Practical: Curling and Frizzing

Since embarking on our course and beginning to learn techniques that will help us create elizabethan styles, this week has been my favourite.

In our practical session this week we learnt how to frizz and curl the hair, techniques Ive seen numerous times throughout elizabethan styles.

How to Pin Curl hair

Tools & Equipment
- A small barrel curler
- Grips
- A Pintail Comb

1. Section the hair and clip what you aren't working on out of the way, and begin with a section roughly 1cm tall at the nape of the neck. 

2. Take a small square piece of hair from your section and wrap it the end  around your barrel curler, making sure the end of the hair is tucked around nicely and you are holding the tongs horizontally.
3. Roll up towards the roots and hold for roughly 12 seconds
4. To release the pin curl, turn your curler back toward you once and gently wiggle the curl off using the end of your comb. 
5. Do not pull the curl down! Keep the curl tightly round and pin to the head with a grip at the bade of the curl. 
6. Continue this process throughout the rest of the hair making sure to alternate the direction of your curl to avoid gaps in your finished look

A good tip for remembering to alternate the direction of your curls is to just change the way you point your barrel curler each turn. 

It's important to keep your pin curls up whilst the hair cools as the cooling process is what sets the hair in place. If you take your pin curls out whilst they are still hot, your curls will drop much more drastically. 

In this image you can see how I've pin curled the hair on the mannequins head and left it to set. This process was very time consuming, and would be even more so if it were done of a model with thick coarse hair. However, the process itself isn't tricky its just a matter of getting used to treating the hair in smaller sections. 


Whilst the hair 
cooled in to place, I moved on to to practicing the crimping method we had been shown in order to create a 'frizz' effect.

This is my mannequin when I crimped the
sections of hair before brushing.

How to Crimp & Create Frizz

Equipment & Tools
- Crimping Tongs
- Pintail Comb

1. Comb through the hair to remove any knots or tangles.
2. Section the hair and clip the top of the hair out of the way saving a shallow bottom section loose.
3. Starting with your bottom section, take a piece of hair the width of your crimping tongs. 
4. Starting at the root, clamp the piece of hair between the crimping plates and hold for approximately 5 - 10 seconds. Make sure not to pull the hair taught otherwise you will not get the full crimped effect.
5. work your way down the length of the hair until the very bottom.
6. Repeat this with the rest of the hair. 
7. To create 'frizz' comb through the hair with a fine bristle brush. this will separate the crimped strands of hair and create some static to enhance the volume and make the hair even more mouldable. 

My image to the left shows the finished result once i carefully de-pinned the curls and gently pulled them free to reveal a heavily curly style. 

I also brushed through the crimped hair to create frizz, you can see how the crimped hair has grown in volume having been brushed through. 

Overall, I really love both these techniques because of their texture and I think they will be valuable in my representation of elizabethan styles. 

Plaiting & Women's Styles

From what Ive learnt of the Rennaisance period, which spanned from the 14th to 17th century, women's hair was generally very long and manipulated in to upswept that flattered stiffened collars and neck ruffs that were popular. 

(Source: Encyclopedia of Hair: A cultural History, Victoria Sherrow 2006 pg. 329)


Plaiting often formed part of these upswept styles. 

Illustration of 16th Century style
A History of Women's Hairstyles 1967

Take this illustration of a hairstyle dated mid 1500's (around the time Elizabeth reigned). The hair is piled high upon the head finished elegantly and skilfully with a plait that reaches right round from one ear to the other almost in the manner a french hood would. It also appears that the plait s adorned with some sort of decoration, typical of upper class elizabethan styles. 

Looking at contemporary versions of plaiting, Ive come across the style below sported by Beyonce.

Image of Beyonce Knowles
http://tinyurl.com/q28oo5y

The braiding created in this hairstyle reminds me of the French Hood's seen in Elizabeth portraits and hairstyles I've researched. The crown shape is placed nearer the hairline unlike the french hood which is nearer the crown of the head. I think it would be a neat idea to try and recreate the french hood effect using hair, as this could also be easily adorned with items such as ribbon and jewels to add a greater influence of elizabethan styling.

However, Beyonce is known for having versatile hair and is rumoured to wear a weave. I however, had bob length hair. As a designer I need to come up with a look that is suitable for my hair length and type so that my partner (The Stylist) is capable of recreating it.

An example of 'Crown Plaiting'
http://tinyurl.com/mo56yxx

Baring that in mind, I have sourced this image. The woman to the right (unknown) sports an almost identical crown plaiting style as Beyonce. This particular lady has almost identical length to my hair and a very similar texture. This assures me that a similar style could be reproduced. 

Elizabethan Adornments

Through my research in to Elizabethan hair styles and techniques, Ive found that these hairstyles can often be adorned with a number of different objects. i thought it would be a good idea to outline some of these and start to think about how I could begin to adorn my own work. 

A Caul

Portrait of Mary Queen of Scots c.1560 Oil on Canvas by Unknown Artist
(http://tinyurl.com/nga825q)

A caul was a piece of headwear not unlike a small bag which was pinned to the back of the hair and was often accompanied by other headwear like hats or coifs. 

In the image to the left In this image you can see Mary Queen of Scots, who was Elizabeth I's cousin and reigned at the same time, wears an embroidered caul at the back of the head surrounding a bun, also accompanied by a hat. 



Coif

Image of a Coif made 1550-1600, V&A Museum
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O90001/babys-coif-unknown/

A coif is a head covering worn throughout the 16th century and well in to the 17th as well. Quite simply the coif is a fairly close fitting bonnet-like headpiece that is usually made of a light fabric like linen or silk if you were of nobility. It was typically worn for warmth and protection from the elements but for the higher classes it was a sign of respectability for woman and to promote wealth and stays through decoration.

The image to the right features an example of a coif from the elizabethan period. I honestly think they're quite displeasing to the eye and find that they cover too much of the hair. 

French Hood

Portrait of a Young Elizabeth c.1546-7
Attributed to William Scrots
http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/elizface.htm

Anne Boleyn is thought to have originally brought the French hood to England. Its believed that during her stay at the french court she adopted this style and coninued to wear upon her return to england. The early french hood a closely fitting band that often covered the ears with a gradual expansion towards the back. 
French hoods were also sometimes as 'Billiments'. they were often heavily jewelled and decorated by the upper classes. Very often these billiments were matched to the gowns worn by their owners. 

In this portrait of a young princess Elizabeth, she wears a French Hood crafted from a beautifully rich red colour which matched her gown. This headpiece is also adorned with pearls and what looks like gold trim or ribbon. The use of red, gold and pearls gives an overwhelming lllusion of wealth and splendour.

Sources:
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/headwear/snood.html
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/headwear/coif.html
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/headwear/frenchhood.html

From this research in to Elizabethan headwear I tried to incorporate some similar adornments in to my own hair work. 

In this experiment I've tried to weave a piece of ribbon in to my french plaits to give the hair some elizabethan inspired adornments. The reason I think this reflects elizabethan styles is how it weaves in and out of the hair to create a criss cross shape, not unlike that seen in the netting of Elizabethan cauls.
I also tried to reference elizabethan era through my use of colour. Typically during this era those who wore yellow were of a higher social standing as the dye was often produced from saffron and imported from Europe and was therefore very expensive to produce. (Source:http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/color-yellow.htm)

Although I haven't seen many examples of ribbon used in Elizabethan hairstyles, it has been referenced elsewhere. 

Portrait of Jeanne D'Albret
Painted by François Clouet, 1570
 Musée Condé de Chantillyhttp://www.henri-iv.culture.fr/fr/uc/01_00_04
?version=accessible

Take for instance this portrait of Jeanne D'Albret, formerly queen regnant of Navarre. In this portrait it can be seen that orange ribbons have been intertwined within the braiding at the back of the head alongside other adornments. Although the sitter in this painting originates from France, her hairstyle still belongs to the same time period (The Renaissance) and as I've come to learn from previous research, Elizabethan hairstyles were often influenced by french styles. 

Developing my Plaiting Skills

During my practice sessions I was beginning to become frustrated with the way my french plaits were looking when finished. Take for example my second attempt below:

In my second attempt I was disappointed with how it all together looked disorganised and un-refined. on the other hand my fishtail plaiting technique, below, had come along a lot further and was looking very professional and finished stylishly.

I took to my tutor for advice and found that;
1. I was holding my plait much too far away from the head so there was a lot of slack in my finished braid
2. My initial sections weren't accurate enough and that I should divide the hair up using a comb 'like a pencil' to 'draw' my sectioning line in.
3. I needed to start of my braid with a triangular piece and always add new straight sections to the braid that lay directly next to it. 

After taking on board these comments I was able to produce the outcome below.

Looking at these two images i can see a vast improvement from my original attempts. Why? because they look more strategic in method as the sections seem even and symmetical. Ive also managed to keep the braid close the head to it seems to flow down the back nicely. 

Practical: Creating Buns & Plaits

How to create a bun

1.     Comb through the hair, ensuring it is dry throughout and there aren’t any knots.

2.     Create a ponytail at the crown of the head.

3.     Section this ponytail is two 4 equal sections

4.     Starting with the front section, backcomb the back of this section (facing you) to create rigidity

5.     Smooth the front of this piece with the comb

6.     Roll the hair in to a pin curl shape, making sure it remains square and facing straight forward.

7.     Kirby grip this shape in to place by gripping them inside at the back and front of the curl.

8.     Repeat tis process for the other 3 sections

9.     Now use a hair pin to finish the style by manipulating the hair to fill the gaps between the sections. The desired shape is a round bun.

10. The secure your bun slide the hair pins up against the scalp to secure against the head.

This image shows my finished bun on a mannequin head. Overall I think it’s a good effort however it is rather uneven and the overall shape is a bit too square. I think this could be improved through practice, on a model as well as the mannequin.

How to create a conventional plait 

1.   Divide your chosen section of hair in to three equal piece, these will become the strands of your plait.
2.  Take the right section with your right hand and the left section with your left hand, letting the middle hand free
3.   Cross your left section over the middle section. So if your strands started out as ‘ABC’ they now go ‘BAC’
4.   You then repeat this process on the right side and alternate until you have finished your plait.

How to French Braid

1.     Brush the hair ensuring it is dry and there are no knots.

2.     Divide the hair in to section where you want your plait to be.

3.     Starting at the top of your sectioned hair, take an even piece and divide in to 3.

4.     Plait conventionally as normal for three turns.

5.     Now on each plait incorporate a new loose piece of hair next to the section that is to be crossed over.

6.     Continue you this until you reach the end of your sectioned hair and tie off with an elastic band.

This image shows the first French plait I created. For someone that has never French plaited before I feel that it’s a good start. I do feel that it’s a bit too messy and slightly uneven looking which I feel could be rectified by studying the technique further. 

How to Fishtail Plait

1.     Brush through the hair to remove any knots.

2.     Dive your chosen piece of hair in to 2.

3.     Take a small outer piece from one of your sections of hair (it doesn’t matter which you start with)

4.     Cross this piece over and ass it to the other section.

5.     Keep your sections held tight to avoid a loose braid

6.     Now repeat this step with the opposite side and alternate until you run out of hair or reach your desired length.

This is my example of a fishtail plait. I’m quite confident in this technique and I think this shows in my result as the finished look is neat and there aren’t any fly away sections. I do think it could be finished better with some smoothing and further attention to detail.