your hair, because they're softer and also they don't leave a crease in your hair. They are the easiest thing in the world to do, a five year old could do it and you can do them in so many colours. 

You will need:

- 1.5 cm (5/8 inch) fold over elastic (I got mine from this UK based seller, they have a great selection of colours for a reasonable price 1£ for 2 m - there are different lengths available. You can also get them in places where they sell fabric or just google 5/8 fold over elastic, there are plenty of Etzy and eBay sellers as well as online shops. I couldn't be bothered by looking in our fabric shops, so I have no idea if they sell such elastics here.)

- scissors

- a lighter

- a hair tie you like most (optional)

- a ruler or measuring tape (optional)

- thread and needle (optional, only for headbands)

I took my favourite hair tie in terms of size, which also fits perfectly on my wrist (which is abnormally tiny) and measured it. You can also just measure it by wrapping the elastic around your wrist or eyeball the length you need. Add a few cm for the knot and cut it. For me it was around 18-19 cm, for others it was 21-22 cm, basically it completely depends on your preferences and needs. I like a tie that fits on my wrist and I can wrap twice around my hair. Next you tie it, I'm sure you know how to do a basic knot, then you use the lighter to seal the ends (barely touch it with the flame). And it's done.

They do stretch a bit with time, about a cm, but in general they last longer than my regular hair ties. These are the only hair ties I've been wearing since January and I love them. I chose the colours that match the clothes I wear, which are mostly mint green, some red and the pink was for my mum. I got navy because it's something different than black and well, because I love navy blue. 

I also did a headband and I used my most worn headband for size (again you can just measure it around your head). The only difference is that I sewed the ends together, because in my experience headbands move a lot around and I didn't want the knot to show.

There are plenty of such tutorials online, though mostly with measurements in inches, which tell anyone who lives in a country with the metric system nothing. Google a bit to see what colour combinations others did (search for no fray elastics, diy elastics, hair ties, etc.).

Here is a comparison of just made elastics and the navy one is the one I've been using for about two months, just so you see how they look after a few months of use.

Thanks for stopping by!