Faking the coronet hair braid (Tomyshenko's braid)
Remember that discussion way back when on Tomyshenko's braid and hair, and how to do that coronet braid and all that? Well, here's an interesting take from Janis Cortese, the lady who's site I just linked to in my previous comment.
And hsifeng, she gives info on how to fake hair braids, which sound like something the German ladies might have done, from that discussion on fake wool hair braids we had some time back.
Coronet Braid (Timoshenko Braid)
Required: three fairly wide haircombs, or two fairly wide haircombs and a steel hairpin.
I'll admit it. I cheat. I'm unable to hold my arms above my heart for a long period of time (or for any period of time really), and my hair is just not straight and well-behaved, so a true crown braid (a French or Dutch braid that encircles the head) is not possible for me. Instead, I gather my hair at the nape, make one long braid as above. I then place combs to hold the braid around my head and use steel hairpins to tuck the end under the braid and hold it in place; see View 1 for comb placement.
If you're interested in how to do a true crown braid -- and you have the arm strength to manage it -- you'll want to check out this excellent video tutorial. It's not amazingly complex, but it does take some stamina and fairly straight, well-behaved hair. If your hair tends to ... um, expand ... when left down or is wavy-to-curly, this is probably not a possibility for you.
If however, you're interested in the Julia Timoshenko look, then the coronet braid what you're after, just a nape braid pinned around your head like a headband. I also admit that I tend not to wear this; the tugging of the combs is a sensation I find irksome, particularly since it's asymmetrical (I have a nasty braid taper, so the first foot or so of my braid is substantially heavier than the rest of it). Also, since my braid is so thick near my nape, the appearance isn't as symmetrical in general as I'd like. A true Dutch crown would be far better, but alas.
As a result, you'll note that this is a style that can only really be carried off by someone with exceptionally long hair that is also very, very thick -- with no noticeable braid taper. With all respect to the former prime minister, this is simply not a sufficient amount of hair to carry this off without help. If your hair is less than classic length and has a taper, this style will be a challenge.
It's not hard to fake it though, especially if you'd like to do it as a reenactor. Simply buy a quantity of false hair in your own natural color (eBay is a great place for this) and buy some wool roving in a color that will blend with your own natural hair. (Again, eBay is a good place to go, and it's not too expensive.) What you will want to do is felt long, thin pieces of the wool roving and attach the extensions to the long, thin bits of matted wool. These are quite easy to make; just take a long bit of the roving about the thickness of a cigar, and roll it vigorously between your palms under the hottest water you can stand with some dish detergent for sudsing. Soon, you'll have a long, thin bit of matted wool about the thickness of a thin pencil, with nicely tapered ends. It may also be possible to sew the extension hair into the end before the felting process is entirely finished so that the false hair is secured as neatly and inobtrusively as possible in the rat.
Then, when you braid your own hair, you can braid what are effectively long, thin rats in with it; use some mousse or gel to smooth down the inevitable ends that will stick out. By adding various such rats-with-hair-attached and staggering them so that the join doesn't look too obvious, you can end up with a thick braid as long as you desire that will look entirely realistic. Then, pin it up as a coronet braid, pull on your costume, and enjoy yourself.
(She gives links in her writeup which I did not link to in my copy, so if you want to see those links, go to the original.)
Here's the LJ tutorial videos on how to do the true crown braid mentioned in the above commentary. Note that in watching the first minute, this person says she prefers doing her Elizabethan hair taping instead (view her video). Her Eliz hair taping is a little different than the Tudor Tailor ladies show in their book. She also shows how to sew your hair with a ribbon. Seems more like the Italian style, maybe? She got the idea from the movie Elizabeth. She also talks about how it is one of the most comfortable hair styles she uses. And she's got a long length of hair.
Edit: must_sew_faster, this lady is the one you told me about before! heehee.
Edit 2: And watching another video of hers, using oils in hair, like olive or coconut oils, before braiding the hair or washing, would help with flyaways. This would be helpful for me when doing the French hood, I think. I usually have freshly washed hair for events, yet I need the oils in the hair for the braiding, so coconut, which I have for soap making and cooking, will now be my hair oil, too.
Edit 3: I guess this means I will be growing out my hair, to do these fun looking braids. Why couldn't I have just decided to do this earlier, when I had long hair, and would now have even longer hair. At least I can do a little more to take care of what I have, to make that longer hair nicer - like wearing braids, oiling it occasionally, and whatall. I can also spend this time finding cute hair sticks and clips that are worthy of pretty future braids.
And hsifeng, she gives info on how to fake hair braids, which sound like something the German ladies might have done, from that discussion on fake wool hair braids we had some time back.
Coronet Braid (Timoshenko Braid)
Required: three fairly wide haircombs, or two fairly wide haircombs and a steel hairpin.
I'll admit it. I cheat. I'm unable to hold my arms above my heart for a long period of time (or for any period of time really), and my hair is just not straight and well-behaved, so a true crown braid (a French or Dutch braid that encircles the head) is not possible for me. Instead, I gather my hair at the nape, make one long braid as above. I then place combs to hold the braid around my head and use steel hairpins to tuck the end under the braid and hold it in place; see View 1 for comb placement.
If you're interested in how to do a true crown braid -- and you have the arm strength to manage it -- you'll want to check out this excellent video tutorial. It's not amazingly complex, but it does take some stamina and fairly straight, well-behaved hair. If your hair tends to ... um, expand ... when left down or is wavy-to-curly, this is probably not a possibility for you.
If however, you're interested in the Julia Timoshenko look, then the coronet braid what you're after, just a nape braid pinned around your head like a headband. I also admit that I tend not to wear this; the tugging of the combs is a sensation I find irksome, particularly since it's asymmetrical (I have a nasty braid taper, so the first foot or so of my braid is substantially heavier than the rest of it). Also, since my braid is so thick near my nape, the appearance isn't as symmetrical in general as I'd like. A true Dutch crown would be far better, but alas.
As a result, you'll note that this is a style that can only really be carried off by someone with exceptionally long hair that is also very, very thick -- with no noticeable braid taper. With all respect to the former prime minister, this is simply not a sufficient amount of hair to carry this off without help. If your hair is less than classic length and has a taper, this style will be a challenge.
It's not hard to fake it though, especially if you'd like to do it as a reenactor. Simply buy a quantity of false hair in your own natural color (eBay is a great place for this) and buy some wool roving in a color that will blend with your own natural hair. (Again, eBay is a good place to go, and it's not too expensive.) What you will want to do is felt long, thin pieces of the wool roving and attach the extensions to the long, thin bits of matted wool. These are quite easy to make; just take a long bit of the roving about the thickness of a cigar, and roll it vigorously between your palms under the hottest water you can stand with some dish detergent for sudsing. Soon, you'll have a long, thin bit of matted wool about the thickness of a thin pencil, with nicely tapered ends. It may also be possible to sew the extension hair into the end before the felting process is entirely finished so that the false hair is secured as neatly and inobtrusively as possible in the rat.
Then, when you braid your own hair, you can braid what are effectively long, thin rats in with it; use some mousse or gel to smooth down the inevitable ends that will stick out. By adding various such rats-with-hair-attached and staggering them so that the join doesn't look too obvious, you can end up with a thick braid as long as you desire that will look entirely realistic. Then, pin it up as a coronet braid, pull on your costume, and enjoy yourself.
(She gives links in her writeup which I did not link to in my copy, so if you want to see those links, go to the original.)
Here's the LJ tutorial videos on how to do the true crown braid mentioned in the above commentary. Note that in watching the first minute, this person says she prefers doing her Elizabethan hair taping instead (view her video). Her Eliz hair taping is a little different than the Tudor Tailor ladies show in their book. She also shows how to sew your hair with a ribbon. Seems more like the Italian style, maybe? She got the idea from the movie Elizabeth. She also talks about how it is one of the most comfortable hair styles she uses. And she's got a long length of hair.
Edit: must_sew_faster, this lady is the one you told me about before! heehee.
Edit 2: And watching another video of hers, using oils in hair, like olive or coconut oils, before braiding the hair or washing, would help with flyaways. This would be helpful for me when doing the French hood, I think. I usually have freshly washed hair for events, yet I need the oils in the hair for the braiding, so coconut, which I have for soap making and cooking, will now be my hair oil, too.
Edit 3: I guess this means I will be growing out my hair, to do these fun looking braids. Why couldn't I have just decided to do this earlier, when I had long hair, and would now have even longer hair. At least I can do a little more to take care of what I have, to make that longer hair nicer - like wearing braids, oiling it occasionally, and whatall. I can also spend this time finding cute hair sticks and clips that are worthy of pretty future braids.