Curls and frizz

Elizabethan hair was often crimped, or styled in tight curls which would have been created using a thin hot tong, much like today. Sometimes the crimps were very fine and frizzy, other times they were styled in a larger wave. 
The first picture shows a clear heart-shaped hair style, helped by the addition of a jewel in the centre of the hairline to create a widow's peak effect. While the hair on her head appears frizzy, the tendrils left down either side of Elizabeth's neck are not so much frizzy, as bumpy. 
In the second portrait the hair appears to have been tightly curled, rather than crimped. Again, the jewel in the centre of the forehead gives a heart-shaped effect, but the hair is mostly rounded. 
The third picture  has a much more round-shaped hair style, and the tight curls appear to have been brushed out slightly to make them slightly more frizzy; a mixture of the two. 

I had a look at modern examples of curls and frizz, finding variation through how they are brushed out or left in defined zigzags, or styled much more naturally.

Here is some practice I did in class. Using a fine pin, I wove a section of hair around the two lengths of the pin in a figure-of-eight style, secured the end with a bobby pin and then clamped the hair with hair straighteners for a few seconds. Once cooled, i removed the pins and was left with a larger, zigzag wave, perfect for tendrils like in some portraits of Queen Elizabeth. I tried brushing out these waves and was left with a much frizzier effect, which would be good for covering padded hair to create a generally frizzy, curled or textured look. 
I styled two larger sections just behind the hairline into a heart shape, by crimping the hair, brushing it out to create volume, and then twisting the hair up into rolls and securing with pins.

Technical hair lesson 3 notes

Crimping - creates instant volume and texture, makes hair mouldable 

• Take small sections of the hair and press between crimper, then release and move down length of the hair repeating
• Repeat all over head
• Brush out to stop hair sitting in separate sections and release volume

Backcombing - adds volume and makes hair mouldable

• Take small section of hair and place pintail comb near root on side that will not be visible once hair is moulded
• Gently pull hair towards root, repeating further up the length of hair if more volume is required
• Repeat with further sections of hair
• Hair can then be pushed over and gripped into shapes

Hair rats - adds a more solid structure and volume, requires less hair to be used up to make a shape

• Stuff a section of tights (match tights to hair colour) with couch roll/wadding/backcombed hair
• Method 1: place the rat at the end of a section of hair an roll it towards the scalp, then pin into place and arrange hair to cover and visible parts of rat showing through
• Method to: make a small plait beneath the section of hair that will be covering the rat as an anchor. Pin the rat to the anchor, then cover with the section of hair. Loose ends can be tucked under the rat with a pintail comb. Pin into place. 

(rat rolled into hair)

                (rat pinned to plait) 

(rat secured with anchor) 

Evaluation:
I thoroughly enjoyed this technical session as I have not tried crimping before, nor have I used hair rats. I liked how much volume was created, and felt like I learnt a lot of techniques that could be used in Elizabethan hairstyles. 

Elizabethan hair and modern similarities

Hairstyles that are most recognised as being 'Elizabethan' tended to have volume, shape and texture. The frizz or curls would be moulded with wire and padding into rounded or heart-shaped styles, and then decorated with jewels, pearls, chains, hats, feathers, lace, veils, and more.
Typically, wealthy people would wear these styles, possibly because of how long they would take to create, and their durability would be improved compared to on a working class girl.

Here are some modern images that I felt inspired by, which had similarities with Elizabethan styles, due to the volume, heart shapes, colour, plaits and adornments. 

In class I experimented with plaiting, and I tried to do a french plait that spiralled from along the hairline into the middle of each side of the head. I quite liked how this made a subtle heart shaped out of the hair, in theme with Elizabethan styles. I left some hair at the nape of the neck as tendrils that I could curl or crimp, like in some Elizabethan portraits. I like this practiced piece, however my technique would need to be polished and the finished work neatened. I could add adornments such a ribbon woven through the plait. 

Technical hair lesson 2 notes

Curling
Spiral curls: standard curls. Holding tongs upright, grip hair at end of section in clamp, use pintail comb to wrap any thin ends around tong to avoid 'fish hook' ends, then being to roll tong towards head. Hold for about 10 seconds, then press clamp to release hair. Pin the curl, rolled up, against the head to set the shape while it curls. Repeat all over head, curling hair in different directions to avoid all the hair falling the same way. 

Tong curls: a less 'conventional' looking curl, gives more volume. Holding tongs horizontally, follow same technique, but hold tongs higher so as to roll down towards the head, placing the tongs right on top of the section for the 10 seconds. Once released, pin the curls into place again to set the shape.  

Once cooled, remove grips and run fingers through curls to loosen them. 

(spiral)(tong)

To add extra body and style, turn model's head upside down and shake through curls with fingers.

(spiral)(tong)

Curls can then be backcombed and styled to create the desired look.

Evaluation:

 Curling hair proved to be more difficult than I first thought. For starters, getting used to using curling tongs with a clamp instead of a wand, and juggling combs and clips and grips was a bit of a struggle. Also, I need to be careful about the direction of my curling; sometimes a few too many curls all fell the same way, or at the front of the head the hair would fall over the face instead of to the side. However, I am quite happy with the result of my first try and really enjoyed the practical session. 

Technical hair lesson 1 notes

• Three buns: 
• take four sections, backcomb at the roots, roll and pin them near the hairband, then spread out the sections and connect them with fine pins

• twist whole ponytail, wrap around hairband and pin end against start of ponytail, pin any loose parts into place
• plait whole ponytail and repeat as with twisted version

• Three plaits:
• Normal plait; three sections, cross right section to middle, then left section to middle, and continue

• French plait; take three small sections at the root of the hair, cross right section to middle, then left, then before continuing with the right section again, add an extra section of hair from the scalp to it. Do the same on the left side.

• Fishtail plait; take two sections of hair, take a small section from the back of the right section and cross it over, adding it to the back of the left section. Repeat from the left side to the right. Pull apart slightly one the plait is finished to create a messy look.

Evaluation:

I enjoyed this practical session and found it quite easy as I have practiced these hairstyles before, giving me a confidence boost. I am now looking forward to learning more challenging hairstyles.