How to Tie a Doek

Tying the Doek in a Top Knot

Get your doek and make sure it is clean and ready to be worn. Choose a nice headscarf that suits your mood or outfit for the day. Shake out your scarf a bit to make sure it is clean. Gently stretching it out will help get rid of any wrinkles.

Take the doek around your head. Hold the doek lengthwise by its two ends and wrap it around the base of your head. It should be touching the nape of your neck. Try to make the ends of the scarf even so that the top knot will end up being centered.

Tie the doek in a knot evenly at the top of your head. Bring the two ends of the fabric together and tie them in a firm single knot. Make sure the knot is evenly placed at the center of your head.

Tie two more knots over the first knot that you made. Bringing the ends of the fabric together again, create two more knots. This is what will create the top knot look. The knots should be tied tightly to ensure that the style will hold. You can tie even more knots if you like the look of a larger top knot.

Tuck in the fabric ends. Take the left end and wrap it around your knot clockwise as many times as you can. Then, tuck the end into your knot. Do the same for the right side, except wrap it counterclockwise.

Creating the Bow Tie Look

Choose a doek that suits your outfit for the day and stretch it out a bit. You want to make sure it is clean and smooth before tying it! For this particular look, it is better if you have a thinner, more lightweight doek. This will make it easier to create the bow tie.

Pull the ends of the fabric into loops. Gather the long fabric ends of your doek into two, even loops. These loops will form your bowtie.

Tie these two loops together into a bow. Cross the two loops over each other and pull one underneath the other, forming a knot. Then pull on the knot tightly to secure it.

Adjust the bow to your liking by pulling extra fabric in or out. A bow with smaller loops is a more casual style while a larger bow is great for a special party or event. It may help to do this in front of a mirror so you can make sure you like how the bow looks.

Conceal the ends. Depending on the length of your scarf, there may be long fabric ends to your bow tie. Tuck these ends into the rest of the wrap. Alternatively, you can leave the ends as they are if you prefer how it looks.

Going for a Twisty Bun

Choose a doek for the day. Pick a doek that you think would look nice in a twisty bun and make sure it is clean and wrinkle-free. It will be easier to create this style if your hair is tied up in a bun first.

Take your doek lengthwise and wrap it around your head. The two ends should be hanging behind you evenly, resting on your back.

Tie the doek behind your head. Bring together the ends of the wrap in a tight knot. The knot will be resting at the nape of your neck.

Twist each side of the doek. Take the two ends of the fabric in your hands and twist each side from beginning to end. You can twist one end at a time, or do them both at once.

Wrap the twisted ends around your head. Bring the two twisted fabric pieces and wrap them tightly around the circumference of your head. Depending on the length of your scarf, you may have to wrap these pieces around your head multiple times. You should be left with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of material on each side.

Tuck the fabric ends into the doek. Take the ends of your twisted pieces and tuck them into the sides of the wrap. Move your head around a bit to make sure the doek is secure.