Japanese Hairstyles

**Dorothy** · March 4th, 2009, 05:59 PM

I have been talking to Akiko about Japanese hairstyles, tools, and ornaments and learned a lot. I thought some other people might be interested too. So my current question is this: I bought a kanoko, which is a long piece of silk decorated in a shibori pattern, sewn into a tube. Here's a picture of a bunch of different colors of them:

and I want to do a momoware or split peach hairstyle, a style worn by Maiko, here is a picture:

I was thinking it was like a sock bun with an opening at the back to show the kanoko. This hairstyle is supposed to be suggestive..... anyway, I put my hair in a pony, rolled my kanoko into a circle, and pinned the ends together. I put it on my ponytail, put my hair down over it, put another elastic around the outside....and it is just a mess. For one thing, it stands out from my head, not flat against it like the lady in the picture. And also, the kanoko does not stay neatly rolled, it pops out in different places. I am wondering if this hairstyle is even made with kanoko, or maybe I need to get some shibori fabric (silk fabric tie dyed in a special way, so you get little white spots where you tied it up, and usually left with the bumpy texture resulting from drying tied up) and make myself a larger round bun form.
Please feel free to use this thread to discuss other asian hairstyles. I have two more questions, for example: is the chinese bun something women really do with their hair in china, and is the japanese bun something women really do with their hair in Japan? or is it like french fries?

**Roseate** · March 4th, 2009, 06:19 PM

I can't help, but I have another question about Japanese hair accessories.

I was in Daiso this weekend and in the hair section they had many different colors of elastic in long straight peices, about 2 feet long. They looked like hair elastics, but super long and not in a circle. Anyone know how these are supposed to be used?

I can imagine several possibilities, but I was curious about how folks in Japan really use them.

**Akiko** · March 4th, 2009, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by Dorothy

I have been talking to Akiko about Japanese hairstyles, tools, and ornaments and learned a lot. I thought some other people might be interested too. So my current question is this: I bought a kanoko, which is a long piece of silk decorated in a shibori pattern, sewn into a tube. Here's a picture of a bunch of different colors of them:

and I want to do a momoware or split peach hairstyle, a style worn by Maiko, here is a picture:

I was thinking it was like a sock bun with an opening at the back to show the kanoko. This hairstyle is supposed to be suggestive..... anyway, I put my hair in a pony, rolled my kanoko into a circle, and pinned the ends together. I put it on my ponytail, put my hair down over it, put another elastic around the outside....and it is just a mess. For one thing, it stands out from my head, not flat against it like the lady in the picture. And also, the kanoko does not stay neatly rolled, it pops out in different places. I am wondering if this hairstyle is even made with kanoko, or maybe I need to get some shibori fabric (silk fabric tie dyed in a special way, so you get little white spots where you tied it up, and usually left with the bumpy texture resulting from drying tied up) and make myself a larger round bun form.
Please feel free to use this thread to discuss other asian hairstyles. I have two more questions, for example: is the chinese bun something women really do with their hair in china, and is the japanese bun something women really do with their hair in Japan? or is it like french fries?

I think the kanoko used in momoware might be thicker than what you have.

In order to prepare hair for this type of traditional hairstyle, BIN TSUKE ABURA is applied to hair. It is a mixture of Japan wax and oil. It is rather hard. So when it is applied, you can mold and shape hair like you see. Without it, I don't think you can make the shape of BIN (sides) or MAGE (top).

Usally in order to shape that MAGE, KETABO (hair stuffing. My ketabo is made of synthetic fiber. It's in my updo album. Check chestnut bun.) , SOE (looks like hair extension) as well SHAGOMA (animal hair, light-weight) is added. Shaped with BIN TSUKE ABURA, then secured with several paper strips. I have not seen how exactly MOMOWARE is done. But I don't think Kanoko is necessarily holding hair in place.

Maybe someone else can answer how to do in non-traditional way. It may not be totally authentic, but might be satisfactory to enjoy.

And about Japanese bun... I have never seen any Japanese wearing a Japanese bun in 25 years of my life in Japan. I have never seen it in books, magazine, or on Japanese hairstyle websites. It's only on English hairstyle websites.

Originally Posted by Roseate

I can't help, but I have another question about Japanese hair accessories.

I was in Daiso this weekend and in the hair section they had many different colors of elastic in long straight peices, about 2 feet long. They looked like hair elastics, but super long and not in a circle. Anyone know how these are supposed to be used?

I can imagine several possibilities, but I was curious about how folks in Japan really use them.

Daiso! Love the store.... Tends to buy too many things there.

We use that long elastic for hair. Cut it to the length you want. Simply tie and make a loop. Use the loop just like regular hair elastics. The knot tends to eat hair, though. But elasticity of that long one is excellent. Better than regular loopy elastics.

**Roseate** · March 4th, 2009, 08:55 PM

Thank you Akiko! That momoware style looks very complex. Now I know what the elastic is for, I have one more excuse to buy things at Daiso. They also had some little lunchbox-sized chopsticks that would be very good for hair...

**Akiko** · March 4th, 2009, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by Roseate

Thank you Akiko! That momoware style looks very complex. Now I know what the elastic is for, I have one more excuse to buy things at Daiso. They also had some little lunchbox-sized chopsticks that would be very good for hair...

Watch out! Daiso is a dangerous place.

They have too many great deals!

**Calanthe** · March 4th, 2009, 10:57 PM

I did a cheater's Mage for a party recently. Only the Mage, I don't have enough hair for an entire momoware

. I sectioned off a small part of my hair in front and made a smallish quiff-like thingie, than put up all hair in a normal ponytail. I used a pretty sockbun base (an old pair of leggings) and pulled the tail through. Then I parted the ponytail and put the tails to the left and right and put an elastic around the sockbun base like you would for a sock bun. I then braided the tails and wrapped them around the whole thing. I put a small Flexi 8 in the middle of the "mage" and decorated the rest with a few pretty haircombs.

It's certainly not the original but it looks surprisingly good.

Oh, and I did the whole thing with slightly damp hair, loads of Aloe Gel and a few licks of Lush Goth Juice in order to keep the style nice and flat.

**Dorothy** · March 5th, 2009, 09:14 PM

I just ordered a new shibori obiage from the ichiroya Kimono Flea Market http://www.antiqueichiroya.com/index.php . It was $18 plus 9 in postage, and I think what I will do is make part of it into a large donut.
I've heard about the oil/wax business, and I think I would rather avoid that, I want to fake it, or fake some aproximation of it. If anyone is interested in kimonos, this flea market is a pretty nice place to get them. They don't have my size (sigh) but I got a lovely haori jacket for my mother in burgandy shibori, with a design of maple leaves floating down the stream. She is a weaver/dyer/strip quilter/etc. in her hobbies, and is interested in textiles from all over the world. Shibori is such a labor intensive dye technique, I think the haori only cost me $80 or so, and she loved it. They are reliable, their pictures show all flaws in vintage kimonos clearly, and they take paypal. FYI.

So, Akiko, what can I do with this kanoko? I thought of wrapping it around an already finished "chinese" or "japanese" bun. I have some books that have incredibly complex pictures of japanese hairstyles, some with kanoko, but I don't think I can pull any of this off!

**Akiko** · March 6th, 2009, 06:37 AM

Japanese tend to be small. Especially older generations were tiny! So second hand kimonos are usually too small even for me. Especially sleeves are too short.

Maybe you can make a sock bun doughnut and cover it with a piece from kanoko obiage. Then make a sock bun like Calanthe said.

Now I remember Celticfreefall has tutorials of how to fake momoware hairstyle on her blog. There was a thread about geisha hairstyle. The link Celticfall introduced has lots of info in English. You might know it already, though.

Also you might make a momoware-mage separately. I saw this MAGE set. It's for a girl. So the size is too small for adults. But a large momoware-like mage piece can be made, I think.

The extremely complex hairstyle was worn by Kyoto Shimabara Tayuu. You can see more pictures on
flickr. I don't know how to do that crazy hairstyle, though! Mage looks like pita bread cut in half. It looks as though someone put as many hairtoys as possible in hair!

Woot! I just found out there is a makeover studio to become Maiko/Geiko/Oiran in Harajuku, downtown Tokyo. If I don't get a chance to go to Kyoto for a makeover, I definitely have to go there. Sorry there is no English page at that site. But if anyone wants to try and have a chance to go to Tokyo, this might be a fun thing to do!

**Kebbster** · March 6th, 2009, 06:55 AM

Im going to Japan in a few weeks, am very excited to see a geisha mainly so I can see one of these elaborate hairstyles in person......also hoping to pick up some new hairtoys

**Akiko** · March 6th, 2009, 06:59 AM

Exciting! Where in Japan are you going, Kebbster? I hope you enjoy. I am planning to visit my mom in Tokyo this summer. Maybe I will go to Kyoto with my family. There are several hairtoy stores I definitely have to go!