Victorian Hair Styles?

**wizzel** · November 4th, 2008, 12:04 AM

Please forgive me if this has been asked before but I’ve been trying to figure out how to do those intricate Victorian hair styles specifically the complicated looking buns. I’ve see old pictures and recently I saw an OPB show called Sally Lockhart and she had some of the most beautiful hair styles (sorry I don’t have pictures I know that would help a lot). It is frustrating because I see this stuff on TV but I can’t figure out how to do it in real life. Professional hair stylists aside and a no helpful maid around I know that it is possible but not much beyond that. I do know that rats and hair swatches were used a lot but so far not much info on how these hair styles were specifically put together. I would love any help I could get web sites or directions or anything else someone might be willing to share. Thanks a bunch
Lady Snow Bird of the Great North Western Valley of the Order of the Long Haired Knights!

**AprilElf** · November 4th, 2008, 03:05 AM

Hi wizzel.

If you could find a picture of a particular style you are interested in creating, it would be a great help, of course. I don't know very much about historical styles, but found this page to be an interesting overview for various eras. (Victorian is near the bottom.) There is a video of a Victorian style on YouTube, but I don't have the time to wait for my ice-age dial-up to load the thing so I can watch it ...

Good luck - I hope someone else can shed some more light on the subject.

**wizzel** · November 4th, 2008, 12:01 PM

I just looked for a picture on line and i found plenty of face shots but nothing from the back (of course) so i'm out of luck. I am going to try to get the DVD of the show, maby I can pull an example form that. I've tryed to find pictures for something similar to what I'm see on the TV. To make it more difficult the period shows may not be strictly acurit to the period! Arg

**Gypsy** · November 4th, 2008, 02:08 PM

Did you see this one?
http://www.demodecouture.com/hair/hair_early.html

**wizzel** · November 6th, 2008, 02:11 AM

Hum I think I have but its hard to figure things out with just the picture. I know I know Pictures would help you know what i'm looking for and i'm working on that. But that is proving difficult at present.

**Charli800** · January 21st, 2009, 11:32 AM

Have you tried dreamweaver braiding? There are a large number of different and complicated braids there, and I believe many of them are period styles.

**joyfulmom4** · January 21st, 2009, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by Gypsy

Did you see this one?
http://www.demodecouture.com/hair/hair_early.html

Interesting that the writer who is commenting on all of the styles keeps asserting that every woman is wearing a hairpiece or that a chignon or braid is "almost certainly fake". Now I'm sure that many of those pictured hairstyles do indeed feature hairpieces, but many of them also appear to be perfectly realistic updos for someone with long, thick hair to accomplish w/o the use of faux hairpieces.

**dorothea-brooke** · January 21st, 2009, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by joyfulmom4

Interesting that the writer who is commenting on all of the styles keeps asserting that every woman is wearing a hairpiece or that a chignon or braid is "almost certainly fake". Now I'm sure that many of those pictured hairstyles do indeed feature hairpieces, but many of them also appear to be perfectly realistic updos for someone with long, thick hair to accomplish w/o the use of faux hairpieces.

Interesting point, joyfulmom. It's true that there are lots and lots of references to false hair, "fronts," hairpieces, etc., all throughout the literature and journailsm of the period. So it makes sense that the site writer would assume that the dos pictured involved false hair. Even women with very long hair would use hairpieces for the reason you would imagine: to make their buns bigger. (Okay, that sounded funny....

)

However, it's also possible that the writer is not a longhair and just can't believe how much hair it's possible to have!

**dorothea-brooke** · January 21st, 2009, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by AprilElf

Hi wizzel.

I don't know very much about historical styles, but found this page to be an interesting overview for various eras. (Victorian is near the bottom.) <snip>

Oooo, that Victorian pic is from the miniseries of Wives and Daughters, the single best BBC novel-adaptation series evah.

/threadjack

**Teazel** · January 21st, 2009, 01:24 PM

I saw a Sally Lockhart show the other night, wizzel, and I spent most of it trying to work out how her hair had been done.

Like you, I looked for screencaps, but none are from the back. Frustrating! I hope you can make some hairy ones.

The styles were lovely.

Billie Piper seems to have thick hair with lots of texture, but I suspect rats might have been used. Or possibly lots of product.