How to tie Gele Tutorial

Just about any scarf will wok for a gele. It needs to be long enough so that you can drape it over your head, then hold each end in each hand, with your arms outstretched.

Make sure that the folded edge is covering your hairline. The scarf should be centered, with equal amounts hanging off to either side.

Take the left and right ends of the scarf, and pull them back behind your neck. Cross the left side over the right. Hold both ends taut so that the fabric is nice and snug across your forehead. Angle  [...]

Position the fabric so that the new side edge is just behind the previous edge. Don't worry if your fabric wrinkles-this is actually a good thing!

Pull the right side of the scarf down towards your left ear, and hold it in place. Pull the left end of the scarf upwards so that it covers the right.

Again, position the fabric so that the new edge is just behind the previous one, thus creating more pleats.

If you tied your gele tight enough, you should be able to slip the end of your scarf right under the hem, and not worry about it slipping. If your scarf had a fringe, be sure to tuck all the tassels i  [...]

Adjust the folds and pleats across your forehead first. Next, use your fingers to sharpen the creases in the top layers of fabric to create more pleats. There is not specific rule as to how many pleat  [...]

Check your gele in the mirror at various angles. If you spot any corners that are hanging out, tuck them unde the band of the gele. Finally, pull the gele back so that it rests right at your hairline.  [...]

A gele (gay-lay) is a head wrap worn by women of western Nigeria as part of their traditional Buba attire. There are lots of ways to tie a gele, but the most common way involves pleating. While it is  [...]

Place both of your thumbs on the bottom edge of the fabric, right above your client's eyebrows. Place your forefingers under the fabric, right against her skin.

Hook your forefingers while bringing them towards your thumbs. Meanwhile, pin the folded fabric down against the rest of the fabric, creating a pleat. Smooth the pleat down and create four more behind  [...]

Have your client reach up and hold the pleats against the left side of her head. Use your thumb and forefinger to create more pleat, making sure that they connect with the ones that you already made.  [...]

Take bring both end of the fabric towards the back of the client's head. Take the end that you jut finished pleating (the longer one), and cross it over the other (shorter) end.

Take the long, pleated end of the fabric and drape it over the client's head. Work your way from the right ear down towards the left. Keep the pleats tight and the fabric above them loose. Have your c  [...]

Manipulate the fabric in such as way that the edges facing the floor are tight, and the edge facing the ceiling are loose.

By now, you will have lots of loose fabric on the top of your client's head. Using your fingers, pleat the fabric from top-to-bottom, center-outward. Think of it as creating a halo or crown. Leave a l  [...]

At this point, you will have lots of loose fabric at the back of your client's head. You can fold this fabric upward a few times into a nice, neat band, or you can tuck it into the knot.