When it comes to your hair, there are dozens of cute ways to style and accessorize it. High buns and low buns, hair bows and hair ties—the opportunities are endless. Learn what a boutique bow is and how to make it by reading ahead.

Begin With the Materials

The first thing you need to do when making a boutique bow is collect your materials. The ribbon is the most important component. You’ll need two lengths of ribbon in varying widths—one at one-and-a-half inches and the other at one-half inch. While you can use many kinds of ribbon for your bow, grosgrain custom printed ribbon is the best way to go if you want a durable, beautiful bow.

You should also have scissors, glue, thread, clips, and a lighter on hand. Each of these tools will help you craft the perfect bow that will hold its shape. Once you gather these materials, you can begin assembling the bow one piece at a time.

Burning and Twisting

At the beginning, you’ll want to keep the ribbon edges from fraying. Light the lighter and run it quickly along the edges of the ribbon. This should melt the edges into a small ridge at the end.

With your long piece of ribbon in hand, place it face down on your work space with the bottom side up. Loop the ribbon around itself on each end so that the folded piece still shows the bottom side—the end pieces of the ribbon will touch in the middle. You should see a shape that resembles the infinity sign.

Pinning and Wrapping

With the infinity ribbon in place, fold both looped ends to the center and hold them together with your fingers. Use a clip to secure these loose pieces in place while adjusting the bows for an even length.

Lift your pinned bow and wrap the thread around the bow a few times until the bow looks sturdy. Now, tie the thread and cut off the excess. To ensure this seal doesn’t break, glue the thread to the ribbon center and let it dry. Once the glue dries in place, you can wrap the smaller piece of ribbon around the middle or add a hair band to cover the glued thread and give your hair an anchor point.

The next time someone asks you about boutique bows and how to make them, you’ll have the perfect no-sew option to share with them. If you need ribbon for your next boutique bow, reach out to us at Ribbon By Design to hear about all our beautiful options to make your hair the cutest it’s ever been.