A Hair-y Question

[thedarkmaterial]

I know there have been posts about steampunk/Neo-Victorian hairstyles before, but my queston is a tad more complicated than just, "So, what are some good steampunk/Neo-Victorian hairstyles?"

Comments

[msmcknittington]

I know you said no/minimal products, but ratting/teasing and hairspray can do wonders. Last week, I played with 18th-century styles for my hair, which is thicker than yours while still pretty fine, but this was my result. My hair is nowhere near that large in its natural state! It was even bigger before I pulled it back.

I think for what you want to do, you don't have to go as extreme. But if you ratted your hair a bit and hit it with some hairspray, then it would give the combs and things something to cling to so they wouldn't fall out. Ratting roughs up the texture of your hair, which means things want to stick to it. The hairspray helps too.

Do these tutorials for historical hairstyles help any? The Gibson Girl pompadour variation uses hair rats for volume, and it's fairly simple, in terms of historical hairstyles.

[nebulia]

I will second that ratting is really helpful for adding volume, and also a cool steamy effect, but do be extremely careful with ratting/teasing, as it can be really bad for one's hair. I have literally had my hair destroyed because I teased it all the time, and had to have a bunch of it cut off because it was so unhealthy. I still do tease it at times, but much more gently than I did before.

[msmcknittington]

Yes. You want to hold the ginger when teasing. Don't try to brush it out after you take it down, either. Wash your hair first and condition lots, then comb it out slowly when you're out of the shower. A leave-in conditioner might help, too, but I didn't have any on hand when I did it.

[nebulia]

I never have leave-in conditioner on hand, though having used it in the past to deal with various other knotty situations I think it would be a good aid in combing out your hair post teasing.

[painangrrfear]

Are you comfortable with pulling back the front and leaving the rest down? Or do you need to be able to hide your face behind the hair you leave down?

You could always part your hair on the side and leave an artful swoop of hair down out of the updo. Tuck it behind one ear when you want it back, or untuck and let it fall over your face as needed.

I feel you on not being able to use a lot of cute hair accessories. I just bought a 'Flexi-8'... fourteen bucks down the drain for a pretty thing that falls straight out of my hair in five minutes or less. Bah.

[thedarkmaterial]

I've actually done something along those lines on occasion, making very small braids in the front and pulling those back sort of like a headband, and I can get by that way. It's not my favourite method, but generally, as long as there's something in the vicinity of my face and neck, it seems to be more tolerable than having it swept totally up and back.

(Also: Your userpic is totally giving me flashbacks of long rides to and from my aunt's in NC. Oh, the signs! I expect I drove my mum and grandmum crazy reading every one along the way. XD )

[painangrrfear]

I love that place so much. Gotta stop in every time I go by there. :D

[athenaprime]

You might find some comfort if you can swing a hat or comb with a lightweight blusher-veil attached to it. There are some really soft laces out there that drape like your hair does. And for the anxiety, might I recommend a generously-sized lace or silk fan to take refuge behind in times of stress

[raventhistle]

If you do use a fan, make sure to look up fan etiquette, too. You can say tons of things with a fan, and focusing on that might help you keep your mind off feeling stressed. I think there's even a fan motion for "stay away" if you need a minute to yourself ;)

[thedarkmaterial]

Oh, woe for the days when everyone passing by would have understood such gestures! -fans self, drapes dramatically- Well, I suppose a good whack on the nose might get the message across to travellers of the modern age, wot?

[thedarkmaterial]

Oh, yea. I would love to have both an array of hats and some really nice falls or clip-in extensions. The hats, unfortunately, would be less use for me at home - there's a secondary (or probably tertiary or quaternary at this point, heh) issue of a neurological disorder that involves a lot of sharp or unexpected movements, so that's like, a recipe for hats going flying. (Which could be amusing in the right context, but... -chuckles wryly-) I can hold it off some when I'm out and about (so the hats and fans are great suggestions for that), but I actually don't feel any better about my hair being up when I'm alone, so I'm looking as much for something I can do at home as when I go out.

I do have corkscrew curlers, but I never thought about using them on my extensions! I see a project in the very near future - thanks!

[sar_kaz_m]

I have lots of very fine straight hair. I cut it into a jaw-length bob. Therefore, I am a HUGE fan of wigs.

I will say that it's hard to get used to them, but a skullcap under a wig will make life much easier as well.

You can get a nice Gibson Girl wig at www.911costumes.com - they have it in several colors.

[thedarkmaterial]

I'd be all over wigs in a heartbeat if I had the spare cash. I'm afraid I'd have the same problem with them that I would with hats, though - they're a better solution for going out than for wear at home. Thanks, short end of the genetic stick! ~_~

[thedarkmaterial]

I think "part of it up and tendrils down" is what I trying to get across, actually, and have apparently failed utterly at. ^^; My hair is so thin, though, that I don't have enough on its own to be able to and still have enough left to do any sort of styling with - hence why I'm trying to figure out how I can get the extensions into it to do that without showing where they connect (they're homemade, and don't have the most attractive bases) or flashing giant strips of exposed scalp.

I like the festooned ponytail holder idea a lot! I have a ton of fabric scraps to work with, too. If it helps hold stuff in on top of that, that's even better. ^_^