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How To Make Your Own Elastic Hair Ties

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If you’ve ever been to trendy clothing stores in the mall, you may have aghast at the prices they were asking for those ever-popular elastic hair ties. No matter how much you want them, it can be hard to justify paying so much for just a few. Fortunately, you don’t have to. With a few basic supplies, you can easily make your own elastic hair ties at home for a fraction of the cost. Plus, you can choose any color or pattern you’d like in order to personalize your style. Here’s how to do it.

Buy Some Fold-Over Elastic

Fold-over elastic is available in most any arts and crafts store, and even in some department stores. If you shop at an arts and crafts store, however, you will have a much larger variety to choose from. Fold-over elastic is typically sold by the yard off of large spools, but you may also come across bags of scraps in varying lengths. For an average hair tie, you will need strips of elastic that are between eight and ten inches long. The exact length you need will depend upon the thickness of your hair. Pick any colors, styles or patterns that appeal to you.

Getting Started

Once you have your elastic, you will also need a measuring tape, sharp scissors and a lighter. Measure out your elastic pieces to the desired length. Take care not to stretch the material at all while measuring or your hair ties may turn out too small to be useful. The best way to avoid stretching the elastic is to lay it flat on a hard, level surface, place the ruler over it and make a mark where you need to cut. After you’ve taken measurements, cut the elastic at the mark and fold it in half so both ends meet. Take the two ends and knot them together, then rapidly run a lighter over the cut ends to prevent them from fraying over time.

Fun Ideas

You don’t have to limit yourself to the above process when making your elastic hair ties. Take some time to consider your options as there are many available to you. Here are a few fun ideas that can provide a unique twist.

  • Long ends Normally, these ties are made in a way that leaves very little extra elastic at the ends. However, you have the option to leave it. In fact, you might even consider leaving an additional six or eight inches at the ends for a cool ribbon-like effect. This looks especially good with long hair.
  • Braiding Although a single strip of elastic is often used to make these hair ties, feel free to use multiple ones. Try taking several strips of differing colors and braiding them together to make something more complex and unique.
  • Beads and Charms Narrower pieces of elastic enable you to thread beads and charms onto them, which can make for some fantastic designs. When you’re not wearing the hair tie, you can keep in on your wrist as a whimsical homemade bracelet.

Voila! You now have your very own elastic hair ties, and you barely had to spend any money. Be sure to make enough for all of your friends, because they’re going to want these, too.

Bio                                          

This post  was contributed by Details Boutique, an online clothing store based in Idaho Falls.  They offer outerwear, dresses, shoes, and various types of accessories

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