Hair in 2015 - Texture experiments and hair in cosplay

The second part of the 2015 hair recap and 2016 hair goals! 

-Hair texture experiments: I've continued to experiment with heatless bendy rollers curls and braidwaves, especially for cosplay purposes. I've also started using Lush's sea spray as a hair fixator on the ends before adding the bendy rollers. It works pretty well for me and doesn't over-dry my hair (I also only use this method sporadically), although I always deep-oil the ends after. In 2016 I'd like to continue experimenting with more heatless waves/curls methods.

-Hair in cosplay: Apart from River Song (Doctor Who) and Elsa (Frozen), I've been using my hair for all my cosplays, in styles ranging from updos with heatless curls (Fem!Sherlock, Sherlock BBC) or with fake hair for more volume in the front (Fem!Tenth Doctor, Doctor Who), to multi-braided styles (Lúthien Tinúviel, Rivendell Elf, Tolkien universe), to high braided ponytails (Elven ranger, Tolkien universe), to half-ups with loose hair (Noldorin Elf, Tolkien universe). In 2016 I plan on cosplaying Elsa and Merida, which require wigs, and also Missy from Doctor Who, and for her I'll be using my hair and learning Edwardian updos.

• 2015 heatless texture experiments and hair in cosplay pic overload:

-Bendy rollers curls and braidwaves:

-High braided ponytail for my Elven ranger cosplay:

-Half-up with heatless texture for my Noldorin Elf cosplay:

-Elisabethan hair-taping inspired updo for my Rivendell Elf cosplay:

 -Lúthien multi-braid:

-Fem!Tenth Doctor flipped bun with volume:

-Fem!Sherlock half-up half-down cinnabun with heatless curls:

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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Heatless curls: Bendy rollers. Experimenting for fem!Sherlock cosplay hair

My first heatless waves/curls tutorial-experiment in this blog! I have very straight hair, but I also love the wavy/curly look, so I'm really interested in different ways to make my hair wavy/curly. Or at least, as wavy/curly as possible, because that's one con of my hair, it's incredibly hard to curl. It's so fine-textured and so stubbornly straight waves and curls don't come out as defined as I would be expecting and/or don't stay in my hair for as long as I'd like them to stay. Ah well. Some techniques do yield better results than others, though, and I'm still experimenting.

I'd also like to say, I'm not a heat tools fan. Heat styling - hairdryers to style the length, straighteners, curling irons, and the like - can really damage the hair, especially if they're used too often. And no matter what all the commercial tutorials say, no amount of synthetic-ridden heat protectors are going to protect one's hair from that amount of breakage-causing sizzling heat. And all those synthetic-ridden 'nourishing masks' aren't going to magically restore one's hair to its former glory (so you can sizzle it again with more heat), either *facepalms*

 Anyway, I personally prefer heatless methods when it comes to try out waves and curls. No damage except for potential tangling in some cases (because my hair is so fine, it tangles too easily). Also, in the case of stubbornly straight hair such as mine I guess heat curls wouldn't last longer on my hair than heatless ones. So at least the heatless ones don't damage my hair. 

 And speaking of stubbornly straight hair, I'm still testing different hair fixators so that the waves/curls stay longer. The problem is, most hairsprays and curl-enhancing mousses are very drying and not at all healthy for your hair (and many of them don't seem to work all that much on my fine straight hair either), so I normally don't use them. More hair-friendly fixators would include salty-water and aloe vera gel, which work moderately on my hair. They are not especially strong-hold, though. Quite light-hold, in fact.

Anyway, first heatless technique of this blog, bendy rollers curls. These pics are from my first try, back in December when I was trying to curl my hair a bit for my fem!Sherlock cosplay. 

• How-to:

Post-shower or relatively damp hair is usually vital when it comes to a heatless curling method. I either go for 90% dry post-shower hair (my best option) or misting my hair with a spraying bottle just before. For more hold, the spraying water can be salty water, or clear aloe vera gel can be used as a mousse. These are hair-friendly hair-fixators, albeit not really strong. You could also use a curl-enhancer mousse or some hairspray, but these are not as hair-friendly.

You'll need: Bendy rollers, small claw clips to secure each section. Gloves and magnifying glass are just part of my Sherlock cosplay :D

                           

   This is, in my opinion, a really easy and relatively fast curling technique. You need a package of bendy rollers (which you can usually find on drug-stores and general supermarkets), and some claw clips to secure the sections.

  1) Section your hair (smaller sections give tighter curls, larger sections result in larger looser curls/waves).

  2) Wrap each section in a bendy roller, starting at the top of the head (it can also be done from the ends to the top, but I find this more difficult for my own hair). Each section should be wrapped as securely as possible (without being overly tight and uncomfortable), so that it doesn't unwind with time. Once the hair is completely wrapped around the roller, bend its two ends in a tight (but comfy) U shape over the middle, creating a small bun secured by the roller. If wrapped tightly enough, and with the roller bent adequately, the hair should stay put without unravelling until it's going to be unwrapped. 

   3) I use some claw clips to secure some of the resulting buns to my scalp, so that they don't bounce around and become uncomfortable. I think this is one of the most comfy heattless curls techniques I've tried, the bendy rollers are pretty weightless and although I do look pretty ridiculous (not as ridiculous as with rag-curls or henna, though :D), my head doesn't feel heavy and the buns sit snugly without hurting my scalp, which is a huge plus.

More visual instructions here: 

http://www.alovesvintage.co.uk/2013/04/heatless-hair-tutorial-curling-hair.html (hair is wrapped from the ends to the top, instead of from top to ends).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh4PGm9CMtU (each roller is further secured with a small claw clip, which I don't usually need. I also begin the wrap the hair around the roller closer to my scalp so that it doesn't hang a lot, which I find uncomfortable).

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/dc/20/3b/dc203b69704e1dbc7ba542f0e2a0c2e6.jpg (another method, starting with a high ponytail. Looks practical).

The longer you keep the rollers on, the more defined the curl will be. In this case, I think I didn't keep them for a long time, three-four hours maybe. On my last attempt, I kept them for a bit longer, and the resulting curls were way more defined.

The final result, just four sections (not very tight curls), and 3-4 hours in. 

   -Pros: Easy, comfy technique, hair doesn't tangle when unravelling the rollers, yields nice, reasonably defined curls (depending on the number of sections and the time you keep the rollers on).

   -Cons (for my hair): The sections make my originally non-voluminous hair clump together, giving the impression of even less volume. I find this is a nice technique to get defined curls for an updo or ponytail, not so good for loose hair, especially if I want it to be relatively voluminous - bandanna waves or braidwaves work way better for that, in my experience.

  Also, as usual, my long, straight hair makes the curls fall down too quickly. These were taken just an hour after I unwrapped the hair from the rollers. The fact that I didn't keep the rollers for a long time counts as well. 

And rehearsing my fem!Sherlock cosplay hair (just with a black elastic), which is actually a crossover between Molly and Sherlock, it seems :). As usual, don't mind the house-clothes :D!

When I finally cosplayed fem!Sherlock for my graduation I didn't have a lot of time to keep the rollers in, and the resulting curls fell way too quickly, even if I dared to use some hairspray (which just dried out my hair until I washed it again, yay for my sacrifice). Also, the bangs came out very weird. But overall, I enjoyed cosplaying Sherlock for my graduation, so yay :)

-Update: I now use salt water sprays (like Lush's Sea Spray) as a fixator in order to get the curls to stay (I spray my hair when it's it's coiled in the rollers and wait overnight). It generally works pretty well for m  

Next bendy roller pics will feature more defined, tighter curls, courtesy of a longer settling time and more sections.

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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Cinnamon bun as a half updo. Fem!Sherlock cosplay style.

Pics updated from time to time. Last update: December 2020

 

I tend to favour the kind of styles where you pull your hair into a ponytail and begin to coil the length in an updo, but leave part of it hanging. A mix between a full updo and a ponytail. I think it looks rather aesthetic, and reminds me of ancient Greek and Norse styles. For people with relatively long hair (I'd said waist and onwards), it's also a nice way of experimenting with hairstyles where your length appears to be shorter. 

  I don't know if 'half-up, half-down' would be the correct term for this sort of style, because it's not really a typical half-up when you leave part of the hair loose. Here all the hair is gathered in a ponytail, and you leave part of the length out of the updo. I tend to make a personal difference in usage between "half-up" and "half-updo" because of this. I've also been suggested the term 'length-shortening bun', which sounds pretty accurate as well.

  This is a cinnamon "half-updo", where part of the ponytail length is coiled in a cinnamon bun and the rest is left dangling from it. 

   -Steps:

    1. I gathered my hair into a high ponytail and secured it with a metal-free elastic (to avoid hair breakage.

     2. Then I began coiling the length into a cinnamon bun. 

   For those unfamiliar with the cinnamon bun, you twist your hair relatively tightly and begin to coil it around the base of the ponytail in the same direction you're twisting it (it can also be done without an elastic), creating a spiral-y form. It can be secured with pins while you're twisting it, or directly at the end when the bun's finished, with a stick, fork, pins or claw-clips.

   I get a small compact updo with this kind of bun (seeing as you have to twist your hair tightly for this style, and my hair compresses down to nothing when twisted), so for me it's a good option if I need my hair out of the way and securely fixed (with claw clips, or a hairstick, usually). 

 

  A full cinnamon bun with a hairstick:

   3. Instead of coiling all my length into the bun, I just twist and coil my hair round the base of the ponytail twice, and leave the rest of the length hanging at one side of the bun. Depending on your original length and on how long you want the hanging length to be, you'll be coiling more or less times.  Then I fixed the style with some small claw-clips. If it doesn't hold, bobby-pins or more claw-clips can be added. A ficcaré-style clip or a hairstick are also  nice options.

   The finished style looks like this from both sides. On one side you see the length that's hanging down, on the other you see the coiled part:

And from the front it can look as a standard ponytail, but with shorter hair:

You can also add heatless curls (like bendy rollers curls or rag curls) to the ends.

 

 

This is also the main style I use for my fem!Sherlock cosplay:

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

If you copy-and-paste this post and/or alter it without any permission, credit or link, you're stealing my content. In that case, please stop. Please ask before using my work, or at least share it properly, giving credit to me and my blog.