How to make a Fresh Hawaiian Hibiscus Lei

Making your own Hawaiian Hibiscus lei is fun and easy to do. The process is very similar with any flower lei but we will use fresh Hibiscus flowers for this lei.

Materials Needed:

Long Needle: the longer the needle, the easier the process.
String: fishing line, dental floss, twine, ribbon
Fresh Hibiscus Flowers

Step by Step Guide in Making a Hibiscus Lei

Step 1: Collect the Hawaiian Hibiscus: Making a 40 inch single strand tropical Hibiscus lei you will need to collect around 35-40 fresh hibiscus flowers.

Note: Since the Hibiscus flower is much larger than other commonly used tropical flowers it will require less to complete your flower lei.

Step 2: String the Needle: Cut a piece of string about 80 inches. Loop through the end and fold in half making sure that each end is even with the other.

Note: You may want to make cut the string slightly larger due to all the extra knots you will be adding at the end.

Step 3: Tie a knot: Where the two strings meet tie a knot. This will stop the Hibiscus flowers from falling off. You will want to tie at least 3 knots in the same area towards the end.

Tip: Once the tropical Hibiscus lei is complete you may want to add a ribbon of choice over the knots. This will conceal the knots without having to rearrange the flowers.

Step 4: String the Hibiscus: While holding the Hibiscus flower by the green end gently pull the stamen off of it. (Stamen= Long hollow piece that is sticking out of the flower). Then you will pierce the needle through the center of the open end of the Hibiscus. Gently pull the flower down the string towards the knots. Continue to string your Hibiscus in the same fashion.

Be very careful when you pull off the stamen. If you pull to hard you may damage a petal. You could use scissors to make a clean cut without all the force.

Note: While pulling the Hibiscus flowers down the string keep an eye on your spacing. This way you will not have to adjust the flowers at the end of the lei making process. The less manipulating of the flowers on the flower lei, the fresher the flowers will appear. Since the Hibiscus flowers are much larger you need to use extreme caution with the petals. Take your time!

Step 5 Final Step: Cut the string from the needle. Tie both ends together making 3 or so knots in the same area.

* If you have the proper Lei needle unhook the string from the needle and tie the two ends together.

How to Preserve your Hawaiian Hibiscus Lei

After you have made your tropical Hibiscus lei you may store it in the following processes:

1) Place the lei in a storage bag.

2) Mist the fresh hibiscus flowers.

3) Place the entire bag in your vegetable drawer in your refrigerator.

You may also be interested in purchasing a tropical flower lei. There are so many different colors and flowers to match any specific need you have.

For stranding other specific fresh tropical floral lei.

For the following tropical flower leis I have included different types of stranding techniques. You may use these different techniques with any of the tropical flowers.

Plumeria

Orchid

Hibiscus are not only used to make these beautiful exotic leis. Find out more information about these hardy plants.