Need Renaissance hair-do!!! Help!

[Kirin]

Okay, I am hair - do challenged. This season I am selling my artwork at a lot of renaissance faires and normally my hair had been super short, so I didn't have to worry much. Now, this is my current hair:

http://www.fantasydimensions.com/hairlength2.jpg

What on earth do I do? I'm not very good at updos, and a sock bun well, my hair is thin so the sock or whatever i'm using shows RIGHT through. How can I style this hair in other than a pony tail that would be well, period?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Magdalene]

SNOOD. Easy.

[Kirin]

I have a snood, but it doesn't stay well on my head and sort of looks like a deflated sack so I was trying to avoid that look LOL. I can experiment more with it.

[Anje]

Snood would definitely work well... a Gibson tuck wouldn't be period, but it's unusual and different-looking enough to be a hit at a ren faire. Braids are always classic.

Oh, and the trick for sock buns that I've learned is to have a sock more or less similar to your hair color. My hair's a solid ii and white gym socks are obvious as can be. However, I picked up a pair of medium brown women's dress socks at the dollar store, and now you can't see the sock at all.

[KatKeRo]

I was going to say snood also.
I don't know what period your costume is from or what class but women usually had some kind of hat on their head. You can wear one thet goes with your costume.

[lyneya]

Just braid it or pull it back. You get all sorts at Ren Fairs, no one will think anything of it! You could even make friends with the folks that do the braids and put little ribbons in and things.

Oh, and your hair is long enough to twist up in one of those little brass things...not the bun cages...it's flatter. I've had the same one for probably 15 years. It works for just past shoulder through whatever it is I have now! I use a bit different technique now then when it was shorter, but I LOOOOVE the brass thingy!

[Oskimosa]

I ran into this when I had pixie short hair loooooong ago. I ended up going as a gypsy. For that, I tied a big square scarf halved over my head. Never know the difference. I blended right in at that particular faire.
See, uber simple.

http://www.geocities.com/kornroses/gypsy1.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/kornroses/gypsy3.jpg
Another year, I went all out and rented a dress, on the left in the green. Big giant hat hid all traces of my pixie cut. Flopped like crazy, tho, I'd NEVER reccommend a hat like that on a windy day. The other girls went with those chainmaille headpieces and they look MUCH nicer and more authentic IMO. I'll try and find some sites. I've made them before, they can't be that pricey these days.
http://www.geocities.com/kornroses/costumes.jpg

[missmanytoes]

Oh, and your hair is long enough to twist up in one of those little brass things...not the bun cages...it's flatter. I've had the same one for probably 15 years. It works for just past shoulder through whatever it is I have now! I use a bit different technique now then when it was shorter, but I LOOOOVE the brass thingy!

You got a picture of this brass thingy?

Kirin, look at these, in particular the Rapunzel and the Braid. http://www.tznius.com/cgi-bin/tying.pl

[kwaniesiam]

I'm no expert, but wasn't it common for many women to cover their hair with some sort of caplet? You could also just leave it down and get it braided at the fair, a nice crown braid I'm sure you could keep in for several days.

[Katze]

It depends on how authentic you want to be. Renaissance Faire, if I remember correctly, isn't too much of a stickler for historical authenticity - the idea is more of a 'feeling' than it is to be accurate, right?

In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Women, at least married women or of marriageable age, covered their hair. So if you're a peasant or farmer, you can just wear a wool or linen head scarf (cotton came from the New World, so it's not authentic). Color is also an issue; the kinds of very bright, saturated colors we know nowadays (such as in Oskimosa's pics) only were possible in the post-WWII era. Also, in the late Middle ages at least, only certain classes of people could wear colorful clothing, by law (!) - peasants 'had to' wear earth tones. So it depends on what you are selling (veggies? bread? Jewelry? Shoes?) - that determines your 'place in life.'

If you want to be simple, you can just take two side braids and pin them up. For my hair, this works best if I braid 'upside down' - as I'm braiding, hold the braid up, rather than down, so the hairs are all encouraged to lay flat up along the crown rather than down, if that makes sense. It's much easier than it sounds.

have fun!

[Delenn]

I have a snood, but it doesn't stay well on my head and sort of looks like a deflated sack so I was trying to avoid that look LOL. I can experiment more with it.

Stuff the snood! Use pantyhose or something hair-colored. Just an idea...

[Kirin]

Thank you for your advice! I really am hair-do challenged! I've avoided the snood as on me it looks like a kitchen net and very aging. People mistake me for my husband's mother already (we're only two years apart!) so I dont want to help that.

Before the faire starts this weekend I'll play with some of the ideas, and those headscarves look awesome! I have to try those!