Cosplay hairstyles - Fem!Tenth Doctor updo

Another cosplay hairstyle post, this time about the updo I go for when cosplaying a genderbent version of the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who.

 Seeing as I can exactly have sticky-uppy hair in Tennant's way with knee-length hair (most unfortunately xD)...

..I usually go for a gelled flipped bun with volume at the front and ends out of the bun - A mix of sleek and 'casual-messy' that I feel would suit a fem!Ten very well (if she had long hair, that is):

 

And it actually looks a bit like a long hair version of Ten's 1950s pompadour in The Idiot's Lantern:

Depending on the day, I get a more dramatic pompadour (never up to Missy's standards because that would be too much for Ten, of course) or a more subtle one. 

• I used:

-A 2-prong wood hair fork
-Bobby pins 

-Spin pins and/or open bobby pins to secure the updo

-Hair rats (synthetic clumps of hair to create volume. You can also use rats made of your own hair)

-Hair gel

-Hairspray
-Backcombing comb
-Tangle teezer (to undo the backcombing without harming the hair) and a baby brush (to brush away the hairspray)

                                    

Regarding hair fixators, in my day-to-day styles I avoid hairspray and other strong fixators. I  use light fixators, such as aloe vera gel, daily because of static and flyaways, and sometimes a bit of hair gel, in some specific cases (French braids or side braids, usually and not always). At the moment I only use hairspray for some cosplays, where I need to secure a style for a shoot or a whole day in a convention. The build-up is easily removed next time I wash my hair, and given that I have greasy roots, applying hairspray sporadically to my hair (minus the lower length, hairspray in the ends is a huge nope) actually doesn't dry my hair out, so yay. Not a fan of applying tons of hairspray, though (and I hate that smell, why, gods, why), and I think it's completely unnecessary and harmful for the hair to use hairspray and other alcohol-based products in a daily basis. So for  me, it's just for sporadical cosplay events.

As for backcombing, it's also a sporadical thing for me and limited to cosplay events. I don't think that sporadical backcombing in the root area harms my hair (emphasis on sporadical, every few months, for example), especially when I use the Tangle Teezer in order to undo the tangles safely without breaking the hair. I usually avoid backcombing, but there are cases, such as front pompadours (especially dramatic ones, such as the one Missy from Doctor Who has), where I find it necessary, especially considering my fine-textured straight hair. A backcombed base also helps the hair stay in place with the added boost of the hair rats (hair rats on their own can work for some hair types, but I definitely need some backcombing to keep the hair up).  I go for pretty light backcombing for the Tenth Doctor's pompadour, though, nothing overly dramatic.
But I strongly advise not to backcomb the length and ends of the hair - that hair is more delicate and can easily break. Backcombing often is also harmful because it can easily destroy hair thanks to continuous mechanical damage.  

• Steps (will be uploading a video tutorial in the near future):

1. Creating volume at the front:
-Separate a front section of hair and backcomb it lightly (optional) with a backcombing comb. Add a hair rat/hairpiece under it, securing it to the scalp with a bobby pin if necessary (I don't have to do this with a backcombed base). I used a larger piece in the centre and two smaller pieces on each side, all covered by the hair I had sectioned.
-Create more volume and further secure the floss by puffing the hair up and keeping it in place with bobby pins.
-I fixed the 'pompadour' with hairspray and a bit of hair gel, especially because I was going to spend the whole day at a convention and needed the volume to stay in place.

2. The flipped bun:
-Comb your hair up into a high ponytail, smoothing the sides and nape section and avoiding the frnt section you have just added volume to.
-Without tying the ponytail with an elastic, begin twisting the hair into a flipped bun, leaving the ends out of the bun before flipping the bun up. Secure it with a fork or the hairtoy of your choice, plus add spin pins and/or open pins to further secure it where needed.
-Because Ten's hair is always gelled, I added some hair gel to smooth the sides and get the ends a bit sticky-uppy :)
-Add some more hairspray to the whole look if needed (I did that because of the convention), and it's done!

Pic gallery:

 

 

A more dramatic pompadour:

And a very subtle version, with hardly any front volume:

And finally, here's another version with a less dramatic pompadour in a non-cosplay context (open in new tab for larger pic):

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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