Hiya All
Here I am bloggin my thoughts, ideas, journals and ofcourse my inevitable ramblings. Greatly appreciate you'll stopping by and add comments if you will. See ya!
Here I am bloggin my thoughts, ideas, journals and ofcourse my inevitable ramblings. Greatly appreciate you'll stopping by and add comments if you will. See ya!
Ribbons, Headbands and More
Posted 15th September 2008 at 11:40 PM by Anandchitra
Having longer hair has a lot of advantages. One of them is the ability to adorn hair with different accessories.
When I was growing up the fashion used to be to wear hair braided in 2 plaits and ended with a ribbon of matching color. More often the color will match the school uniform.
So I would have to sit in our balcony where there was a small parapet wall and dangle my legs on the other side while my Mom tried to manage my hair and braid it neatly, for which purpose oil was used quite liberally. And maybe a knock on the head to stay still!
Still the end result used to be quite nice to see the braided hair and the cute ribbons.
Then came the stage of headbands. These were also made popular by the film stars.
There was the stage when one long braid was a fashion. The braid ended with what was called the Kunjalam.
These came from simple to ones adorned with stones and imitation pearls.
Then there were the famous flowers which added fragrance and beauty to the dark hair. The most common of these is the malligai poo (Jasmine flower).
Not to fall short where also Kanakambaram with its brightly colored orange or reds.
Even in these choice of flowers many where staunch favorites of one flower or another. The most fan following always went to the Jasmine.
These flowers were sometimes stringed along in a single row or otherwise in a double row. Many parts of South India were very famous for these beautiful flowers sold everywhere from street corners to markets to bus stands. Very rarely can you find the girls hair unadorned without these breathtaking flowers.
These days I find small girls using small hair clips that come in really very cute shapes and sizes.
Why should I just say little girls and not mention boy babies too?????
When my son was born he had so much hair in his head that all the nurses loved to get something for his hair and adorn him with it. (This is still a secret which he is not aware of?!!!)
Sometimes I feel like using these small hair clips too. They add so much beauty to an otherwise dull ponytail. I am especially fond of the mommy and me hair clips which come in adorable shapes and sizes.
Need I stop without mentioning artificial hair. When I was a girl if you did not have long hair, by long hair I mean hair touching the knees, then your friend and saviour was none other than the artificial hair.
With adding these to the end of a braid you could make wonders and there were many a technique to keep this hidden too.
So tell me have you ever used any of these accessories or would you have liked to or are you planning to?? Its never too late you know like I am going to discover myself!
When I was growing up the fashion used to be to wear hair braided in 2 plaits and ended with a ribbon of matching color. More often the color will match the school uniform.
So I would have to sit in our balcony where there was a small parapet wall and dangle my legs on the other side while my Mom tried to manage my hair and braid it neatly, for which purpose oil was used quite liberally. And maybe a knock on the head to stay still!
Still the end result used to be quite nice to see the braided hair and the cute ribbons.
Then came the stage of headbands. These were also made popular by the film stars.
There was the stage when one long braid was a fashion. The braid ended with what was called the Kunjalam.
These came from simple to ones adorned with stones and imitation pearls.
Then there were the famous flowers which added fragrance and beauty to the dark hair. The most common of these is the malligai poo (Jasmine flower).
Not to fall short where also Kanakambaram with its brightly colored orange or reds.
Even in these choice of flowers many where staunch favorites of one flower or another. The most fan following always went to the Jasmine.
These flowers were sometimes stringed along in a single row or otherwise in a double row. Many parts of South India were very famous for these beautiful flowers sold everywhere from street corners to markets to bus stands. Very rarely can you find the girls hair unadorned without these breathtaking flowers.
These days I find small girls using small hair clips that come in really very cute shapes and sizes.
Why should I just say little girls and not mention boy babies too?????
When my son was born he had so much hair in his head that all the nurses loved to get something for his hair and adorn him with it. (This is still a secret which he is not aware of?!!!)
Sometimes I feel like using these small hair clips too. They add so much beauty to an otherwise dull ponytail. I am especially fond of the mommy and me hair clips which come in adorable shapes and sizes.
Need I stop without mentioning artificial hair. When I was a girl if you did not have long hair, by long hair I mean hair touching the knees, then your friend and saviour was none other than the artificial hair.
With adding these to the end of a braid you could make wonders and there were many a technique to keep this hidden too.
So tell me have you ever used any of these accessories or would you have liked to or are you planning to?? Its never too late you know like I am going to discover myself!
Total Comments 26
Comments
 |  Wow AC, Your narration just took me down memory lane. i still have a fascination for long hair and whenever i see women with pretty hair, be it on the road, in the office, in temples or public places, i just admire the long tresses and wherever circumstances permit, heartily compliment the owner on the beauty of their locks. Infact, every time i spot a lady with long, lovely hair and go "WoooooooWWWWW..." about it, my hubby jokingly remarks, "Pull her hair and check out if its real or artificial"  . Infact, long hair is listed as a beauty symbol for women in the Samudrika Lakshanams as well. |
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| |  Dear AC...I am imagining a kutti AC with long plaits with ribbons and other accessories...  ..you must have been really cute..Hee hee..I too love all those things. I had long thick hairs ..and brought all those colourful stuff..I remember washing all those woollen bands once in a week and putting in in a tray and keeping it in the terrace for it to dry. I used to admire myself my colourful collections  . But those clips...they never fit my hair...or rather I cannot manage them...so its always different bands for me. Now I maintain short or medium length hair..but still love to have those accessories...I guess this girlie things will continue to fascinate us for ever.. |
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| |  nice ride down memory lane. had always had thick and long hair. had to get special combs for combing.none of the clips use to fit,use to feel so bad seeing my classmates wearing those nice ones on saturdays..(that was the day color dress was allowed to school)...my ribbons used to be .now i have cut it so short, and has become very thin too..that sometimes even the smallest clip does not stand still.....that is another story... Now charu has long hair, i take a minimum of 15 minutes to plait it in the morning and put the same ribbons and tie it up..we do buy all the colourful accessiories and she does enjoy them.... good one.. |
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| |  A thing of beautyA long hair looks beautiful Soumya. These days I personally think its difficult to find time to maintain. Like you say I too admire others having long hair and maybe like your husband says it could be false hair too. Many people I know who have long hair usually do not braid it thereby we can see its real! |
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| | Bands were easy to deal with because of thickness in hair Saras. You know we used to get ropes looks like silk in different colors they were pretty too. Always wanted to walk through Pondy bazaar looking for head accessories! |
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| | I have seen a photo of Charu and she does have long and thick hair dear Shanthi.. Isnt it a pleasure to braid your daughters hair and spend time shopping for all the headbands and clips... Like you I too had thick long hair and over the years did not have time to maintain so now its shoulder length and much thinner... When I see the kids having so many different fancy clips its not a bad idea to try some out, I think. |
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| |  Dear Ac, Nice interesting blog... It triggered my thoughts towards Trichy. When I was a school going girl, I used to visit at least thrice a year. Iruvatchi malligai poo and poo thaithal were some of the greatest attractions. I had long, silky and thick hair(needless to say, thin and shoulder length, now). I got poo thaithal done sometimes. Really golden were those days with all the girly knick knacks. Mmmmm, as Vairamuthu says, 'Adhu oru kaalam kanne, kaarkaalam...' . |
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| | I remember doing the poo thaithal too.. really cute. And they will take photo with mirror behind you , Oviya. Vairamuthu's song is appropriate here. Thanks |
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| |  Dear AC, Lovely one dear... I remember... We sisters used to have a long hair (Which is now half the size in width, but length is quite good....) and my patti/amma used to comb for 15-20mins and used to buy Iruvatchi Malli (Famous in Trichy) daily for me (us). As we lived very near to temple, we get plenty of flowers from there like Malli, Mullai,Jaadhi, Kanakambaram... In our childhood... we don't have any decorative clips or bands. We used ribbons (preferably black). Till date, we prefer wearing black bands/clips. AC... everytime, you are taking us down the memory lane "Golden days" !! With love, Gowri |
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| | Iruvatchi Malliseems popular in Trichy.. wow I can understand if you miss those flowers. The advantage of living near a temple is that you can buy all these different flowers.. You know when they measure to cut they somehow stretch it and we dont seem to get a whole lot!!!!!!!!!! Glad you liked this Gowri. |
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| |  AC You forgot to mention the Thazhamboo Pinnal !!! sitting in Mumbai we used to get all that done ... ( I wish I had photos taken of all that .. now when i see the non existent hair on my head)!! In Mumbai we used to use what was called as "venis"... it was the Samandhi poo ( we used to call it Javandhi).. and they would come in two colors ... Yellow and Cream... The yellow veni was slightly cheaper .. but the cream ones would come with bigger and better flowers, and they had what we used to call "JIGINA".. oh!! with what pride we used to adorn that ... stretching from one plait to the other !!!! gone are those days ... sigh.... now its just a quick brush through the small tuft of hair ... and off I am !!!! cheers bhooma |
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| |  dear anandchitra how u r able to take us on a nostalgic trip, wonderful . in the north, the one thing that was and still is popular is the paranda.. actually a tasseled extension for the hair, made of threads. many a times these are jewelled , beaded, and silky threads are used. they are used even to grow hair and the swish of a maiden's paranda is supposed to make a man's heart beat faster . there r so many songs on the adornment. patiala is famous for these and its a souvinier if one visits patiala.( trying for half an hour to add a picture but am not finding any ,will do that later if i find it)i myself have short-bob- hair at the moment.but when i was around 8 yrs i had long and thick hair. u today reminded me of two sisters...my aunt's friends.. who would love to plait up my hair . daily during my stay at my granny's ..i'd go to their house and they loved to redo the plaits, and apply kajal. and also that i was always surprised how mom would make my plaits with such speed.till day i can't do it. and though i do have both boys , but before mundan( the first hair cut ceremony which is like a marraige ceremony sans a bride) we would make plaits for the elder one and now for the younger one. and i do buy clips and the hair bands for them. |
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| | ThazampooHow could I have forgotten this flower and its fragrance.. Bhooma thanks for reminding me. The pinnal made with this flower not only looks beautiful but also the fragrance leaves a mark behind.. And like you say the javandhi poo pinnal was also equally famous..  |
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| | Paranda is what we call kunjalamI think.. the tasseled extension for the hair. Your reply was far more interesting and informative for me.. I am attaching some pictures here..   |
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| |  Dear AC, Yes..Plaiting hair and finding right accesories used to be top priorioty in school/college days.In school 2 braids with ribbon is compulsory..I had long hair..which after folded too would fall below shoulder..Tying a ribbon is an art iteself which needs practice..else the plait will slide Once I entered college i started doing single braid..with tips trimmed..from then the length has been getting shorter only.. I use a clip and a band for daily use..for special occasions(in India) i have clips made of glittery colourful stones matching the pattu sari..which matches the jewels.. We had a special place,in my home,a staircase where my mom braids my hair..Till few years back we followed that..which brings back sweet memories..now we dont have time for all these except for running behind my son.. |
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| |  Hi AC Enjoyed this post it took me to my old young age. where i was found of all these things but now a days I don't use them much. My DH doesn't like long hair so immediately after marriage I had cut my hair short since then it is short. I remember the Thazampoo flower its fragrance wow it is so nice, even after the flower dries off the smell will still remain. |
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| | Supriya Glad you brought up the FOLDED braids.. ha how could I forget it.. maybe didnt have long enough hair?!.. Tying a ribbon is indeed an art.. Like you we too had a spot since I was much taller than my mom even entering high school. |
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| | Like you say the light fragrance of the Thayampoo flower remains for a long time.. Glad you liked it Aruna.. I think once we cut out hair shorter then not able to use these fancy accessories! |
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| |  Dear Chitra, This blog takes me back to my school days when I used to wear two plaits with colourful ribbons and bands that used to be attached to lovely beads/crystals etc. The ribbons used to match our dresses, for pattu paavadai, it used to be glittery and shiny ribbons. But for school, always, blue or white (according to the uniform). During my high school years, used to wear head bands (thin, thick, sleek, colourful)..so many...to think about it now..lovely and carefree days !! Of course, used to wear single plait too...and my favorite flower was Mullai (the subtle fragrance and the beauty..) Somehow, not much into kanakaambaram, but always looked for mullaipoo whenever we bought flowers and that too..like to adorn, when they are fresh with the pink tint and not bloomed yet! :) Also love to have roses-pink or red ! Since I was also learning dance for sometime, always had the passion for the head ornaments like raakodi, chandran, suryan and the nethichutti. Infact, this nethichutti took its own turn in fashion and now comes in sleek and fashionable designs. Sometimes, for important occassions, used to wear the false hair that used to be plaited with my hair (Sowri) along with the kunjalam at the end. Right now, have shoulder length hair, but still like to wear colourful clips. These cute memories remain fresh in our hearts and mind forever ! Thanks for making me recollect those sweet days Chitra ! :) Regards Krithi |
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| | parandi/parandathe kunjalam does look like a paranda, though the style is different in that the paranda starts from the top or middle of the plait and goes on to give a long look to the plait. i just remembered what mom once related... making two plaits in 60ies was a fashion appropriate only for the movie stars and girls of decent families in jammu were not supposed to have them after they grew up. it was ok only for the kids.. this was a diktat many girls 12-13 onwards had to listen to.. how these things change with places and poeple. |
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