Short Hair: Head Bands For Short Hair & Hairstyles
Short Hair: Head Bands For Short Hair & Hairstyles
Karen Marie Shelton
Date: 5/14/06

Introduction

Kelly Osbourne
In 1/2 -2" Satin Charmeuse Style Headband
March 17, 2006

DailyCeleb.com
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Love her or hate her, you can't deny that Kelly Osbourne is a short hairstyle maven.  Not only does she morph through every hair hue on the planet, including pink and purple, she is constantly changes her hairstyles.  She is the new breed of celebrity that uses her hair as the ultimate accessory.

For the most part Kelly wears her hair short to very short.  She also is bold, independent and incredibly fashion forward with her hair accessory collections.  I adore the fact that Kelly is constantly walking the Red Carpet with a dizzying array of head bands. 

In the image to the side taken in March of 2006 Kelly wears her baby blonde tresses in a short style that has a modernized bouffant profile as a result of lots of backcombing along the crown which tapers down towards the nape of her neck.  She a has softly layered fringe which is slightly brushed to one side and hugs her forehead and ends just above her perfectly arched eyebrows.

To offset the buttery blonde fringe from the skillfully back combed crown, Kelly utilizes a Charmeuse silk U shaped headband that is approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and placed snugly at the crown, to act as a separation from the front and back of her hairstyle.  The cherry red silk headband, which is a fabulously picks up her ruby red lipstick and offsets the light cherry of her cheeks.

Kelly Osbourne
March 17, 2006

DailyCeleb.com
All rights reserved.

Kelly could also select a similar headband in a velvet or satin fabric or go with the latest hot print versions. 

While you might not think that a headband could work with a short hairstyle, Kelly debunks this myth. 

Headband Faqs

Headbands are one of those hair accessories that never go out of style.  The reason? 

Headbands can be worn as:

1.  Functional hair tools to hold back overgrown fringes or anchor unruly crowns. 

2.  Or they can also be worn for pure decoration or like Kelly has done, to bridge the front and back of her short sassy hairstyle while pulling her entire ensemble together.

Headbands, whether the functional hair tool version or the purely decorative version come in a dizzying array of widths ranging from 1/16" wide to as wide as 4". 

The most popular width of headbands, especially for short hair, is in the 1 to 2" range so that the headband does not overwhelm a shorter style.

Headband Shapes

Kelly Osbourne
In Wide Bandeau Style Headband
December 10, 2005

DailyCeleb.com
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Headbands come in two basic shapes:

1.  Hard U shaped bands that may or may not be covered.  The popular silk, satin and velvet "scarf" style headbands are created with the material covering a hard U band underneath.  Depending on the quality of the headband, the band itself may or may not be lined and covered.

2.  Soft stretchy bandeau or du-rag style headbands.

Bandeaus come in a wide range of widths and unlike du-rags, consist of a closed circle. 

These versatile headbands are made to automatically adjust and fit the head snuggly. 

Bandeaus may be plain lycra or French silk lycra.  The popular bra-strap style headbands are a version of a bandeau headband because they are adjustable and fit snuggly to the head.

Most bandeaus are simply a band that is sewn together at the ends to form a full 360 degree circle. The bandeau is slipped over the top of the head and adjusted.  Because the bandeau material is made of lycra or similar, the band will automatically adjust to your own head. 

Kelly Osbourne
In Medium Wide Bandeau Style Headband
December 10, 2005

DailyCeleb.com
All rights reserved.

In truth, while just about everyone can wear the U shaped headbands, not everyone can easily wear bandeau and du-rag style headbands due to the type, texture and thickness of their hair.

Since bandeau and du-rag headbands fit snug against the head, if the head is not well shaped or there are other facial features that are not positively accentuated when highlighted, a du-rag headband will accentuate many flaws.  Which may or may not be a good thing.

This does not mean that some people absolutely can't wear du rag styles headbands or need to stay away from bandeau style headbands.  What it means is to select headbands appropriately.

If you adore du-rag headbands but have super short hair or scalp or face features that you want to minimize, select a very thin bandeau or du rag band.  Add more volume to your hair behind the crown, as Kelly so expertly does.  Select colors that add rather than detract.  Or wear headbands in a hue close to your hair to blend well.

Short Hair Headband Tips

Kelly Osbourne
w/Very Wide Satin Headband

DailyCeleb.com
All rights reserved.

Depending on how short your hair is and whether you wear it sleek and close to your head or full and with big texture, you may want to calibrate the size and width of your headbands to work in unison with your head shape, current hair length and hair hue.

Does that mean that you can't go wild and wear a super wide headband?  Of course not.  Be a style rebel and if you enjoy the look, go for it.  Kelly Osbourne never lets "hair accessory rules" stop her from creating a spectacular look that is all her own.  She wears headbands of all sizes, shapes, materials and combinations. 

Note:  To the side Kelly is photographed wearing a very side satinly silk charmeuse style scarf headband.

Anchoring Soft Headbands & Related Secrets

Keep in mind that if your hair texture is sleek and on the slippery side you may need to select a headband with built-in teeth.  One trick that celebrity hairdressers use on their famous clients is to discreetly bobby pin the ends of the headband to the scalp near the ends of the band. 

Kelly Osbourne
w/Very Wide Satin Headband

DailyCeleb.com
All rights reserved.

Another trick is to "layer" a silk, satin or other "soft" style headband on top of a pre-arranged semi-circle of bobby pins. 

Some celebrity hairdressers will decide where the headband needs to be placed on the head.  They will then create a line of bobby pins (the same color as the hair's hue) in a X formation.  Headbands that tend to slide will be naturally anchored by the bobby pins and a silky band will not slip.

Other hairdressers will first apply a very thin "elastic" style headband from Blax or a very thin bungee style headband and anchor the silky band on top of the Blax or bungee headbands.

There are lots of tricks for any challenging hair situation.  When in doubt, experiment.

Summary

Kelly Osbourne is a short hair trend setter.  She understands the importance of incorporating the latest fashion and accessories trends into her overall look.  A key part of Kelly's look is the latest hair accessories which includes a wide range of headbands, silk flowers and even headwear. 

Follow Kelly's lead and experiment.  There is only one rule to follow and that's to have fun and enjoy the looks that you create.  Go wild if that is part of who you are and select headbands that garner instant attention. After all, no one can copy your originality and hair accessory savvy.

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