Why use a ribbon when you could turn your hair into an actual bow? This trend turns everyday hair into a work of art, and has been spotted on quite a few red carpets. You can make a bow out of your own hair; all you need is a hair tie, a few bobby pins, and squirts of hairspray or hair gel.

Steps:

Getting your hair ready

1 Brush your hair to remove any tangles or snags. For a clean, smooth bow you will want to make sure your hair is ready for styling; this means no knots or tangles.

2 Work with dry hair that has been recently washed. While it may be tempting to try this style with wet hair (since wet hair can be easier to work with), only dry hair will produce the signature bow. Your hair must be able to fluff out nicely when teased. Wet hair does not fluff well.

3 Consider where you would like your bow to be. If you want a side bow or one on top of your head, brush and create the ponytail accordingly.

4 Make sure you have everything you need close at hand. Running around with a half-formed bow looking for hairspray will guarantee that you will need to re-do your bow.

Creating the bow:

1 Pull hair back into a ponytail. Instead of pulling the ponytail all the way through, create a loop using about half to three-quarters of the hair in the ponytail, leaving a long, loose end.

2 Tuck the loose end into the elastic to keep the loop in place. This loose end becomes the centrepiece of the bow. You should be left with what resembles a loose bun with the hair ends securely fastened underneath the hair tie. Make sure the loop is not too loose or the sides will be too long and uncontrollable.

3 Consider placing a dab of hair gel in your hands and rubbing them together before forming the bow. Gel can help with sculpting and shaping the bow. Be careful to only use a very small amount (a dime-sized dab of gel), so that you do not overwhelm your hair, thus creating a droopy bow.

4 Divide the looped hair. Section off your hair into two evenly distributed sections. Work on one side at a time. These will form the sides of the bow. Use a mirror to guide the division and to help you keep it even.

5 Clip one loop off to the side. Use your finger to straighten out the other loop and push it flat against your head. Insert a bobby pin going from top to bottom at the base of the loop (under the hair so it is not showing). Place another bobby pin going from bottom to top. Do the same with the other loop.

6 Create the middle piece of the bow. Take the loose strands of hair in front of the bow and pull it back over and through the middle of your bow sections. Make sure you get all of the loose strands.

7 Tuck the strands of hair securely into the hair tie. You may need to use a little hairspray to keep the hair in place, but try to push as much of the top strands into the hair tie as possible.

8 Secure the strands with bobby pins. Push at least three or four pins into the strands and into the hair tie to connect the entire piece. Make sure that the bobby pins are not too visible. Hairspray may be helpful to deal with loose or flyaway strands.

9 Fluff out the bow. Use a teasing comb or your fingers to fluff the hair. If your hair does not hold the bow shape on its own, hold one section out and spray with extra-hold hairspray. Do the same with the other section.