A Guide to Different Turban Materials

A Guide to Different Turban Materials

 

The purpose of this blog post is to give you some basic information about the different types of materials you can purchase for turbans.

 

Some history

The dastar (turban) has been an important part of the Sikh religion since the time of the First Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. All ten Gurus wore dastars, and the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, made it mandatory for every Sikh to unshorn hair and to cover their heads, which had a very deep and spiritual meaning.

As baptised Sikhs are not allowed to cut the hair on any part of the body, the dastar is used as a way of keeping the hair on the head intact. Referenced from Sikh history, Guru Gobind Singh Ji personally tied beautiful dumalas (rounded turban) on the heads of both of his elder sons Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh.

 

Turban materials

Sikhs from around the world tie different styles of turbans. Different styles are often suited for specific materials. The most common materials Sikhs tie are full voile, rubia voile, rubia, staple and F74 also known as mal mal. Not everyone knows the difference between these materials and the benefits of them, and most people tend to wear what is given to them as a gift or what is readily available. Below is a full description of each material.

 

Rubia turban material

Rubia

Rubia is a soft material with a distinct feature of thickness. Rubia is made of rubia yarn, a firm fabric which makes it quite a weighty material when used for turban fabric. The tear resistant feature of rubia supplied by The Sardar Co, makes it a unique product.

 

rubia voile turban material

Rubia Voile

Rubia voile is a soft fabric, usually made of 100% cotton and a mix of voile yarn and rubia yarn. Although less known to people used, the composition of the fabric makes it a light and durable fabric for turbans and damalas. Due to its unique blend it is also more durable and long lasting than other lighter materials such as full voile and mal mal.

 

full voile turban material

Full Voile

Full Voile is a soft, sheer fabric, usually made of 100% cotton or cotton blended with linen. The material has a light-weight and semi transparent finish. It is often used in soft furnishing due to it’s light texture and soft feel. Full voile material is considered as the most preferred fabric for turbans worn by Sikhs in the UK and USA.

 

mal mal turban material

F74 (Mal Mal)

F74, also known as mal mal is the thinnest of fabrics for turbans tied by Sikhs. The lightweight material is composed of 100% cotton with 2x2 high twisted yarns. F74 is one of the most preferred fabrics for dumalla style turbans, as it is extremely thin, which makes it efficient to wear when tied with lots of layers. It also proves an efficient cloth to wear in the summer, especially in India when temperatures can reach a soaring 50 degrees centigrade.

 

As you can see, there are a number of different types of materials available. You may already have a preference, or you may not have tried them all, but if you are have trouble deciding which turban material to go for, we would recommend trying a few materials to establish your preference. You can then continue to order your preferred material each time. It is very important that the material is right for you, because, as a turban tier, you may be wearing the turban for most of the day.


5 comments


  • Dr. Bijoy Bharat Das

    What was the style of turbans worn by Hindu Khatris of Hazara district before partition? The material of cloth and it’s length may be specified too.


  • sarabjit singh

    I live in Gurgaon When I buy turbans in Chandigarh for me they give medium Rubia and for my dad they give light weight Rubia
    So I don’t know which material are suitable for us from your outlet Please let me know
    Thanks


  • Rajbir Singh

    Which type of cloth is used in uk style which was tied by diljit dosanjh


  • Upkar singh

    Which material would u suggest for vattan wali turnan kindly suggest me thanking u


  • Gursharan

    which material would you suggest for a patka?
    I prefer a thick material and one that stays on comfortably?
    the one i currently have cuts around the ear and too thin


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