The How To Turban Tying Basics For Men

By Terrie Joyner


Generically speaking, turbans are a long piece of fabric used to wrap the head while containing the person's hair. But there is much more to them than that. It is thought that they originated even before the time of Christ in the country of India. When looking at turban tying basics there is a wealth of historical, cultural and philosophical data to consider before learning to tie one on your head.

Sikh men typically wear peaked turbans which serve to cover their quite long hair. Because of religious traditions they can not ever cut their hair due to their overwhelming respect for God's wondrous creation. There is an oral tradition that generally every Sikh man has to wear a turban. This is ingrained so deep into their culture that Sikh men often feel naked without wearing one, and take them off only to bath or wash their hair.

You start by shampooing your hair completely so you know it is clean. Take time to comb it out completely with your kanga, a wooden comb, to take out knots or tangles that have formed. Apply oil sparingly should you believe it is necessary. Twist it tightly into a joora, or a knot made at the very top of someone's head. Use a kanga to help secure it snugly so it can not unravel.

Generally Sikh turbans wrap around the head 7 to 9 times and use 9 to 12 feet of cloth. Grasp your cloth tightly and fold it in alternating loops about 1/2 to 2 feet long. Hold one end in your mouth and carefully stretch it across your head avoiding your joora or hair knot.

Wrap it cautiously about your head going right to left watching that both ear lobes are covered fully. Continue to wrap about your head working in layers up over your forehead. An overlapping pattern is used measuring 3 to 4 inches wide. Maintain your hold on the cloth in your mouth. You will use this to tighten your wrap when you are done.

Ensure you are maintaining the triangular shape as you are wrapping up your head. When you get to the crown, spread the material open and carefully tuck it into the side tightly securing it. Take the material that was held in your mouth and unroll it. After it is unrolled, tuck it into tightly into the far back of the wrap.

This is the common style which is easy for almost anybody to do successfully and is quite suited for beginners. Learning to tie turbans takes practice, try not to get frustrated when the first 10, 12 or 15 attempts are not perfect. Keep things uniform so the completed wrap should always come out looking neat.

Learning correct turban tying is an art form and takes practice. After wearing one daily, in about 6 months it will seem like second nature. Keep in mind that turbans are not only about appearances. They are also about faith and a set of beliefs. These beliefs have been handed down from father to son for thousands of years. So you now can add yourself to the long list of people who follow this age old practice.




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