How to do the right hairstyle!

© Text and photo Laila Duran.

In all the books I am working on there are many references to the hairdo that are called “oppombindning” in Swedish and “opbindning” or “vippe” in Norwegian. This way of tying and parting the hair are used in many areas in Sweden and Norway. Here I am going to show you the right way of doing it. It is Britt Eklund from Boda in Swedish Dalecarlia who is dressing this young girl.

The model has the most luxurious hair. Even if you do not have a mane like hers, what you need is a hair length that is long enough to tie in a pony tail at the back of your head and then make extensions with flax yarn.

You need a long white cotton ribbon, 3-3,5 meter long, and start by tying the pony tail.

Then you part the pony tail in two.

Tie half of the hair with the ribbon and make sure it is even and symmetrical.

Then do the same on the other side.

Now you have two strands of tied hair and you place it around the crown of the head.

The ribbon is then tied to the back of the head but not at the very center.

Tie it a bit to the left or right, one more ribbon will be added, and this is so that the knots are not be tied on the same spot.

The second ribbon is called “släpband”. It is a bit wider and is placed in front of the hairdo. This is to keep the hair from falling down in to the forehead (which was not proper at all) and it will also give support to the cap that will be placed over it.

In Boda a small cushion is tied at the crown of the head to make sure the head dress is keeping the right shape all day. If you have the book Scandinavian Folklore Vol II you can see several different ways of dressing the hair. The ribbons have different colors in different parts of Scandinavia, depending on the social status, shape of the head dress and the different occasions when it is worn.

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