How to Rock Flowers in your Hair

Yesterday I saw two young girls walking down the street in my neighborhood. One had on a red dress with a red flower behind her ear. It was like a breath of fresh air. So pretty and sweet.

I love wearing flowers. Flowers are fun! Real flowers, fake flowers, all the flowers. I have been wearing flowers in my hair for years. Gardenias, roses, plumeria and orchids are my favorites, especially if they are fragrant!

I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned about wearing flowers — both real and artificial.

Not every flower does well in hair. Some wilt quickly. Some smell too strong. Some attract bees! But if you pick the right flower, you may be able to wear it for days if you keep it in a refrigerator or camping cooler between wearings. It’s all about picking the right flower!

Real Flowers that do well in Hair:

Gardenias (a la Billie Holiday)

Roses

Orchids

Lilies

Camellias

Peonies

Daisies (a la Drew Barrymore)

Freesia

Carnations

Bougainvillea (a la Frida Kahlo)

Mandevilla (Frida wore all kinds of flowers)

Stephanoitis

Anemone

Baby’s breath

Poppies

Chrysanthemums

Ranunculus

Plumeria

Hibiscus

Tuberose

Jasmine

Honeysuckle

 

 

 

 

 

And not to leave out the fellas!:

Flowers to Avoid in Hair:

Wisteria (pretty but way too strong smelling! Use artificial)
Azaleas (sadly they wilt almost immediately because of their woody stem)
St. John’s Wort (attracts bees! Leave it in your garden where they can enjoy it!)
Marigolds (they stink!)
Petunias (wilt immediately)
Some sunflowers drop lots of black pollen on your clothes. I recommend artificial.

How to Make Blooms Last Longer:

1. Choose a flower with a thick, waxy petal.
2. Store the flowers in a refrigerator or cooler until you are ready to use them. If you’re using hairspray, put it on before you put your flower in your hair! Alcohol and other ingredients in hair sprays damage delicate blooms.
3. If you are buying flowers to wear in your hair, buy them from a florist, not a grocer. Florists tend to use flowers that are grown locally whereas many grocers sell blooms grown in China. Not only have they been picked longer, they haven’t had as much refrigeration as the flowers florists carry. That’s why flowers bought from florists last longer.

How To Wear Blooms:

1. Single large flowers can be affixed by piercing the stem about 1-inch from the bloom and pinning it in. You may need a second bobby pin at across the first in an X to hold the weight of the bloom.
2. For small flowers that grow in clusters along a single stem, like honeysuckle or forsythia,  wrap the main stem into a crown or around a bun or pony tail and secure with hairpins at a it a few different intervals.
3. Very small blooms can be affixed by putting a hair pin directly through the center of the bloom.
4. Be aware that many roses have thorns! It is easy to break these off by simply pulling them to the side.

Fake flowers are also Lovely

The ideal fake flower is the one that would be in season if it was real. Luckily, each season, the craft store Michaels (and most other craft stores) sells artificial versions of the flowers that are in season. At the end of the season, those flowers go on sale to make way for the new season. This is a great time to buy them! 75-90% off!

A simple way to use them is to simply cut them the stem using wire cutters but leave some length so you have a long stem to stick in a bun or pony tail. Know that the end may be sharp. I recommend coating it with clear nail polish. It will slide in and out of your hair easier.  It’s easy to secure an artificial flower with a bobby pin, either on the stem or on the back petals. Flowers can be worn as a single flower tucked behind an ear or sewn onto a bobby pin, or attached to string or ribbon and made into a crown. Using a hot glue gun, you can glue artificial flowers to combs, hair clips, or hair bands. They are also great on hats!

Gardenias are blooming now. Wear them and enjoy their intoxicating fragrance! And when you pick them, make sure to pick extra to brighten someone else’s day.