Elizabethan Hair & Research!

Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth

 Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Available on http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2337774/Is-proof-Virgin-Queen-imposter-drag-Shocking-new-theory-Elizabeth-I-unearthed-historic-manuscripts.html#ixzz3L1fKT5EE
[Viewed 5 December 2014)

Elizabethan Hair and Research

Elizabethan Hair and research

My idea of Elizabethan hair is characterised by frizzy or tight curled hair creating a heart shaped frame around the head with plenty of body and covered in pearls.

This ideal Elizabethan woman was a woman with light, reddish hair, preferably natural. As this was inspired by the Queen herself, her favoured hair style was to be frizzy. The red hair look was a fashion started by the nobility of the Elizabethan Era.
The upper class women would follow the red hair look by dying their hair reddish, yellow with a mixture of Saffron, Cumin seed, Celandine and oil. If people didn't have the desired type of hair it was rumoured that women would get their hair from horses or even children's hair as wigs only become fashionable in the last century and introduces in England around 1572. Wigs (referred to as Periwigs back in Elizabethan Era) were very popular back in Elizabethan time, as Elizabeth I had over 80 wigs.

Fringes were not in fashion in the Elizabethan Era as it was a desired look for the hair to by away from the forehead.
During the Elizabethan Era the woman would show more hair as the head coverings would become smaller, but more delicate.
Ruffs and Collars were also very popular and high in fashion in the Elizabethan Era as they were very elaborate and framed the face. 
Ruffs and Collars are constructed on gauze wings which were raised at the back of the head.
Woman kept their hair long and flowing down their backs before marriage, this was the sign of a 'Virgin Queen', this is also the favoured hairstyle for brides on their wedding day, but with fresh flowers also in the hair. Once they were married they would have their hair up in very elaborate styles with very with elaborate headdresses on their heads.
After marriage a lot of the woman's hair was covered by a sort of head covering pinned to the hair as it would be dressed in a bun.
Head coverings were normally a hat, veil, coif or a caul or french hood as this dictated the hairstyle

The style of the head covering dictated the hairstyle. Many of the hats were adorned with feathers, pearls, glass jewels, spangles, gold thread, embroidery and lace.

The different hair styles we influence by the Queen, while health problems related to the beauty products available at the time had an influence on hair styling.

Mens hair

Until the 1590's men kept their hair short, after then the fashion was a shoulder-length look, but a curled style created using an iron. The curls were called "lovelocks' which would have had perfume, wax or starched on them.

Most men would have had some sort of facial hair, whether this would of been a must ache or a beard, these were however trimmed at a point.

Hats were in fashionable for the men, they wore them to obscure their hair. These hats were usually made of wool, fabric or leather.

However if a man was bald they would wear a light-colour wig.

Below is a portrait of an example of the hat the men wore in the Elizabethan Era

An Unknown Man

 by Jan Gossaert, c.1525-28. 

(Gemäldegalerie, Berlin)

Available on http://www.elizabethan-portraits.com/Various_1.htm

[Viewed on 5 December 2014]

More facts and nots I have learn about the Elizabethan hair

-Elizabethan women kept their hair long so they can achieve the big and extravagant hairstyles

-Red was the ideal hair colour because they thought light colours like red represented the beauty of women

-The most popular Elizabethan hairstyle was their hair on the front and the top of the head was parted on the centre, and the hair on the back of the head one unit with the back section braided and in a bun to for a head covering to fit on. The front section was then frizzy or pin curled.

Below is a photograph of my work from a previous prosthetic course. I feel this is necessary to add as it reminds me of the Elizabethan Era and the fact that they would shave off all their hair if they did not have the desire Red hair colour. 

If they were wealthy enough they would then place a red wig on their bald head.

Shame my model below still has her eyebrow on though.

Prosthetic Make-up Artist-Sarah-Louise Leftly

Model-Carlotta Nuti

Trained at Delamar Academy

Facts and interesting information

To make hair and body hair grow

If you get barley bread sand salt together and toast them, then grind them together to make a powder, then take bear fat and mix it together to create an oil, then place the oil where you want the hair to grow.


To make hair grow and beards long

Take borax water, fumitory water, water of plantain and with this water wash where you want and take a comb and you will see the effect.

To achieve the design golden Elizabethan look

-4 ounces of the herb called Great Centaury [Centaureum erythreum], 
-1 litre alum of [potassium bitartrate?], 2on. litres of gum Arabic, 1 on. rock alum, -7L. with water and mash well and make an elixir of it and boil until 1/3 is left; 
-strain and with this oil then comb the hair under the hot sun and first wash your head & rub well then comb.

Sources
http://www.ehow.com/list_7892525_hair-styles-elizabethan-era.html

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-hair-styles.htm
https://sites.eca.ed.ac.uk/renaissancecosmetics/cosmetics-recipes/hair/