Muslim Women, Please Educate Me On Your Hair...

[hannan]

What is shelya? When I goggled shelya all I got was the lady with 2000cc implants.

That's kinda freaky!

Shayla is just a rectangular/square piece of cloth that we use to wrap our hijab a certain type of way.

I found a video (there are literally hundreds of these on youtube) of someone showing how to wrap it. It's one of the simplest, easiest ways to get the job done.

[video=youtube;HcwPkObLEeg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcwPkObLEeg[/video]

 

[Chan_USMC]

Ladies,

So, I'd like to know:
- How covered are you? Not covered anymore, due to fact that I moved onto a Marine Corps Base. But, before then I was covered everytime I left work.
- How is your hair styled underneath? Used to be a ponytail, but I've since cut my hair so I usually fro it out.
- Do your coverings dry your hair out or do they help retain moisture? Actually I feel like my hair felt much better when I wore Hijab. It felt much more soft and fluffy than it does now.
- How much of the day are you uncovered?Everyday now with the exception of prayer.
- Who is allowed to see your hair? Can you show us? Everyone now and yes it's my avi.
- Do you have different hats/scarves for various outfits, accessories? I have tooooo many IT's my vice.

I hope this helps.

 

[ConstantlyDynamic]

i have a question as well Are the headwraps that look like buns in the back one of the head coverings used by Muslim women and, if so, what are they called? Everytime I try to make one, it starts to slip off. I'm confused about how it stays on the head! I love the look though and want to know how to secure the covering, but whenever I try to search for it, I get tutorials on Erykah Badu's towering headwraps. My neck wouldn't be able to support those things haha

Thanks for sharing all of this info ladies! Very interesting read

 

[Chameleonchick]

This thread is awesome! Very informative. Thanks to everyone who answered.

 

[hair4romheaven]

I grew up with a lot of muslims. My muslim friends in NY would wear the coverings but when we got outside they would take it off and wear what ever clothes they wanted. We were teenagers i guess they wanted to fit in.
As an adult I had a very close muslim friend I met in ATL. I moved here right after 9/11. She was raised in N.Y but was somolian. We were so cool. She had 5 children and I loved them all. Although I am christian and she is muslim we were sisters & told people that. We would hang out all the time. In the beginning I never saw her hair or even most of her face. I was hair obssessed at the time as well. LOL So I would ask her all the time. Finally as time went on she showed me her hair. IT WAS SO PRETTY. She kept it short but she has 3 type hair and it was naturally copper brown. She taught me a lot but moved a lot because her husband and famlily were harrassed by police and neighbors. It was a few mnths to a year after 9/11 and we are in ATL. I use to go to bat for them literally! People looked at me like I was crazy but we stood side by side saying we were SISTERS! I miss her so much. she had to move because of this and got the same treatment where ever she went. We lost touch. I miss my sister we were so close and she trusted me with her family and I did too. I wish I can find her. I am of Trini decent and her younger sisters went there for boarding school of some sort. I lost touch with them all. ;-(

ETA: has nothing to do with the questions asked but I was compelled to speak of my long lost sister.

 

[Minty]

That's kinda freaky!

Shayla is just a rectangular/square piece of cloth that we use to wrap our hijab a certain type of way.

I found a video (there are literally hundreds of these on youtube) of someone showing how to wrap it. It's one of the simplest, easiest ways to get the job done.

Girl you know I have this scarf in the burgandy, grey and white.

 

[Minty]

i have a question as well Are the headwraps that look like buns in the back one of the head coverings used by Muslim women and, if so, what are they called? Everytime I try to make one, it starts to slip off. I'm confused about how it stays on the head! I love the look though and want to know how to secure the covering, but whenever I try to search for it, I get tutorials on Erykah Badu's towering headwraps. My neck wouldn't be able to support those things haha

Thanks for sharing all of this info ladies! Very interesting read

Get yourself a piece of material 2 yards long (hold the end in one hand, stretch across the body to the other hand - next take that end and extend it one more arm length to the shoulder - this will give you approx. 2 yards)

The key to keeping the bun scarf on is to fold approx a 2-3" border on the underside.
The second key is to pull the sides of the scarf taut. Another way to do it is to wear on of those Goody's non-slip elastic headbands. It will leave a bit of a bump, but the scarf will not slide back and you won't have to pull too tight.

So pull the scarf towards the back of the head and at the base with the material in your hands, pretend like you are about to tie a knot - with your right hand, overlap over your left so that the material gets enfolded. It should still be taut here. Next, sweep your fingers underneath the scarf with your left hand to make sure you don't have any hair in the folds.

Start twisting the loose material in the back with your right hand - tight at the base, and it will begin rolling on its own. Then you can make the middle portion alittle sloppy so that it takes on whatever shape you want. Tuck the ends. You can use a straight pin to tuck the ends too.

(These buns are not what one would consider hijab.)

 

[afrofaithful]

why do some women wear the gloves? I don't understand why you can't be around people of the opposite sex, if it's just innocent or still no? What's the difference in wearing the hijab versus the burka, why do some people wear one or the other?

 

[LunadeMiel]

I have a question that I hope isn't inappropriate for this thread.

I had considered converting to Islam for a few years (while I was in college and highschool), and while doing my research, I found out that there is a lot a debate about the necessity of the Hijab, more importantly how the word has been translated/interpretated. Some people said that it wasn't necessary based on their understanding and translations of the words while others said it was. Ladies who choose to wear it is the reasoning found in the Q'uran or the Hadiths or both? I must admit that I'm a bit confused about how the Hadiths relate to the teachings found in the Q'uran. The used to be a Muslimah thread in OT. I wonder what happened to it

 

[dlewis]

Another Muslimah checking in!

I'm on my phone so I won't copy and paste but here goes:

I cover my hair neck and ears and wear long sleeves and dresses/pants/skirts to my ankle or longer.

I cover outside my house and if male visitors are over.

I have WAY too many scarves (smh) in all colors and designs.

I wear a multitude of style of clothing from Indian to Moroccan to Somali etc.

I recently saw some of your pics and you are one stylish chic. I love that purple gown you had on.

 

[ida2]

That's kinda freaky!

Shayla is just a rectangular/square piece of cloth that we use to wrap our hijab a certain type of way.

I found a video (there are literally hundreds of these on youtube) of someone showing how to wrap it. It's one of the simplest, easiest ways to get the job done.

[video=youtube;HcwPkObLEeg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcwPkObLEeg[/video]

Many thanks.

 

[Minty]

Gloves - another level of modesty
opposite sex - I'm sure I don't have to tell you the many problems that can develop from "innocent"

hijab and burka are the same. Arabic is a much more vibrant and nuanced language than English, so look at hijab as a state of being or cover. It has a physical and metaphysical meaning to it. Whereas burka is an outer cover, it is generally a very loose over dress worn as a cloak.

Many use the terms interchangeably, or use the word

some terms:

*jilbab - an outer dress
*burqa - usually a very loose outer dress. It is generally worn over whatever "regular clothes" she would wear at home
*niqab - face veil. Some cover the nose and mouth. Others have a very shear cover veil that is transparent to cover either the whole face.
*khimar - on this thread, we are using this term with the same meaning as "hijab." Khimar is a head covering
*shaylah - a particular type of head covering, usually long and rectangular
*abayah - a long dress, also long and flowing. They can be open in the front like a robe, or close in a wrap at the shoulders. These too are over cloaks and there is another dress or outfit worn underneath.

and these are just arabic terms. Because muslims are not joined by any organization or political voice, there are numerous ways a Muslim woman will cover herself.

Malaysian, Indonesian and Chinese Muslim women have different terms and a completely different style of dress than Turkish women. And those women dress completely different than women from Afghanistan.

 

[pringe]

Thank you allf or being so open and accepting of those of us who don't know and are curious about ur culture. I think it makes us understand and appreciate you more!

 

[Raqkie]

Naturae,

I'm not a muslim as well just someone who likes to shop and trys to dress in a modest fashion. I like:
www.primomoda.com
www.artizara.com and www.taqwaiman.com

 

[morehairplease]

thanks for this thread ladies! My braider is Muslim and is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever meet. From time to time, I wear hijabs and head coverings. Again, thanks so much for this thread.

 

[mzsophisticated26]

awesome thread and I have learned so much just from reading this thread that I never knew about. Thanks to the ladies that are answering questions.

 

[5aliji7elwati]

Gosh it is good to see there are so many of us on here I had no idea. As a lurker I thought this was kind of a Christan only board so I was a little hesitant to join and post but I am glad I did.

We need an Arabic voice chat option next, LOL j/k.

Can you guys read and write Arabic? I really can not read or write Arabic If it's written in ruq3ah I can figure out what it says by sounding it out letter by letter like a 5 year old but other wise I can't.

Can any of the sisters here speak Urdu as well? I *know* how to speak Urdu but I always default back to Arabic cuz the languages are so similar that I forget and give up.

Gloves - another level of modesty
opposite sex - I'm sure I don't have to tell you the many problems that can develop from "innocent"

hijab and burka are the same. Arabic is a much more vibrant and nuanced language than English, so look at hijab as a state of being or cover. It has a physical and metaphysical meaning to it. Whereas burka is an outer cover, it is generally a very loose over dress worn as a cloak.

Many use the terms interchangeably, or use the word

some terms:

*jilbab - an outer dress
*burqa - usually a very loose outer dress. It is generally worn over whatever "regular clothes" she would wear at home
*niqab - face veil. Some cover the nose and mouth. Others have a very shear cover veil that is transparent to cover either the whole face.
*khimar - on this thread, we are using this term with the same meaning as "hijab." Khimar is a head covering
*shaylah - a particular type of head covering, usually long and rectangular
*abayah - a long dress, also long and flowing. They can be open in the front like a robe, or close in a wrap at the shoulders. These too are over cloaks and there is another dress or outfit worn underneath.

and these are just arabic terms. Because muslims are not joined by any organization or political voice, there are numerous ways a Muslim woman will cover herself.

Malaysian, Indonesian and Chinese Muslim women have different terms and a completely different style of dress than Turkish women. And those women dress completely different than women from Afghanistan.

a pet peeve of mine is when people call hijab and burqa the same thing. i know it's done to try to help people understand, but i really feel it causes a lot of confusion.

even in my home country...Oman...we wear a "burqa" but it's a totally incorrect usage of the word lol. it's more of a mask. usually people wear the regular niqab nowadays but if you go to shopping malls and sporting events in Masqat or along the strait of hormuz you will see teens and twenty somethings with Swarovski crystals in their favorite team's colors on their burqas. now it's a fashion/status symbol and people who actually cover for the sake of covering wear a saudi style veil or the "sexy nightclub veil" which is the half niqab. my friends tease me when i go out cuz i wear the "sexy nightclub veil". which it's not sexy really but if you go to a mall in the gulf, the women who wear the half veils are the ones who you can flirt with. it's a cultural insider thing LOL

the burqa is a cultural garment worn by Pashto people...they can be from Pakistan, Afghanistan, actually a whole region. It's their tribal cultural garment. the word hijab has very little to do with the scarf, a scarf is just a khimar in the literal sense, but nowadays people refer to the khimar as something else...it's hard to explain to non-Muslims, maybe someone else can do it better?

the sheer piece that you are referring to is a boushiya which is really only very specific to the gulf...like, kuwait. i went to primary school in kuwait and they wore the boushiya. you can see their face perfectly if you are right in front of them and close, otherwise it just looks like a blur.

gloves to me... i don't know. they are just very extra, in my opinion. the ONLY people who i have ever seen wearing gloves are people who converted to Islam and they usually call themselves "Salafi". and certain Arabs from the gulf who follow Wahab. Typically though they're American born converts to Islam. I have never heard of an Irish or German Salafi. I really do not understand them. I have some Salafi friends though and we definitely do not go into deep religious discussions with each other although I love them very much and their kids are usually the best behaved at the masjid lol

I have a question that I hope isn't inappropriate for this thread.

I had considered converting to Islam for a few years (while I was in college and highschool), and while doing my research, I found out that there is a lot a debate about the necessity of the Hijab, more importantly how the word has been translated/interpretated. Some people said that it wasn't necessary based on their understanding and translations of the words while others said it was. Ladies who choose to wear it is the reasoning found in the Q'uran or the Hadiths or both? I must admit that I'm a bit confused about how the Hadiths relate to the teachings found in the Q'uran. The used to be a Muslimah thread in OT. I wonder what happened to it

the overgarment is REQUIRED. a fabric that covers your ears (no to the Mickey Mouse hijab with the ears ont ), neck, hair, bosom (the very beginning of breast protrusion), and shoulders is REQUIRED. it's not optional.

you can have on the loosest most modest tunic and wide leg jeans and still not meet the requirements of Islamic modesty. it's a voluntary objection of a commandment from Allah. it's a sin. one thing i do not like with Muslims is that many of the younger ones who desire to be more Westernized wear loose skirts and tshirts and stuff...thinking it's "hijab" (hijab is a general term for modesty but is often attributed only to the scarf). as muslims i think it is best not to misguide other muslims, based upon your own personal prefrence. so the sisters that wear extremely modest clothes - mashaAllah, or thankfully Allah willed that they do not immitate the fashions of less modest people - but I really wish they would tell people that they CHOOSE to dress that way, but that it is NOT a correct way to dress and then give people the daleel (or Islamic proof) that an overgarment is required.

i do not wear "make up" outside of my house ever unless i have the screens on my veil down and am going to a sisters party or wedding reception. but i wear eyeliner with niqab...which is wrong. when people compliment me on it, i quickly tell them thank you, but that kohl is really only supposed to be worn around family. islamically i never wanna mislead anyone and i refrain from stating my opinion unless it's specifically asked for. i prefer to give daleel.

Get yourself a piece of material 2 yards long (hold the end in one hand, stretch across the body to the other hand - next take that end and extend it one more arm length to the shoulder - this will give you approx. 2 yards)

The key to keeping the bun scarf on is to fold approx a 2-3" border on the underside.
The second key is to pull the sides of the scarf taut. Another way to do it is to wear on of those Goody's non-slip elastic headbands. It will leave a bit of a bump, but the scarf will not slide back and you won't have to pull too tight.

So pull the scarf towards the back of the head and at the base with the material in your hands, pretend like you are about to tie a knot - with your right hand, overlap over your left so that the material gets enfolded. It should still be taut here. Next, sweep your fingers underneath the scarf with your left hand to make sure you don't have any hair in the folds.

Start twisting the loose material in the back with your right hand - tight at the base, and it will begin rolling on its own. Then you can make the middle portion alittle sloppy so that it takes on whatever shape you want. Tuck the ends. You can use a straight pin to tuck the ends too.

(These buns are not what one would consider hijab.)

thank you so much for saying that it's not hijab! so many people think it is a "muslim thing" and it's totally not.

That's kinda freaky!

Shayla is just a rectangular/square piece of cloth that we use to wrap our hijab a certain type of way.

I found a video (there are literally hundreds of these on youtube) of someone showing how to wrap it. It's one of the simplest, easiest ways to get the job done.

[video=youtube;HcwPkObLEeg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcwPkObLEeg[/video]

sheyla is rectangle only. square is square. i can not tolerate square scarves LOL. the malaysian sisters and indonesian sisters wear their squares so beautifully but personally square hijabs will never touch my head if i can do anything about it LOL

YouTube videos of sisters dressing and undressing on camera kind of make me cringe. I don't like seeing that may Allah guide them to be more modest and purify their intentions. i think some of them genuinelly try to help teach new sisters how to cover, but sometimes i think it's just to have a fashion show and be cliquish. it's fine for non Muslim women to do that, and give makeup and hair tutorials but for a muslim woman i do not like seeing that at all. and most of these girls do not cover properly anyways to begin with, so it's more like an Islamic strip tease. you know "Amish Porn" where the Amish sister would show off a well muscled calf? to me, this is the equivalent.

 

[Minty]

^^Girl you are a trip!

 

[5aliji7elwati]

^^Girl you are a trip!

What does that mean??? Is it a good trip or a bad trip? Or did I quote too much in one post?

 

[hannan]

What does that mean??? Is it a good trip or a bad trip? Or did I quote too much in one post?

It's a good trip.

YouTube videos of sisters dressing and undressing on camera kind of make me cringe. I don't like seeing that may Allah guide them to be more modest and purify their intentions. i think some of them genuinelly try to help teach new sisters how to cover, but sometimes i think it's just to have a fashion show and be cliquish. it's fine for non Muslim women to do that, and give makeup and hair tutorials but for a muslim woman i do not like seeing that at all. and most of these girls do not cover properly anyways to begin with, so it's more like an Islamic strip tease. you know "Amish Porn" where the Amish sister would show off a well muscled calf? to me, this is the equivalent.

I only posted that video to get the point across of wrapping/using pins. You will never, eva, EVA see me video-tape one of these let alone even post it on the internet. It gives me the shivers. There are so many of them on youtube, though. So many!!!

 

[stillgrowin]

Op,this is a great thread.I think the questions posted were something we all wondered about at some point or another.So happy to read these responses and learn!!

 

[hannan]

Girl you know I have this scarf in the burgandy, grey and white.

Pick a color and I've probably got it! Or got it mixed in with a whole bunch of other pattern-y colors. Oh, the woes of us junkies.

sheyla is rectangle only. square is square. i can not tolerate square scarves LOL. the malaysian sisters and indonesian sisters wear their squares so beautifully but personally square hijabs will never touch my head if i can do anything about it LOL

As many times as people have showed me, I still don't know how to tie a square scarf without it sliding back or not covering enough in the front, back, or both. No matter how humongous it is, it still doesn't look right. RECTANGLE IS MY FRIEND! And it takes two seconds to put it on, anyway.

 

[Sondice]

This is a great thread. When I lived in NY I became very close with a Muslim woman at my job ( She was originally from Bangladesh). She opened her heart and her home to me, she knew that i didnt have ne family here(My parents are in GA) she took awesome care of me. Im 23 years old. I especially bonded with her 2 children. Everyday I helped them with their schoolwork, and would stay with them if their parents were at work or needed to go out for a minute. I pretty much spent most of my day at her house, just because I wanted too. Even her extended family was soooooo excepting. They constantly told me that I was like family to them. Lol they constant cooked food for me. I will always hold these people in my heart. The day I moved form NY and went back to GA was especially hard cause I was leaving these people, people that I saw like family. I havent cried that hard in a long time. They truly showed me what Islam is. Its not what you see on CNN or at protest rallies(sp?). Before I didnt really know. Because of her and her family I wanted to become a better person, and become stronger in my faith, (Im Christian). They were so devout in their beliefs that it was moving, inspiring. Its a hard road, but I pray about it day by day.

 

[Minty]

okay girls, spill the beans - where do you buy your stuff, don't be stingy either - you know its Ramadan.





"You a trip" is a good term, a term of affection - that something you've said or done was alittle more on point than usual, or funny, or wise. I'm giving the 1st grade vocabulary list and you are teaching college English 101 and Comparative Cultural Analysis 101.

No we don't have an arabic chat but we should all chat that would be great.

 

[Minty]

http://bellissima-scarves.co.uk
http://www.hijabtrendz.com/hijab-directory
http://hijabplanet.com

I have not shopped at any of them, just started looking for online sources a couple of weeks ago as I've exhausted my local ones. I have a few turkish silk scarves but it sounds like a wind tunnel around my ears. Does anyone else have this issue or was I sold an inferior quality silk? I love the way they look (well some of them....I can't stand flower print)

 

[Iamhim]

If anyone is interested (and I hope you are), I created a new thread in the off-topic forum.
Muslimah Roll Call
I'm really happy that there are a lot of Muslimahs on the board.

 

[winona]

I just wanted to let you ladies know that I really appreciate your candor. These are alot of the questions that I have wondered at one time or another.

 

[DeenIsFirst]

TaqwaIman?! Taqwa's my good friend! So glad her business seems to have such diverse customers. I love her clothes. They are sensible, stylish, and comfortable... though I may be biased

Naturae,

I'm not a muslim as well just someone who likes to shop and trys to dress in a modest fashion. I like:
www.primomoda.com
www.artizara.com and www.taqwaiman.com

 

[Minty]

I just want to say that that's cold, cold, cold I don't see not one site for where you all buy hijabs.....I'll let it go since I know most of us are fasting and beating that stove to get your food right.

 

[Lady S]

I really appreciate the women in here answering questions so patiently. No roll eye smilies or anything. I hope I can be that patient when people ask me super random questions about my natural hair.

And now I want to buy some scarves. Doh.

It's interesting, because I know some orthodox Jews also cover their heads, but that will also include wigs and hats. The church grew up in a lot of women wore hats, but considering there were architectural wonders, I think it was more of a fashion thing.