diff --git a/httpie/client.py b/httpie/client.py
index dbb0c7cf..6eef07b7 100644
--- a/httpie/client.py
+++ b/httpie/client.py
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ def get_requests_kwargs(args):
     # This allows for unicode headers which is non-standard but practical.
     # See: https://github.com/jkbr/httpie/issues/212
     headers = dict(
-        (k.encode('utf8'), v.encode('utf8') if isinstance(v, str) else v)
-        for k, v in args.headers.items()
+        (name, value.encode('utf8') if isinstance(value, str) else value)
+        for name, value in args.headers.items()
     )
 
     kwargs = {
diff --git a/httpie/models.py b/httpie/models.py
index 4327f81d..a91fd696 100644
--- a/httpie/models.py
+++ b/httpie/models.py
@@ -104,7 +104,10 @@ class HTTPMessage(object):
     @property
     def content_type(self):
         """Return the message content type."""
-        return self._orig.headers.get('Content-Type', '')
+        ct = self._orig.headers.get('Content-Type', '')
+        if not isinstance(ct, str):
+            ct = ct.decode('utf8')
+        return ct
 
 
 class HTTPResponse(HTTPMessage):
diff --git a/httpie/plugins/builtin.py b/httpie/plugins/builtin.py
index 6e17ed1c..12038aea 100644
--- a/httpie/plugins/builtin.py
+++ b/httpie/plugins/builtin.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class HTTPBasicAuth(requests.auth.HTTPBasicAuth):
 
         """
         credentials = u'%s:%s' % (self.username, self.password)
-        token = b64encode(credentials.encode('utf8')).strip()
+        token = b64encode(credentials.encode('utf8')).strip().decode('latin1')
         r.headers['Authorization'] = 'Basic %s' % token
         return r
 
diff --git a/httpie/sessions.py b/httpie/sessions.py
index f2002671..7aa370dc 100644
--- a/httpie/sessions.py
+++ b/httpie/sessions.py
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class Session(BaseConfigDict):
 
         """
         for name, value in request_headers.items():
-
+            value = value.decode('utf8')
             if name == 'User-Agent' and value.startswith('HTTPie/'):
                 continue
 
diff --git a/tests/test_defaults.py b/tests/test_defaults.py
index 5922502c..2e64097e 100644
--- a/tests/test_defaults.py
+++ b/tests/test_defaults.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ class TestAutoContentTypeAndAcceptHeaders:
         # JSON headers should automatically be set also for GET with data.
         r = http('POST', httpbin('/post'), 'a=b')
         assert HTTP_OK in r
-        assert '"Accept": "application/json"' in r
+        assert '"Accept": "application/json"' in r, r
         assert '"Content-Type": "application/json; charset=utf-8' in r
 
     def test_POST_explicit_JSON_auto_JSON_accept(self):
diff --git a/tests/test_httpie.py b/tests/test_httpie.py
index 299f2d19..c8b1ec89 100644
--- a/tests/test_httpie.py
+++ b/tests/test_httpie.py
@@ -61,5 +61,5 @@ class TestHTTPie:
     def test_headers(self):
         r = http('GET', httpbin('/headers'), 'Foo:bar')
         assert HTTP_OK in r
-        assert '"User-Agent": "HTTPie' in r
+        assert '"User-Agent": "HTTPie' in r, r
         assert '"Foo": "bar"' in r
diff --git a/tests/test_unicode.py b/tests/test_unicode.py
index f88a0db9..283b432a 100644
--- a/tests/test_unicode.py
+++ b/tests/test_unicode.py
@@ -6,40 +6,40 @@ Various unicode handling related tests.
 from tests import http, httpbin
 
 
-JP_SUN = u'太陽'
+UNICODE = u'太陽'
 
 
 class TestUnicode:
 
     def test_unicode_headers(self):
-        r = http('GET', httpbin('/headers'), u'Test:%s' % JP_SUN)
-        assert r.json['headers']['Test'] == JP_SUN
+        r = http('GET', httpbin('/headers'), u'Test:%s' % UNICODE)
+        assert r.json['headers']['Test'] == UNICODE
 
     def test_unicode_form_item(self):
-        r = http('--form', 'POST', httpbin('/post'), u'test=%s' % JP_SUN)
-        assert r.json['form']['test'] == JP_SUN
+        r = http('--form', 'POST', httpbin('/post'), u'test=%s' % UNICODE)
+        assert r.json['form']['test'] == UNICODE
 
     def test_unicode_json_item(self):
-        r = http('--json', 'POST', httpbin('/post'), u'test=%s' % JP_SUN)
-        assert r.json['json']['test'] == JP_SUN
+        r = http('--json', 'POST', httpbin('/post'), u'test=%s' % UNICODE)
+        assert r.json['json']['test'] == UNICODE
 
     def test_unicode_raw_json_item(self):
-        r = http('--json', 'POST', httpbin('/post'), u'test:=["%s"]' % JP_SUN)
-        assert r.json['json']['test'] == [JP_SUN]
+        r = http('--json', 'POST', httpbin('/post'), u'test:=["%s"]' % UNICODE)
+        assert r.json['json']['test'] == [UNICODE]
 
     def test_unicode_url(self):
-        r = http(httpbin(u'/get?test=' + JP_SUN))
-        assert r.json['args']['test'] == JP_SUN
+        r = http(httpbin(u'/get?test=' + UNICODE))
+        assert r.json['args']['test'] == UNICODE
 
     def test_unicode_basic_auth(self):
         # it doesn't really authenticate us because httpbin
         # doesn't interpret the utf8-encoded auth
-        http('--verbose', '--auth', u'test:%s' % JP_SUN,
-             httpbin(u'/basic-auth/test/' + JP_SUN))
+        http('--verbose', '--auth', u'test:%s' % UNICODE,
+             httpbin(u'/basic-auth/test/' + UNICODE))
 
     def test_unicode_digest_auth(self):
         # it doesn't really authenticate us because httpbin
         # doesn't interpret the utf8-encoded auth
         http('--auth-type=digest',
-             '--auth', u'test:%s' % JP_SUN,
-             httpbin(u'/digest-auth/auth/test/' + JP_SUN))
+             '--auth', u'test:%s' % UNICODE,
+             httpbin(u'/digest-auth/auth/test/' + UNICODE))