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6 colors of hair bows laying on the counter
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4.84 from 6 votes

How to Make Simple Hair Bows

Learn how to make hair bows quickly and easily with our simple step-by-step picture tutorial!
Prep Time1 minute
Cook Time5 minutes
Servings: 1 bow
Cost: $2

Ingredients

  • approximately 20 inches of ribbon - I used 7/8" grosgrain but you can use whatever size and material you'd like!
  • approximately 5 inches of coordinating ribbon for the center - I used 1/4" grosgrain
  • scissors
  • craft or floral wire - 2-3 inches long
  • lighter
  • Ribbon-Lined Alligator Clip
  • glue gun

Instructions

  • With one end of the ribbon, make a loop.
    make a loop to make a hair bow
  • Make another loop on the opposite side of your first loop. Tuck the short end of the ribbon behind the loops to keep it hidden if you don't want tails, or leave it hanging if you do want tails.
    making a second loop for a hair bow
  • Bring the ribbon (which should be behind the 2 loops out to the side below the first loop you made. Make a loop by bringing the ribbon upward from the backside of the bow towards the center. Place the end of the ribbon over the center of the 3 loops we have now made.
    third loop to make hair bows
  • Grab the ribbon, which is on the top right corner, and fold it over and back to the bow's center to make the 4th and final loop. NOTE: Your loops may be uneven right now and that is ok! You will have a chance to fix them in just a minute and it will be way easier than stressing over it now, I promise!
    4 loops to make a hair bow
  • Pinch the center as tightly as you can. Place a piece of wire in the center on the front side of the bow and wrap it around the ribbon to the backside. Secure the wire on the backside of the bow by twisting it several times.
    adding wire to ribbon hair bow
  • Clip the wires and bend the tightly against the bow. You can even tuck them under the ribbon if you would like to.
    cutting wire on a hair bow
  • Now with the wire securing the ribbon, adjust your loops to make them even by pulling on the loops individually until you get it to your liking.
    adjusting a ribbon hair bow
  • Clip the tails of the ribbon to make them the same length. If you don't want tails, clip your ribbon on the back to make it short enough to be hidden behind the bow.
    trim the ribbon on a hair bow
  • Burn the edges so the ribbon won't fray. Even if you don't have tails, it will still fray unless you do this.
    burning ribbon to keep it from fraying
  • Grab your coordinating ribbon and lay it over the wire in the center of your bow. Tie a knot in the ribbon on the back side of the bow. (Or you can do this backwards which gives you a knotted center and some cute ribbon tails on the front of the bow- but that's not in this basic tutorial- stop making me get ahead of myself!)
    adding a ribbon to the center of a hair bow
  • Put a generous amount of hot glue on the ribbon-lined alligator clip. If you are making this for little girls, add a small piece of the soft side of velcro by hot gluing it to the inside of the clip. This will grip their fine hair and make sure the bow holds fast and doesn't slip.
    glueing a bow onto a clip
  • Press the bow tightly to the clip and hold for a few seconds to let the glue dry.
    finished hair bow