My Journey with the Elizabethans- My Final Hair Design- Step by Step Instruction Pack

Although Kira and I have been practicing for her Assessment and she is clear with the looks she is creating, I have created a pack for her that will has Step by Step Instructions of how to create my Final Make Up and Hair Designs.  Below is a scanned copy of Step by Step Instructions for my Hair Design.

My Journey with the Elizabethans- Texture Inspiration (Ribbon)

Image Credit: The Merry Dressmaker: More Fine Examples of Extant Costuming. (Online) Available at: http://themerrydressmaker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/more-fine-examples-of-extant-costuming.html.  Accessed 29 November 2013. 

As part of my hair design, I want to incorporate some sort of decoration made out of ribbon, I believe ribbon adds a real Elizabethan touch, along with the more intricate detail I plain to add on the face as part of my Make Up Design.  After looking at some Elizabethan clothing, it seems that velvet and satin textures were most popular, so for my design I will try to incorporate these textures.

Image Credit: Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: Period Costume - who wore it best?. (Online) Available at: http://enchantedserenityperiodfilms.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/period-costume-who-wore-it-best.html.  Accessed 29 November 2013.

My Journey with the Elizabethans- Practising my Final Hair Design.

The first step to creating my look, is to section the hair back from behind the ears, leaving some hair at the front to be crimped and shaped.  With the hair that you have sectioned off at the back, brush this into a sleek, tidy ponytail, ready to be put into a bun.  I decided to use a donut to create my bun, this way it was easiest to incorporate the ribbon, and to create a sturdy shape as my hair is naturally quite thick. I secured the bun and ribbon with kirby grips and finishing pins.  For the actual assessment I will use Red and Green Ribbon, I practiced with blue as I wanted to save the other, extra textured ribbon for the day incase there were any mistakes.

Next, with the hair left at the front of the head I created a centre parting.  I then went onto crimp the front section of my hair, making sure the crimp was right from the roots, to create a frizzy, Elizabethan texture.  I then brushed this out, and backcombed the hair to create extra volume which helped me to create a better shape. 

As there wasn't a huge mass of hair left at the front of the head, and my hair is naturally thick anyway, I didn't need to use any padding to create my desired shape.  After backcombing my hair, I pulled the hair back and pinned it in place with kirby grips and finishing pins to create the typical Elizabethan heart shape. 

This image here shows my completed, practised look.  I'm really pleased with the final outcome, and I think the stark difference between the frizzy texture and sleek, pulled back bun show both Modern and Elizabethan ideals.  If I was to improve anything for the final look it would be the colour of the ribbon, I am going to purchase some green and red ribbon for my Final Assessment as to me, these are very royal colours and will compliment my Make Up Design, creating a look that flows throughout. 

My Journey with the Elizabethans- Presenting My Journey to the Class

As part of our Project, we were asked to present our Journey with the Elizabethans to our classmates.  We each created a PowerPoint presentation consisting of some research, inspiration and the ideas we had created.  This task was a great way to share our creative ideas, as well as to being able to be given any constructive feedback from Seema and the rest of the girls. 

My Journey with the Elizabethans- My Final Chosen Hair Design...

Image Credit: Alexander McQueen - Spring/summer 07 hair trends - step back in time - handbag.com. 2013. (Online) Available at: http://www.handbag.com/beauty/i448786/springsummer-07-hair-trends-step-back-in-time-alexander-mcqueen.html. Accessed 27 November 2013.

These images here show how I would like my final Contemporary Elizabethan Hair Design to look from the back and the front.  The image of the back of the hair,  portrays how The Elizabethans loved to use lots of texture in their hair, usually created by using things like ribbon, so to create an Elizabethan twist on this hairstyle, I would wrap ribbon around the bun to create texture, as well as adding some pretty decoration. The style at the back of the hair would be sleek and defined, however the front would be shaped into the typical Elizabethan heart shape and crimped to create the frizzy texture that the Elizabethans desired.  I think this will create an aesthetically pleasing style, and the difference between the sleek style and frizzy texture will show that the style has both Modern and Elizabethan ideals.  I will not be incorporating the plaits into the bun, because after experimentation with ribbon and plaits the bun looks too crowded.

My Journey with The Elizabethans- My Timed Assessment- Self Evaluation

Today (25/11/13), I completed my Timed Assessment, during my Timed Assessment which was 1 1/2 hours, I had to apply my partner's Hair and Make Up design, onto them.  Overall, I was pleased with how the Assessment went, as Kira and I had practised several times, I felt I was confident with most elements of both the Hair and the Make Up Application. 

During the assessment I believe I was very hygienic, using hand sanitiser regularly, as well as having a well organised workspace.  Before I carried out any styling I did a consultation form, which I think was very valuable, as I found out the type and condition of Kira's hair, so I had an idea of any problems that needed to be taken into consideration and how to treat her hair.  I feel as I was prepared enough for the assessment and had a clear idea of the look Kira wanted me to create, as we had practiced several times both in studio and outside of classes.  I was very happy with how sleek I managed to get the ponytails before I crimped them, as Kira has a huge mass of hair that is prone to getting knotty very quickly, and is quite fiddly to handle.  Although I was pleased with how I executed Kira's Hair Design under the circumstances, I feel that I could have created a better shape by backcombing her hair more at the roots to give it more volume, and created a rounder, higher shape to emphasise the mohican style.

My Journey with The Elizabethans- Practicing My Partners Final Hair Design

In preparation for my Timed Assessment, Kira and I have been practising how to execute her chosen Hair Design, in the 45 minutes we have to complete it.  Kira's design consists of a crimped, mohican style with very sleek sides.  At first we were going to use a Banana Clip to create the mohican shape, but after advice from Lottie our technical instructor, we were advised of a less time consuming way of creating the look. 

• To start the look, I first sprayed some heat protectant over the hair as we were going to be using Crimpers.  As Kira's hair is very long and prone to getting knotty, I brushed through her hair using a Paddle Brush.
• Next, I took my pintail comb, starting from the bottom of the head, I sectioned her hair into three equal sections that were then tied into ponytails. I made sure the ponytails were very sleek, with no bumps at the sides.  The very top ponytail was secured fairly high on the head.  Once I had created the ponytails, I crimped each one individually, making sure the hair was crimped right from the roots. 
• After I had finished crimping, I heavily backcombed each ponytail right from the root.  I even gently backcombed the rest of the hair to give it more frizzy texture and volume, which would help me create a bigger shape.
• To create the mohican style, I rolled and twisted the hair from each ponytail in various different ways to give height and shape, securing each of these with kirby grips and finishing pins, however I was always making sure that these were not visible. 
• To complete the look, I set the style with hairspray.  A lot of hairspray was needed as Kira has a huge mass of hair that was placed into a very high shape. 

The Hair Studio- Practical Week 7- Crimping the Hair

This week during our practical we learnt all about crimping the hair, after crimping the hair to give it extra texture and most importantly volume, we used a rat to create a big shape.

Crimping the Hair:

1. Before styling the hair, allow hair to completely dry, because the crimper won't work on wet hair. Be sure to condition your hair and brush out any tangles prior to styling. Plug in the hair crimper, choose the appropriate heat setting and allow it to warm up for a while, the higher the heat setting, the more effective the styling will be. However, you should have done a quick consultation of your sitters hair, so this is when you decided whether a higher or lower setting would be best for the condition of their hair. 

2. You want to style the hair in small sections. Grab a section of hair and gently clamp down the crimper, starting at the roots. Get as close to your scalp as possible without burning it. Hold down for at least five seconds, and then release it. Work your way down to the tips of the section of hair. 

3. Carry on this process round the entire head, making sure that every section of hair is crimped. When you have finished crimping, you can secure the style with hairspray, if your hair tends to not hold a style for very long, then this would be a suitable step.  However if you are going to style it further, wait until you have finished all the styling. 

After crimping the hair, we were then instructed to re-create a certain look that incorporated the crimped style.  The image I was given was a picture of Beyonce, her hair has been styled in a particularly Elizabethan way, with the much desired heart shape and frizzy texture. 

The look I was given to re-create.

Image Credit: Moretta Designs » Elizabethan-oid coolness from Beyonce. 2013.  (Online) Available at: http://morettadesigns.co.uk/elizabethan-oid-coolness-from-beyonce/. Accessed 23 November 2013.

Here is my attempt at re-creating the style, to create the shape, I used a fairly long rat underneath the hair.  Not only did this give extra height, but also a neat, round shape.  

1. After I crimped the hair, I gently brushed through it with a wide toothed comb.  Section off the hair at the front of the head that you would like to cover the rat, and clip the rest back. I then went onto place the rat in the desired position, for this look, it had to be placed fairly near to the front of the head.

2. To secure the rat on the head, take some kirby grips, pierce through the rat and then secure onto the head.  Take the hair you have sectioned off at the front of the head, and pull this backwards over the rat, making sure there are no gaps.  Pin the hair at the back of the rat, making sure that none of the kirby grips or finishing pins are visible.  

3. There may be some remaining hair if your sitter has particularly long hair, be creative with this.  You could roll it up to create an interesting style at the back of the head too. 

The Elizabethans/My Journey with the Elizabethans-The Elizabethan's Use of Jewels...

The use of gems and jewels during the Elizabethan Era was extremely common, they used many different types of jewels for decoration, sometimes using them to symbolise their nobility.  Pearls were an integral aspect of the jewellery . They could be worn singly or in strands and clusters.  They could be clustered to create necklaces and headpieces.  But they could also be sewn to clothing singly, or used to decorate hairstyles.  Elizabethan jewellery was similar to the type of jewellery worn in the modern age - but it was only available to the Nobility or Upper Class.

Image Credit: Jewelry in Elizabethan England. 2013. Jewelry in Elizabethan England. (Online) Available at: http://elizabethancostume.net/jewelry/. Accessed 12 November 2013.

Gold chains and strings of pearls of varying lengths and sizes were the most common type of jewelry worn by both the richer, more royal members of society. The rich sometimes wore several strands of pearls together, I noticed this when researching Elizabethan portraits, especially of Queen Elizabeth. 

Pendants were also very popular, made with jewels and pearls. They often had teardrop pearls hanging from the bottom.  This is where I got my inspiration of using a pearl pendant resting onto the forehead from the crown of the head for one of my hair designs.  This kind of style is both modern but still has the Elizabethan reference. 

Image Credit: Jewelry in Elizabethan England. 2013. Jewelry in Elizabethan England. (Online) Available at: http://elizabethancostume.net/jewelry/. Accessed 12 November 2013.

The Hair Studio- Practical Week 6- Using a Prop to Create Shape- Elizabethan Heart Shape

In this week's practical with Lottie we were taught how to use a simple prop to create the extremely common Elizabethan heart shape.  The prop we used was called a 'rat', easily made by taking a suitable coloured tight for your sitters hair colour, and filling it with wadding.  By wrapping the hair around this it creates an interesting shape and gives the hair considerate volume, much like the Elizabethans desired.

Image Credit: Dial V for Vintage: Easy DIY: Make your own hair donut!. 2013. (Online) Available at: http://dialvforvintage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/easy-diy-make-your-own-hair-donut.html.  Accessed 11 November 2013.

Step 1:  Divide your hair at the ear line, pulling the front half forward, and the rear half back.  Clip the rear half back, you will be able to style this later. 

Step 2:  Take the loose hair in front and create a centre parting, this will give equal volume to each side and create a more realistic heart shape.  Pin one half to the side to keep it out of the way while you style the other half.  I personally curled the hair to give it a bit more texture, remember when curling to always start from the bottom and work your way up to the top. 

Step 3: After this, take a section from each side of the sectioned off hair and the back and create a small plait, pin this up onto the head, this is creating something slightly more sturdy for the rat to sit on and be gripped onto.  Take your rat and grip this onto the plait, first sliding the bobby pin towards you, then turning it and pushing it in the other direction, this will secure it in well.

Step 4: Take the hair at the front of the head, and bring this back over the rat, securing tightly with bobby pins, making sure these are also hidden.  If you model has long hair, don't just leave it hanging, use this to your advantage and bring it back over the rat to create a curly texture, secure this with hair pins.  

Hair simply pinned back over the rat.

Extra hair bought back over the rat, to give a curly, frizzed texture.

The Finished Look.

My Journey with the Elizabethans-My Take on Modern Elizabethan Hairstyles...

Having researched some Elizabethan and Contemporary hairstyles for inspiration for my 'Redheads and Royalty Project',  I had a go at adding Elizabethan detail to a Contemporary hairstyle.  By doing this, the base of the hairstyle is still modern, just with an Elizabethan twist and Elizabethan details.

This hairstyles is based around the very modern bun, a style that many of us wear nowadays, as the creation of props such as a donut makes this style easy to create for even the most inexperienced of us when it comes to hair!  The Elizabethans loved to use lots of texture in their hair, usually created by using things like ribbon, so to create an Elizabethan twist on this hairstyle, I would wrap ribbon around the bun to create texture, as well as adding some pretty decoration.  As well as this, I thought I would add some plaits through the bun, a style that is slightly more modern.  This many not be particularly easy with the hair being in a bun, so when actually creating this style on real hair, I would think about using some small extensions to create the plaits, then securing then with some pins. 

For this style I took a simple up do, and added some Elizabethan style and detail.  Having learnt about a method called frizzing, created by using a pin and wrapping the hair in a figure of 8, I thought a frizzy/curly bun would create quite an interesting and textured look.  Some previous images I have researched also show that the Elizabethans loved using pearls to add decoration to their hairstyles, so I thought adding some pearls throughout the hair would look quite elegant, along with the sweeping fringe.  I also wanted to incorporate a plait through the hair, almost creating a headband, however this did not come out very well on the image as I found a plait quite hard to draw. 

This style is a little bit more intricate and detailed than my previous two ideas.  I decided to take a fishtail plait and add some ribbon through the plait to add some decoration.  The original style had a sweeping straight fringe,  however I thought it might look quite interesting to add a frizzy/ tightly curled fringe, as this kind of curl was extremely common during the Elizabethans. 

My Journey with the Elizabethans- Inspiration from Pride and Prejudice (The Film)

Having watched Pride and Prejudice before, when the term 'Elizabethan' comes to mind, so do those kind of Royal Films and Tv Programmes.  Many of the female characters in the film have similar, although slightly more modern looking hairstyles to the Elizabethans.  They often include a lot of texture, and have been draped with jewels or plaits and ribbon.

 Image Credit: Classical influence in Regency fashion and hairstyles, ... | Period f…. (Online) Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/418201515369220994/.  Accessed 10 November 2013.

In this particular scene of the film I was really drawn to the style of the blondes lady's hair.  I liked how it had been pulled back into a soft undo, draped with only a little decoration.  This is very minimalistic, a style that can be common in the modern day, therefore bringing in contemporary ideals.  The hair also has some texture at the front, but looks to have been kept a little more subtle at the back.  This style to me represents the kind of style the Elizabethans loved, but in an unusual, more flattering, youthful way.

The Hair Studio- Practical Week 5- Curling the Hair

This week during our practical we learnt all about curling the hair.  For this session the aim was to create very tight, barrel curls that would then be formed into a pin curl.

Obviously prior to curling the hair, you would prep the hair normally.  First carrying out a quick consultation, washing the hair and then drying it thoroughly (see my Practical Week 1/2 posts for more info on these steps!).  Having also done a consultation, you would determine whether or not to apply a heat protectant. 

Curling the Hair:

Before curling Bryony's hair.

1. Start off by brushing through the hair, making sure that all knots and tangles are removed, this will make it easier to work through the hair.  Starting from the bottom of the head, take a small section of hair, if your client has long hair, wrap the end around the tong so it is neatly in the barrel, laying flat.  Turn your tong towards the head, getting as close to the root as possible, if you are unsure of how close to get to your sitters head, place a comb at the root and rest your tong against that.  You should have also decided whether you want your curls to fall forwards or backwards.  Whichever you decide, make sure you follow this on the other side of the head, so that the style is symmetrical. 

2.  Keep the hair wrapped around the tong for around 12 seconds, then gently turn your curl out once, and slowly press the lever, releasing the curl and gently pulling it off the barrel.  You will be left with a very tight curl, and in order to keep its shape, its best to cold set it.  To cold set your curls, all you have to do is place a bobby pin round it. 

3. Follow this process, working upwards, still making sure that your sections are small and even and that you are cold setting your girls each time.

4. After you have finished curling the remaining hair, you can now take the pins out.  Again with this step, start and the bottom and work your way up. You can set these curls with some hairspray if necessary, the picture below gives you an idea of what the curls should look like.

5. The last step of the curling process is to create your pin curls.  Remembering to always work from the bottom of the hair upwards. take one of your curls, and wrap it between your thumb and forefinger to create a small loop. Continue rolling upwards in a spiral until you reach the head. Use a bobby pin to pin this spiral to the roots of your clients hair.

My Journey with the Elizabethans/ The Hair Studio- Frizzing using a Geisha Pin

During our seminar with Seema this week, we experimented with different methods of creating texture. To do this, we simply used a Geisha Pin, took a small section of hair and wrapped the hair around the pin in a figure of 8. 

The first step in creating a frizzy texture.

After we had wrapped the hair around the pin, we took a straightener and gently heated the hair by placing the straightener around the pin and clamping together, making sure that all the hair has been heated.  This allowed us to quickly set the hair in the shape it had created around the pin.

The hair once is had been heated and taking out of the pin.

Hair slightly brushed out.

Hair completely brushed out.

As you can see from the final two pictures, this technique works really well to create the common Elizabethan 'frizzy' texture.  By brushing the hair through gently, then brushing it out completely it allows you to create two different types of texture, a softer frizz and then a harsher, messier frizz.

The Hair Studio/ My Journey with the Elizabethans- Incorporating Ribbon into the Hair

Unfortunately I was ill for Seema's seminar this week, however having spoken to my classmates they told me that during our seminar, they had a workshop on how to incorporate ribbon into the hair.  As I missed doing this in class, I practiced this technique at home. 

I simply twisted the ribbon around the plait, which I think created a really pretty and interesting style.  This would be perfect for our Contemporary Elizabethan Hairstyles as they loved to drape their hair with lots of decoration.