Introduction

To begin my project I've got a brief understanding in Elizabethan hair. It's important that I know about the era to get started so I've been researching books and watching clips of relative films to help me. I hope to fulfil the project sticking to be a modern contempory style incourporating Elizabethan times. Each week we have hair classes which include hair tutorials, help by professionals/tutors and practical practice. I'm looking forward to starting hair. My previous experience with hair is quite basic, I did a two week work experience placement at a professional salon called Andre and Achille. Here I learnt basics like washing hair, foiling hair, drying hair and brushing hair. I'm really interested in the styling side of hair.

From my research so far I've found out Elizabeth 1 had bright red hair and a proceeding hair line. Her pale complexion may have made her forehead look larger. The styling of the hair was very important and interesting. She often wore bows in her hair alongside: ribbons, pearls, jewels, gems, fabrics and of course her crown. Her hair was always very dramatic in her portraits, almost as if she never wore her hair down and natural. Her hair was said to be lightened using damaging ingredients such as saffron, cumin seed, celandine and oil. This broke off Elizabeth's hair due to damage which made it frizzy and dry. Elizabeth instead wore wigs and headpieces, it was said she had over 80 of these. Hair was important to Elizabeth and the Elizabethan times, her influential colour and shape made it fashionable for others to wear their hair like this even if her hair was in poor condition. 

From photos I've found it seems like Elizabeth loved wearing her hair with tight curls, ringlets, heart shaped hairline, including plenty of padding and volume. Here I've attached a few images to show Elizabethan hair styles which typically seem the most popular style.