Practical - Crimping, Backcombing and Rats

During this most recent practical hair styling session we learnt how to crimp hair with the crimping irons, how to backcomb hair and how to use rats to create volume in our designs. Just like every time we learn a new skill, we were working on our Mimi heads. We started by crimping Mimi's whole head of hair. This was quite easily executed, the success of the final outcome was dependent on the thickness of the sections crimped and the amount of time the crimpers were left on the hair.

The crimpers could be set to a very high heat of 230 degrees for thicker, stubborn hair, but on Mimi's thin and quite damaged hair I started by using the crimpers on 180 degrees. I sectioned the hair in two halves and worked from the underneath of the hair and up to the front of the head on either side. I found that I only had to hold the crimpers for 4 seconds for a prominent zigzag to form on each section. I quite liked the texture this created, however actually crimping Mimi's whole head was ridiculously boring itself, not to mention it smelt vile. This was a very handy skill to have gained though and I will likely be incorporating it into my designs.

We then brushed out the crimp using a paddle brush which created instant body, it made Mimi's hair seem a lot fuller than it actually was meaning I would be able to create more height with a smaller amount of hair. Then I created a section from the top of the head straight down to just behind the ear. Sectioning off from the bottom and working up, I back combed this small section. When backcombing, the hair needs to be held taught either upwards or outwards, pushing a small toothed comb from the middle of the section of hair towards the root. It helps to keep this pushing motion controlled as it allows the back comb to be brushed out with ease as you're not creating knots. You will know that you're creating backcomb when your comb stops being able to push as close to the root. I already knew how to create backcomb but I was open to some practice as I hadn't put it to use since my scene kid phase in 2009.

We then learnt how to create a bouffant with a rat. Rats are hair inserts made from tissue paper in tights or more expensive versions are usually made from foam in netting. The net allows the stylist to thread pins through it and into the models hair so that it is secured to the head.

We were shown two different ways to do this. The first one that I tried was using the section of hair that I had just backcombed again; from the middle part down to just behind the ear. Working from the back of the head I pulled the section backwards and I took the 'rat' and placed it underneath the very ends of the section of hair. I then rolled the rat under on itself, inwards towards the roots so that the hair was wrapped around the rat. I then secured the rat to the head using Kirby grips and worked the hair over it so this it wasn't visible thought the bouffant from any angle, moving sections and securing them further with hair pins.  

The second technique created the same look however we were able to make sure that the rat was held more securely on the head. This would be more appropriate when shooting a scene in a film as it will withstand more movement whereas the other technique would be fine for a photo shoot where less movement is involved. This technique involves creating a small French plait at the back of the section of hair you are trying to manipulate. I took the same section that I used for the other bouffant but on the other side of the head and weaved a small, tight French plait. I then folded this plait over alongside itself and pinned it securely to the head with Kirby grips. This was what I was going to pin my rat to in order to keep it stiff and stable underneath the hair. Instead of rolling the hair over the rat this time, I pinned the rat in place before trying to style the hair going over the top of it. I tucked the hair underneath the rat once it had been pinned to the plait and pinned it into place with hair pins and Kirby grips.

 
I was able to create both bouffants with little stress but personally I found that I created a cleaner style when using the second technique. I was able to hand the hair with more control when I wasn't trying to roll the rat in at the same time as keeping the hair tight around it, therefore if incorporate bouffants into my designs then I will be using the second technique. Overall I enjoyed the session and felt confident in my ability to perform all skills learnt when the two hours were up.

Elizabethan hair styling research

(When reading please use your cursor to highlight the text as some of the font won't change colour and disappears into the background so it looks like large gaps but it isn't!)



In order to gain a better understanding of the hair styles that were in fashion during the Elizabethan era I conducted some research so that I could begin to gather a better idea of what would be best to incorporate into my own designs. I started on the internet and found numerous sites focused on Elizabethan fashion and the styles of the era.

The Elizabethans were very big on symbolism and they were very good at creating  powerful messages in their imagery through the use of certain objects, fashion and places. What I found out about the symbolism of hair styling in the Tudors was that young women kept their hair long and practically un-styled displaying their natural beauty. The long flowing hair of a young girl was a sign of a virgin, therefore this was the favoured hairstyle for Elizabethan brides on their wedding days. they would fill their hair with fresh flowers and pearls; two other symbols of purity and virginity. When a woman was wed she wore her hair pinned up with the majority of her hair being covered by some form of hair piece e.g a bonnet or a cap. Long hair was generally dressed in a bun or plaited to which numerous head coverings could be pinned to. The front and sides of the hair were the main focus as these was the area that was most displayed. Having a far back hair line was seen as a symbol of an individuals wisdom, the higher the forehead, the wiser they were. These are all aspects that I should consider applying to my own designs.  

I started way back looking at images created in Elizabeth I's era. She had many portraits composed of herself as queen though very few created of her when she was only a princess. The few portraits of Elizabeth as a younger woman show her in gowns of red and gold, wearing pearls and with her red hair parted in the middle and sleeked back into some sort of hair piece. This style is very understated and has very few similarities to the styles that she is shown to have worn in her later life, featured in her more well known portraiture.

I went on to look at portraits of her through her period as queen and found that her hair styles and pieces became more elaborate and lavish. There were a few themes that stayed consistent throughout these portraits though and that was her red hair, pearls and the shapes of her styles. Worked around these constants, elements were changed in the texture, the height, the number of embellishments and the harshness of her hair styles.

I saw a lot of the techniques that we had learnt in practical lessons in these styles and it helped me to understand how they had been created. However, it came to my attention that in the Elizabethan era they wouldn't have had the luxury of using curling tongues or crimping irons to create these textures. So I decided to look into how they created these textures without the use of heat and found that it was through the use of plaiting intricate styles into the hair; another skill we had been taught in our practical lessons. This made me more confident that I would be able to create a style that looked Elizabethan, as well as giving me some ideas as to what I could achieve with these skills.

I continued my research aiming to find out more about the different types of hair pieces commonly worn in the Tudors. There were numerous that I found out about:

The Coif  was mostly worn by all children. Made of white linen, a close fitting cap tied under the chin usually used as caps to keep hair in place under more elaborate garments. 
The French hood was a garment made popular in the time Anne Boleyn; Queen Elizabeth I's mother. A half moon shaped hair band,  often embellished with pearls or jewels, with a veil attached to the back covering the hair.
The Atifet is very similar to the French hood, instead with a heart shaped crescent rather that a half crescent and adorned with lace trimmings instead of pearls.
The Caul was essentially an Elizabethan hair net. Usually worn to cover all of the hair or just buns and plaits on the back of the head. Upper class women often wore them embellished with jewels and pearls. 
The Pillbox like a poor mans French hood. It also had a veil on the back but was very basic in shape and style.

None of these head pieces had me inspired, nor did I really like the look of them. If anything I felt that they would restrict my creativity for my designs, I would prefer to see how much I can do with the most amount of hair I could use. The only one that gave me any ideas was the Caul. I like the idea of using gems and pearls in my designs, however I wouldn't want them attached to netting or on a hair garment. Instead I would personally place them in the seams of plaits or on the edges of buns, possibly lining the hair line to create that harsh line shown in portraiture.

This made me think that maybe I was likely to be more inspired by contemporary adaptations of Elizabethan styles. I always thought that this would be the case, I'm most often drawn to up to date styles or the newest thing, rather the styles that these have been originally derived from. I searched 'Contemporary Elizabethan hair styling' and the first few hundred results for this were other peoples blogs on this course! I had a small look on other people blogs from last year and other years and felt like I was cheating, however I was very inspired. I thought it would be best to look at the images that matched my search and find websites this way instead.

Pinterest was the website that I found both of these images from and many more, it is somewhere that I will be using often to find inspiration for my designs. Just looking at both of these images I was able to see how both of them show an Elizabethan style however they are completely different in so many elements.  My research has given me a lot to think about as there are many different directions that I could go when designing my contemporary Elizabethan hair style. I could keep the classic Elizabethan shape but using different textures than those that would have been used in the Tudors or vice versa. I could make the design itself quite simple but give it the Elizabethan style by adoring the hair with lots of pearls and jewels. I could create a very tight, intricate and detailed style or I could go big, textured and soft. I will play around with ideas using both Mimi and real people with different hair textures. 

The dangers of hairdressing: Skin conditions.

When working in an industry where you almost always in very close proximity to people, it is important to know what risks you may be taking when working on a particular client. By giving the client a consultation form before each appointment or viewing, not only are you preventing yourself from catching any skin conditions you are also preventing yourself from passing these onto other people you may work on prior to this. This will keep your business running smoothly as no one will be coming back to you with complaints and you will have enough knowledge of each client to know how to keep them safe and comfortable when in your hands. An average client consultation form looks something like this:

 

Not contagious

Scientists still don't know exactly what causes Psoriasis, they do know that the immune system and genetics play major roles in its onset. Usually something triggers psoriasis then the skins cells grow at an abnormally fast rate, which causes lesions. It is not a contagious disease.

 

One of the most common places for Eczema to develop is the scalp. The most common type of scalp eczema is known as seborrheic dermatitis and its most well known symptom is dandruff. It not contagious its often embarrassing for the individual suffering from the condition. 

 

Contagious

Shingles blisters can cause a sensitive and infected scalp. The infection can result in bald patches if you aren't careful abut how you treat the rash. Shingles are caused by the reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles can be contagious to those who haven't had the chicken pox virus.  

 

 

Folliculitis is a common skin condition in which hit follicles become inflamed, often as a result of a bacterial infection or a fungal infection. It can spread and turn into non-healing sores and severe infections can cause permanent hair loss and scarring. Although most cases of folliculitis are not contagious, cases cause by infection can be passed between individuals thorough skin on skin contact of the affective areas. 

Its important to know which skin conditions can be contagious and which ones can't so you're not putting yourself or your other clients at risk of catching them.

 

Practial - Curling

During our second practical, I again worked on Mimi's hair using a cylinder barrel curling tongue to create two different types of curl. I enjoyed this session more than the previous lesson as it was something that I have wanted to try doing for a while now. I have never had a set of my own curling tongues, I have had numerous different curling wands and don't like using them. Not only are they the easiest thing to burn yourself on ever invented, but they also create really tight curls, which I don't particularly like the look of on myself. Furthermore, you are often left with straight ends unless you're utterly fearless and are willing to hold your fingers so close to the barrel. I have instead been creating curled styles on myself with straighteners for the past 6 years instead, so I feel very confident when doing this. I find it a lot easier to control the tightness of the curl when using straighteners and if I do create a curl too tight then I can just run the irons back over it and drop the curl. An added bonus is that I have, as of yet, had very few incidents where I have managed to burn myself on my actual straightening irons.

If I had to place the curling tongues on a scale of how many times I burnt myself, with straighteners being at one end and curling wands at the other, I think I would put them dead in the middle. I think with a little more practice though, they could easily start moving down the scale towards my straightening irons. I found I was mostly being burnt because I was holding the curl when it was fresh off of the iron and still steaming not because I was getting to handsy with the barrel.

The first curl that we created was a vertical curl. What I used to create this style was:

• A paddle brush
• Cylinder barrel curling tongues (medium)
• Kirby grips
• A pin tail comb
• Hair clips

Step 1:
Start by brushing the hair through with the paddle brush so that there are no knots or tangles as heat will make them a lot harder to get out later on. This should be the first rule when attempting to create any hair style.

Step 2:
Separate a small section from the back of the neck away from the rest of the hair. Pin the section that you won't be working on for the time being, on to the top of the head with a hair clip so its completely out of the way of the smaller section you just created.

Step 3:
Take a smaller square section from the loose hair you sectioned off. Take your curling tongue and open the clamp on the barrel and wrap the hair around the barrel while keeping the top of the iron pointing straight up at all times. Make sure not to twist the hair onto the barrel as the heat wont be distributed as evenly and your curl wont be sleek. When all of the hair is wrapped around the barrel, release the clamp so that you don't have to hold the hair anymore, still keeping the barrel pointing upwards.

Step 4:
Count  6-10 seconds while holding this, depending on the thickness of the hair and the size of the section you wrapped on the tongue. Then open up the clamp again and wiggle it side to side slightly while moving the iron downwards, to remove the hair from the tongues. If you're having trouble getting the hair off of the barrel, use your pin tail comb to push it off to avoid burning your fingers.

Step 5:
Take a Kirby grip and while the curl is still holding itself in the same cylinder shape that it was on the
barrel, pin it to the head and allow it to cool.

Step 6:
Having repeated this technique all over the head, starting at the bottom of the head where you created your first curl, remove all of the Kirby grips from your models hair, allowing the curls to fall loose.



The second type of curl we created was using nearly the exact same technique with only one small difference that creates a completely different look. This curl is called a horizontal curl and it creates more lift and volume. Follow the exact same steps that I just listed for the vertical curl but in step 3, instead of holding the barrel pointing upwards at all times, hold it horizontally, with the top of the barrel pointing to the side at all times.

Due to the fact that curling is quite time consuming, during this practical we all created half a head of horizontal curls and half a head of vertical curls. We then moved onto brick work. Brick work is a type of structure used when creating curled and crimped styles to make sure that there aren't many gaps in the style where the hair is curled away from itself. Its called brick work as it is the same pattern used by brick layers when building a wall.



To practice creating brick work, we sectioned off a triangular section at the back of the head and pinned the sides up with a hair clip. Using this technique you need to think of the section in rows and how many curls will go into each row so that it looks like brick lay as you can see to the right.

The curl that I like the look of and enjoyed creating the most was the vertical curl. It falls more naturally and looks more sleek than the horizontal curl. I feel that if I wasn't to create lift I could use other methods to create volume before curling the hair instead of trying to create both at the same time and having a confused looking curl as a result.

This is definitely a style that I will be incorporating into my work and from here and I intend to try working with smaller and larger barrels and sections to see the variation in looks I can create.

Practical - Buns and Plaits

For our first practical we worked on our 'Kate' dolls head. I have renamed mine Mimi due to the fact that Kate is me, therefore it seemed appropriate. I have only ever worked with a training head a few times before, I am a lot more accustomed to working on human beings and obviously there is quite a difference between the two. One can feel when you are being too rough or if you burn them and can tell you about it, where as the other cannot. Furthermore, Mimi's roots are quite separated and I found it harder to get clean sections. Also, her hair is not in the best condition and is rather short so some styles that I design in the future I may prefer to practice on actual people. Despite this, Mimi was a very quiet and polite client and I couldn't fault her for that.

When working on any model, even if you have worked on them before, you should always conduct a consultation with the client asking about their hair type and its condition, if they have any allergies or medication that may prevent you from working on the client in way that safe for both you and them.

For this practical, we didn't apply any products to the hair. We were told that we were allowed to apply products when using these techniques in the future in order to create our desired look if that involved needing a better hold, shine or matte finish etc. However, for this practical we were working on clean, untouched hair. Mimi's hair is naturally pretty straight, which I know from experience, is a lot easier to work with when creating plaits. I don't have a lot of experience in styling buns, in the past I have used what I call 'donuts', to create the bun shape by simply smoothing the hair over the top of the hair piece and pinning it around the bottom. However, during the practical, we were shown how to create the same style of bun that I had been creating but without the need for a 'donut'. This makes things a lot easier for the stylist, because if they don't have the correct sized hair piece for the client then they can't create the desired look, but this technique allows creation of any sized bun (dependent on the length of the models hair obviously) without any hair pieces at all.  

To create the bun we used:

• A small elastic hair band
• Kirby grips
• Hair pins
• A Pintail comb
• Paddle Brush

Step 1 - 
To begin with I brushed the hair through with the paddle brush to make sure that it wasn't tangled or knotted, as this would make manipulation of the hair rather difficult.

Step 2
Due to the length of Mimi's hair, I had to section off the top and bottom layers from the back of her head, top of the left ear to the top of the right, and work with the top section only. We created these sections because we wanted the bun to sit on the top middle of her head, around where her crown would be (if she had one), and the bottom sections of her hair are not long enough to reach up and into a bun that high on her head. We kept these sections separated by brushing the hair from the top section into the small elastic hair band creating a small pony tail on the top of Mimi's head where we want our bun to sit.

Step 3
I then started to create sections in the pony tail its self. I needed 4 all together so I made sure to take quarter sized pieces of the ponytail to work with. Each piece I took individually, however if you wanted to make sure that each section was the correct size, you could create all four section and use a hair pin or Kirby grip to separate them from one another before moving onto Step 4.

                                          Step 4
Each of the four sections you will hold up and backcomb with your pintail comb in order to the made the hair look fuller and create a better hold. You're aiming to create a hidden backcomb, so you're working with the side of the section that is facing outwards when held vertically up. Using your pin tail comb you take it through from the middle of the hair pulling down towards the roots. You're essentially brushing the hair the wrong way.

Step 5
With your Kirby grips on hand, you then curl the section out and under, to create a loop in the hair. Using a Kirby grip, you secure the section to the head by taking the pin in the opposite direction you want it to go first and then turning it under on itself with the ridged side against the scalp.

 Step 6
Continue to do the same with each of the four sections, making sure each section is pinned evenly and are able to match up to create a circle. When you have finished doing this you will have what I think looks like a four leaf clover shape where you want your bun to be.

Step 7
Taking your pin tail comb, you then start to move and manipulate the hair on either side of all four sections in order blend them with each section beside them. You can use your fingers for this part, however you may find that you are in fact creating more little sections in the bun by doing this than using the comb. Once all the hair is in place, secure it with a hair pin or two. This will hold the hair in place but it won't hold much weight, that's why we use both Kirby grip and pins for this style.  You'll know when you've finished creating the style because you will have a perfectly round, full looking bun with no gaps.

As well as this we practiced another style of bun, this one is a lot quicker and simpler in both technique and aesthetic.

What I used for this bun was:

• A pintail comb
• Kirby grips

Step 1
Using your pintail comb, brush all of the hair to the nape of the neck. Depending on how much hair the model has, you can secure this with and elastic hair band or you can have it loose. Usually if the

model has a lot of hair then its easier to manipulate the hair once its secured. You can create this style anywhere on the head, just like the bun above, I personally prefer it low down on the neck and slightly to the side.

Step 2
Holding all of the hair in a pony tail, begin twisting the section, turning your hand upwards each time until you have created a tight twist.

Step 3
Then take the twist and coil it around the base of the hair where the elastic band is/would sit and secure the end with a Kirby grip taking the pin in the opposite direction you want it to go first and then turning it under on itself with the ridged side against the scalp.

Step 4
Use hair pins to hide and loose ends.


Another style very similar to this that we learned how to create was a plaited bun. The only difference between this plaited bun and the twisted bun above is that instead of twisting the pony tail in Step 1, you plait it and it creates a completely different look. What I like about the plaited bun is that although its very simple technically, it looks quite intricate, especially on long hair.




We then moved on the plaits, we started with a French braid. For this I used:

A paddle brush
A small elastic hair band

1. You start by  brushing the hair through and removing all knots and tangles as it will be very hard to weave the hair when it doesn't separate. This is why I prefer to braid straight hair.

2. Firstly take a small section from the top front of the head. Separate this section into 3 strands and cross the right section over middle and then left over middle as well, as if you were creating a normal plait.

3. Take all three strands into your left hand, keeping them separated. With your right hand gather a small even section from the right side of the head and add it to the strand closest to the right hand side.

4. Bring the strand you have just added to, over to the middle and bring the middle strand to the right.

5. This time take gather some hair from the left side of the head and add it the strand closest to the left hand side and cross this into the middle. Remember to keep your hands close to the head and your elbows in to make sure that the plait is tight.

6. Continue to do this until you reach the nape of the neck and you have no more sections to gather and add to your plait. Then from the bottom of the head, plait downwards as normal and secure at the bottom of your plait with a small elastic hair band.

The final style that we created during this practical was a fish tail plait. This style is very contemporary and modern and to create it I used:

• A paddle brush
• A small elastic hair band

1. Using the paddle brush, brush the hair back into a ponytail at the nape of the neck.

2. Divide the ponytail into equal halves.

3. Separate a small section of hair from the outside/ back of the left ponytail and pull this piece over the top of the left ponytail and add it to the right ponytail making sure you don’t twist the strand.

4. Do the same thing on the other side and continue crossing stands over from one side to another, alternating from the right ponytail to the left.

5. When you have no hair left to work with, use small elastic hair band to secure the bottom of you braid.