My heart skips a beat when I get to upcycle or recycle something old into something new. This month, I was challenged to upcycle an old tie into a hair scrunchie. I have seen so many retailers starting to sell scrunchies and hair scarves, so this easy DIY is totally on-trend. Hit up your thrift store (or your husband’s, brother’s or dad’s closet) to create this hairpiece.
Materials + tools:
- 1 Neck tie
- 6 inches of quarter-inch elastic
- Scissors
- 1 Safety pin
- Measuring tape
- Hot-glue gun
- Needle and thread
MORE: DIY cork & cement candleholders
Step 1
Fold the tie in half and cut the tie at the 20-inch mark. (This length is up to you. If you have short hair, you might want to cut at the 15-inch mark. Just remember: About 10 inches of the tie will be hidden.)
Step 2
Glue the cut end of the tie to finish it nicely in a point, straight line or curved edge.
Step 3
Measure 6 inches from the fold of the tie and then cut a small opening on both sides.
MORE: These DIY rainbow clay earrings make everyone happy
Step 4
For this hair scrunchie, I used half-inch elastic, but I suggest using quarter-inch instead. It will make your hair scrunchie easier to twist into your hair. I cut 5 or 6 inches of elastic for my scrunchie, but this made only one loop around my ponytail. Of course, this all depends on how thick your ponytail is; if I used half of my hair in the ponytail, I would have been able to get the scrunchie around it twice.
Step 5
Attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic and thread it through the tie, holding onto the end to create the bunching of the fabric in the center.
Step 6
Using a needle and thread, sew a few stitches to hold the elastic together and knot the thread.
Step 7
This is my favorite part: Just tie a knot over the sewn area of elastic. Now your DIY scrunchie is ready for your hair!
Looking for another creative way to use old ties? Check out our video below.