BUNS AND PLAITS- TECHNICAL

In this lesson we learnt a couple of different looks that will help us when creating our final design, these looks included, buns, plaits, scalp plaits, fishtail plaits. All of these hairstyles were used in Elizabethan times.

Modern Bun 

We first began by creating a classic bun, Lottie wanted to get that 'hair bun' shape without using an actual hair bun. First I tied the hair back into a bobble making sure it was secure, I then sectioned the ponytail into 4 equal parts. For each section I back combed slightly to make sure the parts would stand in place and give the hair a bit more texture. I then rolled it from the middle and gripped it into place. Once i had gripped the four sections I used a fine wave pin to tease the hair and close any gaps, using the pin stops you from being as heavy handed which could ruin the bun. Once the gaps were closed I gripped them into place to secure them. I think my first attempt at a modern bun was quite good as i got a nice round even shape and all gaps were closed. Although I realised I hadn't put the sections in the right place as only one section of hair should of been at the front to prevent any gaps showing when face forward. 

Wrap around bun

To create this bun I started with a ponytail and then had to twist the hair all the way to the bottom of the ponytail and wrap around the hair tie. This creates a very tight bun on the top of the head, to neaten this up so it didn't stand too tall I pulled the top of the bun towards the scalp and pinned it into place, this made the bun look fuller and neater. This style was very easy to do and will come in handy when creating other hair styles. 

Plait bun 

When creating the plait bun I started with a pony tail again as this keeps the hair secure and in place, I then plaited it all the way down and wrapped it around the bobble. I found this really difficult with the length of the dolls hair as the end result didn't look effective at all and looked quite messy. This bun would definitely look better used on long hair as then you would be able to notice it was a plait wrapped around. 

Regular Plait

We then practised with different type of plaits, staring with the regular three strand plait which I knew how to do. I think small ones of these will look really nice weaving through an Elizabethan hair style. 

Scalp Plait

I then created two types of scalp plaits, one on a full head of hair and one on a smaller section. I found the smaller section alot easier because it was neater and tighter. The one on the full head because slightly difficult to keep tight and my end result looked quite loose. The dolls head has different length layers in her hair which I think made the process difficult. 

Fishtail Plait

The fishtail plait was not the most difficult like I thought it would be, but it was quite time consuming. By wrapping the hair around from the bottom it created a lovely fishtail affect. I like to think of this as a 'posh plait' something you may do for a wedding or a party which suits the Elizabethan Era very well as they liked to dress up.