Creating a moustache

To create a moustache :

-You need a maleable block

-with cling film measure the moustache to fit a persons face

-draw it out

-cut it out

-Stick it on the block and start sewing through it

-take the pins out carefully 

-Take pins out carefully

Contemporary assessment

For my contemporary design I came up with something edgy and out there and this is because in the 1940's women had to go to wars and do mens jobs they had to get stronger and change their style, wear outfits that was more fitted to the and fight the views of society. In modern day more and more boys/men are starting to feel comfortable expressing themselves as for who they are and how they want to dress, hence my design. 

It is to show that just like in the olden days women were fighting for power, boys are doing the same but nowadays.

I found the contemporary design easier than the historical as my design was messy and backcombed. I am pleased with how the shape of the hair turned out and also with the fringe because it is rolled up and thick how I wanted it to look. 

Historical Assessment

This is the outcome of my 1940's pin up inspired hairstyle. 

I am pleased with the way the overall hairstyle turned out as the curls look very glossy which I what I aimed for. I also like how voluminous the hairstyle looks which I feel gives a nice shape to the look. Bits that I struggled with was the front of the hair as it was attached to the whefts when back combing it felt very rough and kept on separating leaving gaps in the hair. I feel like If I had practised this look before hand then I would have gotten the hang of back combing. Improvements for next time would definitely be working on rollers as some of them were uneven which led to the curls being bigger and smaller than others which took away from a nice shape and made it look messier. Overall I am pleased with this look as I feel like I have now learnt the skills of blocking, setting and styling acrylic wigs into a historical hairstyle however I feel like more practise would lead to a better outcome and also having an accurate eye for things like the black pins which were showing from one side. 

Historical Hairstyle research 1940's

Fashion has and will always be becoming stronger determinig how people should look, classifying their wealth and status but at the same time empowering women and making them feel beautiful and in control of their own body. Fashion icons are the main reason why people desire to purchase an item of clothing that may not be a nessesity, they deisgn and create a new sense of style which envokes freemdon and excitment into peoples lives. It can create chaos by changing a style compeletely which can develop into the fashion trend. One of the fashion icons that inspired me with my historical hair design is Bette Davies 1943 and Katherine Hepburn in 1940. 

In the 1940's Veronica Lake was a popular fashion icon and actress during the 1940's what I like about the 40's is that the hair became looser and glossier and less slicked and perfected which was like the pin up look which came into style.


Hair assessors also came into fashion in the 40's as women started to grow their hair wavy and long and would addd beautiful jewellery such as crystals, flowers and ribbons to give a feminine look. Curly hair was very much in fashion and to achieve this they would use the rag-curling method which would curl the ends of the hair and ass that fluffy full shape to ends. This would add volume to the hair and give it a sexy look.
Learning Wig Work I have learnt that patience is key when achieving hairstyles as these styles took hours to style and create to present glamour and perfection. 

Step by step on Victory Roll hairstyle

1. First, part your hair from ear to ear, and put the hair in the back in a pony tail.
2. Part the loose hair down the middle. You can make a part straight down the middle, or slightly to the side for a different look. Pin half of your hair down.
3. Back comb the loose hair and then comb the front layer over the teased hair, and smooth it with a product.
4. Wind the hair around your fingers a couple of times and form a loop. Slip your fingers out, and tuck the ends of the hair inside the loop. Hold the hair secure while you roll inwards towards your head.
5. Once you reach your head, spread the loop out to achieve the "roll" shape. 
6. Pin so that the rolls are secure.
7. You should now have one roll. 
8. Repeat on the other side.
9. Take your curling iron, and curl the back of your hair. 
10. Let the curls cool and then comb them with your fingers, spray with holding spray.

I decided to create a 1940's inspired hairstyle before work and was pleased of how it came out. 

From historical to modern 

1940's hair using Rollers

• Heat the rollers and handle carefully
• Part a straight line from behind the ear going across to the other ear
• Use larger rollers (red and blue) for more of a lift than a tighter curl
• Wrap hair around the roller tight and neatly avoiding any hair falling out from the side and carry out brick work going downwards
• Use tail comb to help keep the hair wrapped in tight
• When the brickwork is done half way down the head make a straight parting and use the rollers going in the natural direction of the hair
• The left side of the head going towards left ear and the right side towards right ear, middle going downwards
• Use hairspray to make sure the hair stays in place and wait till all of the rollers are cooled down before taking them out
• Brush the hair out downwards then inwards and then same from inside of the hair and manipulate it to the hair style and shape you want
• Finish of with hairspray and shine spray

The part which i found the hardest was the sectioning as I tried to do it exactly like Lottie showed us in her demo however In the end she told me that I have to go with the way the natural hair follows otherwise It will get confusing. I found using the rollers and pinning it tightly to the head easy however that is because the hair on the doll was corse and had product in, I can imagine using this on soft shiny hair would not be as easy.

The end result showed me that number 1 I did not heat up the rollers enough and number 2 I did not wait till they cooled down completely before taking them out which gave me a very nice lift, however not enough curl. I am happy with the way the hair is lifted however I do not like the way the fringe sits and the lack of curls at the front. To improve I will take my time making sure every roller is heated enough and wait until cooled down completely before taking it out.

As I wasn't pleased with the way the look turned out on the doll i decided to do it on my friend to make sure I get enough practise.

I was much happier with the outcome on my model than the doll head. The rollers made her hair voluminous which is what i was aiming for. My model had extremely long hair which made it harder for me to even the sections of her hair as by the time i finished wrapping the hair on the roller it would be falling out from the side. This overall made some of the curls bigger than others therefore the look isn't as tidy as i would like it to be. Next time to make it even better i would spend more time in making sure the sections are very even.

Introduction to wigs

Introduction to wigs 

In this unit we will learn all about different types of wigs the application of them, health and safety of them and how they are used to transform a person into different types of characters. Maintenance of wigs can be divided into four areas which are : Cleaning, blocking, setting and dressing. 

Wigs are extremely important as directors, designers and stylists will use them for many different purposes such as:

Creating a character, using wigs to create a character is important as they might want to transform an actress that has really black hair to a girl with long blonde hair. It can also be used to create historical hairstyles which need corse and thick hair which wigs tend to have. Wigs are also important in high fashion as the designer might want 3 different hairstyles on a model that is going to walk a catwalk show and instead of wasting time creating a hairstyle over and over again they can just have wigs ready and set up for the model prepping for the next look. Wigs can also be used to create fantasy, change the length or texture of the hair and maintain continuity. Wigs are important in maintaining continuity as if a hairstyle is very complicated then styling a wig and keeping it for the next scene which may be shot a few days after can be helpful. 

In the unit we will learn to :

• Recognise various wig types
• Take measurements of a head for wig fitting
• complete prostiche order form 
• prepare a malleable block and block a wig in preparation for washing , setting or dressing
• set and dress wigs according to design requirements
• knotting
• creating different era hairstyles

 

Applying a lace fronted wig (Helen)

Firstly decide on the technique you will use to place the wig. Finger waves or plaits.

1. Apply hair net to flat surfaced hair
2. Get the performer to hold the wig by the wig lace half way down the forehead
3. Pull the wig over the net or the stocking. Once placed do not pull it forward only jiggle it forward
4. Pin the wig to secure it and make sure the pins match the colour of the wig
5. Make sure natural hair is not visible under the lace. Push any stray hairs by tail comb
6. Glue the lace into place using matte mastix glue. Roll back the lace and put drips of glue on each side. Wait for glue to become tacky and pull the lace into position with tension. Use a damp cloth to spread the glue.

Removing a lace- fronted wig

1. Using brush apply matrix remover to the lace, working from the edges inwards until the lace begins to lift from the skin.
2. Once the lace is lifted from the skin check for any sticky areas and gently remove them with matrix remover.
3. Remove hair pins attaching the wig to the head
4. Lift the wig off from behind holding it carefully by the foundation at the sides of the nape. Pull the wig gently forward and off the head.
5. Detach the hair net or stocking and hair grips from the hair

How to set an acrylic wig using rollers and steam

To achieve a desired hairstyle you will need to set the wigs.

Equipment required

• Blocked wig
• Comb
• Water spray
• Setting lotion
• Hair net
• Rollers, clips
• Prostiche pins
• Tape for setting
• Steamer or Hood dryer or hair dryer

Before doing anything the wig needs to be combed through to remove any tangles.

STEAM acrylic

1. Decide on a desired hairstyle and the technique and the correct tools to style it
2. Decide on a parting and put the rollers in to achieve desired parting.
3. Bigger the rollers looser the curls will be, smaller the rollers tighter the curls will be
4. Steam the wig slowly and make sure every single part of the wig is steamed so that its wet in the end

Wet set real hair

1. Wet the hair to perform a wet set
2. You can use a water-spray for it, trying to keep the foundation of the wig as dry as possible
3. Apply seeing lotion to help it stay more manageable
4. Make neat sections of the hair
5. Set the hair using either techniques. Rolling, pin curling, finger waving, creating ringlets etc.
6. Use prostate postiche pins to secure rollers or use pins
7. Cover the hair with a net
8. Dry the wig. You can use postiche oven is the preferably method drying wigs (the oven will slowly bake the wig giving it  strong set)
9. Another way is to use a hood dryer
10. The wig needs to be fully cooled before the set is removed

My wig had a lot of short layers and a fringe which made it hard for me to apply the rollers into the hair evenly as chunks of hair was falling out. A way to make this easier was using a tail comb to tuck in any short bits. I had to redo the rollers in the hair twice as the hair was not tucked in properly the first time. I found putting rollers in synthetic hair easier than in real hair as real hair is shinier and more slippery however the layers made it hard. To improve I would make the sections of the hair more clean and even and take more time going over the bits of hair that was falling out as I am worried that this will make the curls in the outcome wonky rater than a smooth curl.

How to block and style a lace fronted wig

Lace fronted wigs must be blocked before washing, setting and dressing. The hair is attached to the malleable head block. The wig needs to be applied straight on the block as if it is wonky it can make it look wonky on the performer.

Preparing a malleable block

• Malleable block
• Wig stand
• Cling film
• Cellotape

1. Place the malleable block on the wig stand
2. Wrap the entire surface of block with cling film
3. Apply strips of sellotape to hold the cling film in place

Step by step

Equipment

• Wig
• Box of large pins and small pins
• Blocking tape
• Prepared malleable block

1. Turn wig inside out
2. Locate the centre point of front hairline and place on centre of block
3. Turn it back to the normal and check if its positioned properly
4. Apply blocking tape along the edge of the lace and pin the centre points of the hairline, the temples and the ear points and push the pins in tigthly
5. Pull the nape of the wig downwards tightly removing any slack and place pin on both sides keeping tension between the two points
6. If it is all straight and even apply pins in a zig zag way all the way
7. To remove the wig just loosen and lift the tape

Technical File Lottie ( Applying a hard fronted wig)

The natural hair should always be prepared for a wig application. There are two techniques pin curling and plaiting.

To pin curl, place a large pin curl on the crown and on each side of the head and secure them by cross gripping. Do this to the whole head and then place a cap over the head leaving out the ears.

Another technique is to use french plaits. Neatly plait the hair making it as flat as possible and wrapping it on the head and then apply the cap.

Overall, I found the application and the prep of the hair for the wig easy, however I can imagine that it would be more difficult doing it on someone who has extremely long hair it would be much harder and more time consuming to plait it all and apply the cap.

Wig Work and Postiche ( Malleable block)

Types of wigs

Weft wigs(Synthetic weft wig)- These are usually synthetic hair and cheaper than knotted wigs. After a wash they need to be left to air dry. Only low heat can be used on them as the synthetic hairs can melt.

Knotted Wigs - These are either hand made or with a sewing machine and normally with human hair which is why they tend to be more expensive. They are better quality and can last for years. As the hair is human they can be washed, styled, permed and coloured.

Lace fronted knotted wigs - These are designed for theatrical used and sewn across a front hairline that creates a natural hairline. The lace is glued to the forehead and covered with make up.

Application of wigs

Productions with a big budget would normally have the wigs measured and fitted perfectly for the performers however if the company has a low budget wigs can be hired by sending the measurements and getting a good match. Most of the time human hair will be used even for extras however when the hairstyle does not need to look real and is for example a fantasy synthetic hair will be used as they attract light and look extremely shiny and unnatural.

Preparing a malleable block

list of products

• Mallebale block
• Wig stand
• Cling film
• Cellotape

Wrap the entire surface of the block with cling film as smooth as possible and apply strips of cellotape to cling film in place.

To make a shape of the head you take a clean field and u wrap it around the head. Go around the persons hair line and draw on with a sharpie on top and then when you take it off you have someone's head shape. You put the clean cling on the face and then draw around it and then u fold it in half and cut it out Draw it out on paper and then cut it out. Same for moustache.