GetCrafty Craft Facts

Q: Where can I find information on threading beads onto hair? My daughter's friend got one recently, and now my kids want them too. I would like to make them myself, but I don't know how to thread those teenie beads onto hair strands. Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated!

A: There is a terrific little book called "Hairwrapping Techniques" by 'Darlene Roether'. It costs $10, and I bought it from my local bead store a few years ago. I have done a number of great hair wraps for my daughter using this book (and a bit of embroidery thread and some beads). Are you talking about threading seed beads directly onto your hair, or threading on bigger beads along with some macrame' knots? If it's the former, a friend of mine selected a thin strand of hair, then threaded the beads on using a floss threader. You can find floss threaders near the toothpaste in places like 'Wal-Mart' - it's used for threading dental floss over fixed bridges. The ones I've seen are blue and are like a loop with a tail. Put the hair into the hole, then thread the beads on the "tail" of the floss threader. Pull the beads up the threader and over the hair (this is why you need a thin strand of hair and Japanese seed beads!). When you have the desired amount of beads on the hair, use a bit of superglue in the hole of the last bead or two to glue it in place. Trim off the ends of the hair. To remove the beads, cut the strand above the glued bead(s). Since it's such a tiny bit of hair (we're talking 6-10 individual hairs or fewer), it's not very noticeable if you clip a bit of the length. If what you want to do is the latter, that's a bit more complicated...but you still use a floss threader (to thread the beads either onto the hair or onto the embroidery floss you're using to wrap the hair). I sell bead strings for "faux hair wrapping". Mothers love them, because I have a jump ring and bobby pin at the end, so the beads can be pinned in place instead of glued on (but, if they MUST glue or wrap, the ring allows them to do that). At a show in Fargo a couple of years ago, I saw someone had used alligator clips at the ends instead of the jump ring... I haven't found a reasonable price on those clips, so I continue to use rings. I don't know of any source for making hair wraps. I just string the beads on the thinnest TIGER TAIL... I suppose one could use 'SOFTFLEX', but I try to keep the cost down so the kids can buy more than one. I use up all my old beads, just like doing a bracelet without the clasp. BTW, the "glitzier", the better.