Hair Tie

The rigger is repeating the technique to tie a second half hitch around the base of the tie.

The hair tie is an incredibly useful technique, especially for restrictive bondage. Not everyone’s hair is suitable for tying, and not everyone wants their hair tied. But for people who like it, this technique provides a very versatile way of restraining the head and making a tie more immobilizing.

Used carefully, it can also be a handy way to add head support during a suspension.

Attribution

This tie was developed by Topologist, who has a great video of it.

Step by step

The rigger’s right hand has a lark’s head over the wrist. The lark’s head is tied in 4 milimeter red hemp rope. The bight of the rope comes up over the front side of the wrist and down the back side. Just below the wrist, the ends of the rope go through the bight and hang downward.

1Build a lark’s head and slip it over your right hand.

With your left hand, gather your partner’s hair together.

A closeup of a head with long graying hair. The rigger’s right hand is pulling the hair back into a ponytail. The rigger’s left hand has slipped the lark’s head off their wrist and slid it onto the ponytail, right up to the scalp.

2Transfer the hair to your right hand and slip the lark’s head off your hand and onto the hair. Slide it all the way up to the scalp and tighten it.

The rigger is using their left hand to hold the lark’s head snug against the ponytail while they use their right hand to separate the two strands of the larks head. As they do so, the ponytail is beginning to bulge through the space between the two strands.

3While tightening the lark’s head with your left hand, use your right hand to separate the two halves of the lark’s head.

The rigger has separated the two strands of the lark’s head and folded them off to the sides. The ponytail now makes a U shape as it comes up between one strand and the the doubled strands, doubles back, and goes down between the doubled strands and the other strand. The rigger is pinching the two individual strands against the ponytail with their right thumb and index finger, but is no longer using thier left hand.

4Continue to tighten the lark’s head and separate the two halves until the lark’s head collapses, bending the hair into a U turn.

Snug the tie into place.

While holding the tie in place with their left hand, the rigger has flipped over a loop of the standing end of the rope. They are about to slide the loop over the U shape in the ponytail and the lark’s head. The flipped loop technique is a fast way to tie a half hitch around the existing tie.

5Make a twist in the rope and place it over the tie to make a half hitch.

Snug the half hitch into place between the previous tie and the scalp.

6Add another half hitch if there is still room between the tie and the scalp. Snug it tightly into place.

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