Head-Eating Bow Hairstyles

The head-eating bow. To some that’s a relic from 2012, to others a classic accessory. However, unlike other accessories they can stick out awkwardly on your head if all you do is put it on. How to incorporate it into your look if you don’t want to wear a wig? Check out some of these cute hairstyles and tricks made for head-eating bows!

Twin Tails and Mini-Twin Tails

Those are incredibly easy and work on most hair lengths. You don’t need clip-on twin tails either, just use what you have. The key to that hairstyle is height. You want them to start as high as possible to match the height of the head-eating bow you’re wearing. This will create the illusion of more voluminous hair by acting as background to the headbow. That way it doesn’t stick out so awkwardly on top of your head. For a softer look, create mini-twin tails using less hair and leave the rest flowing down. This trick will still work as long as they are high.

Twin tails work great on any hair and take less than a minute to do! Hair falling from higher up will balance out the head-eating bow.

Top Bun or High Ponytail

This works best when you also have some hair left at the front of your face, such as a full fringe. Any kind of bun will work, whether you’re using a donut or just wrapping your hair around itself. You can also do one really high ponytail draped to one side so that it flows nicely behind the bow. The key is, again, in doing it as high as possible, so that it’s still visible above your head-eating bow. If you don’t have a fringe, leave a front section free and pin it later to imitate a fringe look of your choice.

The higher/bigger your top bun the better. If you can’t manage that, why not try a high ponytail?

Hime Bump or Beehive

This may be a little bit more advanced, but it’s worth the effort put in to achieve it. The volume of hime-style hair is usually at least twice the size of the head-eating bow. This stops the bow from eating your head and instead your hair eats the bow. Experiment with teasing your hair and chignons to create that volume. It’s also possible to get a half-wig and tease it, so that all you’d have to do later is put it on. Teasing the hair at the crown of your head should work for shorter hair too (at least a bob, a pixie cut might be too short). A 1960’s beehive could work in those coords where hime hair is just too much.

Little cheat as I haven’t mastered that hairstyle yet. Although the model’s wearing a crown, the sheer volume of hair would dwarf any head-eating bow! Picture found on Pinterest.

Short Hair Solutions

Generally if your hair is short, a bob or shorter, you should try smaller accessories than a head-eating bow. However, if you’re determined to use it, balance it out with another accessory. A beret fluffed up to stand a little higher behind the bow should do the job. It can also help you better balance out the colours in your coord. Other possible accessories include a mini-hat, a felt accessory (look here for examples) or a bunch of hair clips. Anything that will add volume and fill up the space on your head will balance out the bow.

A contrasting beret could help balance the colours better. You can also add hair clips in front of a head-eating bow to make it appear smaller that way.

Embracing the Head-Eating Bow

The above are just suggestions and guidelines. If you like the look of a giant headbow perched on top of your head, then rock it! It works well for many oldschool coordinates and it can be charming in its own right. As long as it’s a part of the whole look and visually looks like a deliberate choice rather than an afterthought, you should be fine. Achieve that by styling your hair a little (e.g. curling) and keeping the rest of the coord simpler in accessories and colour palette. That way the head-eating bow will become your main accessory. Don’t be afraid to rock what you have! The key to success is always confidence.

Paulina Pejka

She/her.
29-year-old Capricorn, Polish-born, UK-based and in love with Japanese fashion (predominantly Lolita). I enjoy a good bargain, OTT coords, cats and baking, and when in Japan I’m a self-confessed purikura addict. When I don’t blog, I work in the education sector, overseeing international exchange programs, and sometimes I get to do some exciting freelance translations on the side.