OT: Ancient Hair Styling Techniques

Metro Retro Vintage

Metro Retro Vintage

VFG Member
I found a current discussion on Etsy regarding the hair styles and techniques of the Ancient World, fascinating -- particularly the work of Janet Stephens who has debunked a lot of the myths and recreates a variety of styles from antiquity.

Here is one of the Empress Plotina 'do'...


P.S. Louise, I thought of your sister. Maybe something she can add to the shop. ;)
 
For anyone interested in theatrical hair styling there is a very good series on BBC 3 at the moment called 'Hair' much more fun than previous incarnations of hairdressing competitions, these have done several tasks recreating period and fanciful styles.
 
Fascinating! I kept wondering what was the status of the person doing the intricate hair dressing steps. Thank you for letting us see it.
Marian
 
I'm so glad everyone liked it -- and I've gotten totally hooked, watching Ms. Stephens recreate so many historical styles (her Faustina the Younger is beautiful, as is the intricate Renaissance woman from Northern Europe hairdo).

In some interviews she mentions walking up to women with long untrimmed locks and asking them to be models. Melanie, thank you for that information on 'Hair'. I'm going to see if it's available on my local programming. :)
 
The strangest question I was ever asked - after getting my hair cut a colleague at work asked if I'd sold my hair?!? I had no idea you could still do that - you can actually get quite a lot for a few inches!
 
MissRita said:
Melanie, buying hair is a huge biz and in many cases, it's literally hacked off (as in stolen) of women in India for the huge US market. A very sad story indeed.
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You're so right Rita -- I remember a newsreel about that now. And last year's scandal over all of the break-ins at beauty supply salons, due to hair theft.
 
Sad isn't it Laura? Some women are forced to cut off their hair in the name of God but in truth, it's sold on the black market. I watched a video where young Indian women, with tears streaming down their faces, had their beautiful tresses chopped off by their religious leaders under the guise of denouncing vanity. I changed my post because I thought the American market was the largest but it's actually a worldwide issue. :no:

As I understand it, synthetic hair can't be curled, styled, etc.

Gee, the only woman I ever heard of who sold her hair was Jo March (Little Women)!
 
MissRita said:
Gee, the only woman I ever heard of who sold her hair was Jo March (Little Women)!
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Me too Rita! It's one of those episodes that sticks with you...

Incidentally I met my sister at home for Mothering Sunday yesterday and her hairstyle was not unlike Empress Plotina's shown above - her hair is still fairly long - the bun directly on top is very popular with the students here.
 
Synthetic hair can be styled, but it works differently, and would maybe not be convenient. Nice, soft synthetic hair like Saran needs hot water - and I mean boiling hot water - to restyle it. In a curling iron or something like that it would probably just melt. However, you really need to fix it into place, as the water being poured over it, or that you dip it into will easily make strands escape etc. Ashton Drake's Gene dolls have much thicker, heavier synthetic hair, that barely reacts to hot water, but it actually survives a curling wand. In fact that works quite well, but that kind of hair would just be too heavy and thick to be used in wigs, hairpieces or extensions...
 
That's interesting about the synthetic hair Karin. I recall my sister's neighbor who collected dolls and Japanese armor (his house was an interesting museum -- glass cases of standing 'knights' throughout, and then one room dedicated to dolls), and explained how he had used only water and a pencil to re-curl the hair on a Shirley Temple doll which he had found and restored.

When I think of what I tried to do to the hair of an old Bewitched doll, I cringe, but luckily her synthetic hair would always bounce back.

This amazing lady has several videos as well, but does the hairdos on herself. No bodkins or sewing of her hair, but uses hair pins/bobby pins, which I imagine were used during the periods of her many recreations, including this lovely Regency coif...

 
Great video! It's amazing how long her hair is - you wouldn't think it when you first see the hairstyle. Laura, that house must have looked interesting indeed! I can imagine the hair on older dolls would be more fragile... and sometimes it's enough to comb it over your finger or something to coax it back to it's real shape. I find that is often the case with vintage Sindy dolls. The fine, soft hair Barbie dolls can really loose all it's curls though (and as far as I know, the Saran that they used for her hair is also used in wigs, hairpieces etc.), and then it needs hot water, especially if you want tight, small curls. On the other hand, you can also straighten the hair by pouring boiling water over it. I'm not great at hairstyling (myself), but I love rescuing old play dolls and giving them their old hairstyle back, or a new one . Here's some before and after, and other ones:
deedee_before.jpg

Before... her hair was just a matted, bushy mass.
deedee_after2.jpg

After - l ooks almost like her original hairstyle. Cut-down drinking straws make great curlers.
before2.jpg
frankie2.jpg

With these two, it was a matter of combing through and straightening the hair completely. These are all 80s dolls, that often had very curly hair.
before.jpg
roz2.jpg


gene_coke5.jpg

A 40s style on Gene - done with the curling iron.
royalinviation_closeup.jpg

My attempt at something Regency-style, a few years ago. Her hair was originally much straighter, and she had no bangs, so I had to cut thin strands out at the crown of her head and re-root them as bags and at the nape.
 
There are people who do this, yes, and some are certainly quite successful. There are oodles and oodles of makeover artists out there who even re-root whole doll heads (I tried once - and never finished it), repaint faces completely (I usually just overpaint) and make spectacular clothes for them. I used to go to conventions and such, and it was fun for a time but I woulnd't have time to do this on a bigger scale. And besides... I like the VFG and this forum here much better :). In the doll world - and especially the online forums - there's a lot of envy and childishness out there, which I decided to leave behind me. Now I just meet with one or two collector friends every now and then, which is ok.
 
Midge said:
There are people who do this, yes, and some are certainly quite successful. There are oodles and oodles of makeover artists out there who even re-root whole doll heads (I tried once - and never finished it), repaint faces completely (I usually just overpaint) and make spectacular clothes for them.
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So interesting -- I've enjoyed learning about these dolls, and the specialized fields surrounding them. It must be great fun attending the big doll conventions and I think you did a spectacular touching up on the face of the third doll as well.
 
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