Floral Comb

Floral combs look wonderful - sweeping back the hair at one side or gently holding a hairstyle in place. And the good thing is that these days they are not just confined to weddings - although they do look fabulous for brides and bridesmaids!

Thanks to a huge resurgence of school proms, fabulous black tie dinners and generally a party for every occasion from 18th birthdays to graduations, the floral comb is really coming into its own as an outfit accessory.

There really is nothing nicer than seeing fresh flowers in the hair - although these designs work equally well with silk flowers. Floral combs add a touch of glamour and elegance to any old hair-do and ensure that the lucky person wearing the design stands out in a crowd. You can harmonise the colours to match or complement the outfit and for that little something special or unusual you could add feathers, beads or decorative wire.

An accessory like this is basically a corsage stuck onto a comb. They are very easy to make and for minimum effort you get maximum effect.

How to Create a Floral Comb

There are a few things to bear in mind when creating a design like this. Any flower or plant material you use must be strong enough to withstand being in someone's hair all day. Carnations, roses, hyacinth pips or gerbera are a fairly safe bet. Also, avoid any prickly foliage for obvious reasons!

They must also be fairly light so they don't weigh the headdress down. Generally smaller, flatter flowers are ideal. Anything too big could be overwhelming.

The finished design can either be glued or securely bound to the comb. If you are wiring ensure that the wires are pointing away from the head to avoid any injury! And if you are gluing, make sure the glue is totally dry before you place it in the hair.

Materials
One plastic comb; three roses; three stems of freesias; ivy leaves (approx 10); eucalyptus (one stem) ;wires; tape; binding wire or glue gun

Method

• Lay out all your materials and remove any thorns or leaves from the roses
• Insert wire through the seed box of each rose - you can insert two wires in a cross through the seed box to make the rose sturdier. Loop these wires just twice before binding the wires and stems of each rose with floral tape
• Wire and stitch each ivy leaf (usually about nine). Bind all leaves. Take the freesias and cut off small sections. Wire each section and bind with tape. Tape together three of the foliage leaves to form the outline of the design.
• Without binding yet add one rose to these leaves directly in front of them. Add a leaf either side of this and add pieces of freesia either side. Add a longer piece of eucalyptus to drop down from the arrangement. Add the second rose. In front of the second rose add another small freesia bud before placing a leaf beneath facing outwards.
• Bind everything together in one single stem .Cut stem to required length
• Lay the spray against the comb and carefully and securely bind the spray to the comb. You can glue this on.
• Finish off by securing the wire as closely to the comb as possible and cutting off any remaining ends.
• Be careful to fold any sharp edges from the wire underneath the comb.