American Tribal Bellydance Headwrap

by Ula Cimmiyotti and Brenna Sharp


To get the right look for an American Tribal Bellydance costume, headgear of some type is essential and a twist-y, turban-like headwrap is soooo appropriate-looking.

For the basic headwrap:
Take a scarf or a simple length of lightweight fabric that is roughly 22 inches wide x 2 or 3 yards long. Very light-weight fabrics like gauzes can be used full width (44- 45 inches wide) if folded lengthwise to about 22 inches wide to make be workable.

1)Drape the cloth veilwise on the head with one long edge centered on the forehead just above the eyebrows (folding up about 1" helps make it more secure).
2)In back, trade the tails so the left hand is holding the right tail and vice versa. Keep the cloth taut or it will shift.
3)Bring the tails around to the front twisting them as you go.
4)Twist them around each other in the front so that they double back on the way they came. Take ends to back and continue wrapping around with no further direction-reversals.
5)When you get to where you want to tie the ends together, do so and either tuck in the ends or let them hang.

Hint: If you use a fringed scarf, the hanging fringe can add a fair amount of movement to the outfit and the tie-off can be wherever you want it.

While this is a basic headwrap, there are many ways to augment it. One can use multiple wraps, dependent veils, and jewelry (oh, the jewelry!).

Two contrasting scarves can be laid together and worked as a single scarf, thereby giving an interesting effect in the twisted part as they twine around each other.

Multiple separate wraps can be used but only the first one put on needs the basic headwrapping described above. That one then becomes the base for others to be simply wrapped or twisted on/around/above/... You get the idea.

The amount of twist put to a particular wrap works with the material itself to create something either loose, "fluffy" and , thereby, large or something tighter, "harder" and more compact.

Dependent veils can either be (carefully) tucked in where one wants or can be placed on the head before the basic wrap happens.

Strands of beads, pearls or whatever can be draped and tucked or they can be twisted in with a scarf (or two).

Straight pins can be used to help secure draped stuffs but do be careful. Getting stuck with a pin in the scalp is no better than getting stuck anywhere else on the body! Of course, if you use a large-headed or fancy pin, it, too, becomes a decorative element. (Whoo-hoo!) Just remember to find them all when you take it apart. Some people do permanent or semi-permanent mountings on buckram for this very reason.

Lastly, put in place what jewelry you want, using well-hidden safety pins to secure.


If hair is to be contained within the wrap, the hair is loosely coiled above where the bottom of the basic wrap will ride and a "pouching" of material is allowed to hold it. (You'll just have to experiment on this part.)