Hairdressing - Finger Waves part 2!

I'm just going to post up the picture here and let it do the talking...

Compared to my attempt 2 weeks ago I'd say those are some pretty dang impressive finger waves!
I asked my aunt (who is a hairdresser) to go over it with me and show me in more detail how to do it - she was really helpful and went over it several times before letting me try it, then guided me when I got lost. It was great and I couldn't wait to get back into class to practise it, and my wee tutorial definitely paid off! I still need some more practise at it, but I'm so much more confident doing it now :)

Gill :) x

Hairdressing - Finger Waves

Meet Rhonda.

Rhonda and I don't get along. I'll explain why soon.

Finger Waves is a style which was highly popular around the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. You might have seen it in films such as Chicago and on movie stars of the era such as the beautiful Clara Bow. It has increased in popularity recently, and many celebrities including Drew Barrymore, Christina Aguilera and Dita Von Teese have worn the look to red carpet events. It creates a stunning vintage look, reminiscent of flapper girls and the golden age of Hollywood.

To create them, all you need is a tail comb, massive quantities of gel and your fingers. The technique involves wetting the hair and covering it in gel, then sectioning it off. Section by section, the waves are created by pulling the hair forward and back in an S-shape with the comb, while holding bits with your fingers and gradually moving down the hair shaft, holding and shaping using your fingers and the comb. I'm not going to lie, it is as difficult a technique to pick up as it is to explain - I found it really difficult to get my head round the process, and I didn't actually manage to do any in class. Elaine quickly showed me how to do one but I don't feel like it was explained properly, so I just got more confused by it.
This is where Rhonda comes in. I always name my tuition heads in hairdressing class, because I find it easier to shout at her when I'm frustrated if she has a name! And this...This was the most frustrating class so far. Elaine was aware that many of us would find it difficult, so she kept telling us to breathe and walk away, which I had to do at one point!
Rhonda's hair was really thin, so when I combed it, it started coming out in clumps...I put it down to her just having had her fair share of styling, and dampened/gelled her hair. When I moved the comb through it this time it went into crazy, frazzled curls. It became evident when I eventually gave up and washed her hair that it was totally ruined by products and styling tools. Her hair was completely matted and I couldn't even get a brush through it!

I took this, at her worst moment. Observe the poor excuse for a finger wave, combined with frazzled hair and a comb which looks like it's trying to hang itself:

I took this picture when it was still funny - but soon I just got angry. I don't normally get so frustrated to the point of walking out of class, but I didn't feel like I had been given any direction. This is well-known as a very difficult process that needs to be explained slowly and requires lots of practice, and I felt like this was lacking in class. Luckily though, my aunt is a hairdresser who comes to my house every 6 weeks, so after I got my fringe trimmed she used my mum as a model to show me how to do it. She took it really slowly, step by step, and got me to do each part after she had showed me a few times. I found that at times I went blank and lost it, but by the end I managed to do one that she said was pretty perfect :) When she left I felt much better about it, and I'm actually looking forward to trying it again. I think I just need lots of practise on a real head, as opposed to a frazzled tuition head like Rhonda.

Next time I'm going to keep my cool, remember the steps and do it well. Rhonda and her smug face better keep their distance.

Gill x

Hairdressing - Unconventional Setting

In Hairdressing this week we were having a go at unconventional setting - this basically involves setting the hair (dry) using unusual products, such as Coke cans, pencils, rulers, etc. We're being encouraged to think outside the box and create a look with objects found around the house, which really interests me because I like the creativity involved!
We use a variety of items - wrapped in foil if they aren't fire-proof! - along with hair straighteners to set the look, and yesterday I practiced with a makeup brush on Leeanne's hair. I thought a makeup brush would be good to use for our overall looks, because I like the idea of using the same tools on the model's face and hair.

At first I found it a bit fiddly, because I had to wrap sections of her hair round the brush and hold it in place while setting, and it was hard getting my stride at first, but once I got into it I found it to be fun and it turned out really pretty!

Leeanne's long hair was perfect to practise on, and the technique gave her hair a wavy/tousled effect. I think the style would hold better and for longer with some kind of setting spray or mousse. I plan on trying a few different items and experimenting with different looks - I've got a few ideas up my sleeve!
Unconventional setting is really fun to do because the items can be used in different ways, so you're never sure what the hair will turn out like, and all kinds of crazy effects can be created!

Gill :) x

Hairdressing - Dry Setting

In hairdressing we were working on new techniques for Dry Setting. This basically means setting the hair without washing it, so in this example I'll cover curling with straighteners, and Velcro rollers. I did both of these on a tuition head, although I'm eager to practice on one of the girls soon!

Curling with straighteners is really simple and creates a lovely result. As before, how tight the curls are depends on the size of the sections. I was going for loose curls so I used slightly larger sections. Take a look!

The style was achieved by simply starting at the root and twisting the straighteners so the hair wraps round, then pulling it through the hair slowly. Because my model's hair was quite long, I rolled the straighteners back up when I got to the end of the hair, to create a little extra curl. The hair turned out really nice, I think this style would be good to style further, into an updo, for example.

We then moved on to Dry Setting using rollers - the choice was to use either Velcro or heated rollers, however I chose velcro. I had never used rollers before and Elaine made it look so easy! It was a bit fiddly at first but I got the hang of it after a while. This technique is really quick and simple - the rollers stay in by themselves, and they can be left in for as long as needed. This is the work in progress:

As you can see, the rollers come in a variety of sizes. My model's hair was quite short so for some areas I had to use smaller rollers. But the desired effect is to create lift and volume in a short period of time, so once I had sprayed the head and left it for about 20 minutes (while I went to get a cup of tea) here's how it turned out:

Originally her hair was quite flat, but the rollers gave the hair a noticeable lift. This look could be used for daytime or night time, it's a really quick technique and turns out really nice!

While we were in class yesterday, Elaine told us about Unconventional Setting - this is basically setting the hair using unusual products such as Coke cans, pencils, rulers, rags, etc. Different looks are achieved depending on what is used, and we're going to be researching this for the next few weeks before trying it for ourselves. I decided to have a go at creating zigzags with a pin while there was time left in class. Using a U-shaped pin (the kind used to hold rollers in place), I took small sections of hair and put the pin at the root, then I wrapped the hair round the legs in a figure of 8 motion, and pulled it really tight. I then set it by holding the straighteners on the area for 10 seconds, and when I took it out it looked crazy!

I did it a few more times and it came out really well - it's similar to crimping but obviously takes longer. To do this over her whole head would take ages, but I really love the effect!

The real problem came when I tried to brush the style out, however....

With one sweep of a comb she look like she'd just licked a socket...I used a brush to try and flatten it down but it just got bigger and bigger. There wasn't any time left in class so I just had to abandon all hope and put her back in the bag. Apologies and good luck to whoever gets this head next!!

Ooops...

Gill :)

Hairdressing - Barrel Curls

In our second hairdressing class we learned how to do Barrel Curls. This method is not unlike Pin Curling, in that the hair is wound round the fingers and secured at the root. Also, like Pin Curling, the desired effect can be changed depending on the size of the sections used.


I found this process to be very frustrating! I definitely found it more difficult than Pin Curling - as I stated in my previous Hairdressing post, I have very clumsy fingers and I struggled with this even more with the Barrel Curls. I will need more practice, as they were a bit messy at first, but the end result made it worthwhile.

As you can see, the Barrel Curls are named because they are pinned in this shape. As with Pin Curling, the hair is wound round the finger(s), but instead of then being pinned flat against the head, I took my fingers out while holding the shape and pushed the pin through the bottom of the curl to secure it in place. It turned out a bit messy, and I wasn't happy with the size of the barrels I had created, but I plan on practising a bit more - I can pin curl much better/faster after a few attempts so hopefully I'll get better at barrels too!


Here is the finished result:

The curls turned out more like waves, but next time I'll make my sections smaller and try to tidy up my technique in order to get a better result :)

Gill

Hairdressing 1 - Pin Curling

In both our Hairdressing and Wig Making classes we have learned how to pin curl the hair. For Wig Making, this technique is used to secure the hair flat to the head in order to fit and anchor a wig properly; however in Hairdressing it is used to create bouncy curls. The end result varies depending on the size of the pin curls - smaller ones create tiny, tight curls, and bigger ones create larger ringlets.

I did my pin curls on a training head which I prepared by brushing thoroughly to remove knots. Firstly, I dampened the hair all over; creating pin curls on wet or damp hair allows them to be more intense and longer-lasting, as the blow drying stage sets the style. Pin curling is a very easy way to create a striking look, as all I needed was a tail comb, pins and a hairdryer. From start to finish, the process took about 90 minutes, but as I practice I expect to become more adept at the technique so it will take less time!

This technique involves point to root winding, which means sections of hair are wound in towards the head and secured at the root. I started at the hairline and sectioned off the hair using the tail comb. Initially, I found my pin curls to be quite messy as my clumsy fingers got used to the process, but as I moved along the head it became simpler! I created medium-sized pin curls, as I wanted to achieve bouncy ringlets. My training head had long hair, which made it easier for me to practice the technique, however I did struggle at times with 'stragglers', i.e long pieces of hair that weren't sectioned off correctly, and as I combed the hair these pulled some of my pin curls out. However, I persevered and the head eventually ended up looking like this:

As you can see from the pictures, my pin curls are of varying sizes - this comes with being a beginner, I definitely need to practice the technique and work on making them more evenly sized and spaced!

Once I had finished pin curling the entire head I blow-dried the curls in order to set the style. Again, I need more practice as some of my curls were drier than others. I found it difficult to tell if they were fully dry right in at the root - because the curls are so close to the head, more time is needed to be spent thoroughly drying them individually. Despite struggling initially and making a few mistakes, I was very happy with the way the style turned out:

I managed to achieve the large, bouncy curls I had envisaged before I started - however, as mentioned above, a tighter style can be achieved by making the pin curls smaller. From this point, the hair can then be dressed and styled as needed, depending on the entire look which is trying to be created.

I found the pin curling to be difficult at first, but as I moved across the head I was able to do it faster and neater - it is definitely a technique that requires practise! Next time I would make the pin curls smaller, and take photos to compare the difference - it is a look which can be adapted and varied, which is why I enjoy the end result so much. I plan on practising the technique more, both for Hairdressing and Wig Making class, on different lengths and styles of hair.

Watch this space for more of my work, I have had an interesting couple of weeks at college so my photos shall be added in due course!

Gill :)