Hairstyles - Noldorin Elf cosplay crown braided updo

Today's cosplay related post features a crown braided style for my Noldorin Rivendell Elf OC (Original Character).  worn last weekend during a Tolkien convention:


And front view (click on pics or open in new tab for larger size):
                             

                                   

I favour braided updos for this outfit (crown-style, mostly, and with parandas or ribbons). Both my personal headcanon and some Tolkien references describe Noldorin ladies as wearing braided updos (crown braids or other), and bejewelled hairnets, snoods and tressures. I particularly like the headcanon of Noldorin women favouring hairstyles ressembling Italian Renaissance updos (hair taping and the like). The hair taping-inspired variation of this crown braided updo can be found here.

• For this style, I used:

-An elastic without metal for the initial ponytail.

-Two parandas (info about making parandas and braiding them into hair here). Parandas are optional, but a nice addition if you want added volume and colour. You could also use ribbons or (metallic) cord.

-Bobby pins (closed and open). Lots of them in my case xD

• Steps (video tutorial planned!):

The steps I followed for this 'Noldorin updo' are similar to the 'Noldorin' hair taping variation, with some differences (3-strand braids vs rope-braids, no hairstick, and, of course, no taping):

1. Pull your hair into a high ponytail (or a low one, I went with a high one) and secure it with a hair-friendly elastic without metal.

2. Divide your hair into two parts. Braid each section (standard three-strand braid), adding a paranda.

3. Pin each braid around your head with closed bobby pins. I pinned one braid first until I reached the elastic at the back of the head (and left the rest hanging), and then pinned the other in front of the first one. You can also criss-cross them (I think I ended up criss-crossing the braids at one side and leaving them paralell in front and at the other side). 

4. Wrap and pin the remaining length of both braids around and over the elastic at the back, hiding it and creating a bun.

Bigger pics of both sides and the back:

                                SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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Haircare video - Night routine

   Not very good lighting or framing for this one, but here's a video about my detangling + brushing + braiding night routine :)  I always finger-detangle instead of using combs or brushes (at night and in the morning), and then smooth the hair out with a gentle baby-brush. Sleeping with loose hair means tnagled and hazard xD, so I always wear a loose three-strand braid, which for me is comfy and hair-friendly.

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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Just a couple of cosplay hair pics

Uploaded these Noldorin Elf cosplay shots to Tumblr yesterday, and they're hair pics as well as cosplay pics, so here they are as well :) :

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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Braidwaves and length shots (kinda)

Another post with just pictures xD (I promise a tutorial and/or video will come soon!)

Braidwaves + bendy rollers curls on the ends from January:

                                                         

And the way I sometimes wear my hair when I want it 'loose' but contained at the same time xD:

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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LHC Winter swap 2015 action shots

Action shots of the gorgeous hairtoys from this year's LHC Winter swap!

-TARDIS fork:


Lúthien flexi-8:

-Hairsword:

-Hairsticks with red toppers:

-Hammered copper fork:

-Harry Potter finishing pins:

-And some non-hair stuff: Harry Potter buttons and the awesome glass bottle with maps of Middle-earth and Gallifrey:

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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LHC Winter swap 2015!

This lovely gift came yesterday from fellow Long Hair Community member Areté, as part of our annual Winter swap :):

 The gifts are all so lovely and thoughtful, and Areté crafted nearly everything, from hairsticks to hair forks and pendants:

 This is my first XL Flexi-8, and it just screams 'Lúthien!' I can't wait to try it as part of my Lúthien Tinúviel cosplay!

Hammered copper fork, oak sticks with deep red toppers, and an adorably bad*ss hair-sword!

And a TARDIS fork, which had Whovian me fangirling :D

Harry Potter finishing pins and buttons, plus a moonstone and iolite ring/pendant. She also crafted a couple of pendants (a horse and rune stone):

And to finish, this delightfully geeky glass bottle with maps of Gallifrey and Middle-earth inside :D

 Action shots of the hairtoys coming soon!

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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Random post - New Flexi-8, French braid and unnamed bun

Got the January Flexi of the Month (Starlight) to join my flexi-8 collection, and it reminds me a lot of Missy from Doctor Who, definitely something she would wear :D

Necessary Missy gif because she's awesome :D

 And action shot! I normally wear flexi-8's as low ponytail holders when I'm wearing three-strand braids:

And to explain the 'random' in the title, recent-ish hair pics! French braid:

And braided bun with paranda, the kind of bun that I get when I bun a braided ponytail into cinnamon bun and then part of it uncoils and this happens:

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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Texture - Bandanna waves/rag curls and cocoon curls

Another kind of heatless waves/curls that I love, alongside bendy rollers curls and braidwaves, are bandanna waves (also called rag curls). This is the first method that I learned, but I usually go for this one.

For all my heatless texture experiments I either start with post-shower damp hair or spray my ends and length with some water. The latter option sometimes dries out my hair, so I usually go for the former (post-shower nearly-dry, still a bit damp hair).  When I do rag curls I usually just use one piece of soft cloth and, with the rest of my hair braided, I curl my ends and half my length (this results in S-curls for the ends and softer braidwaves up my length). Other option is doing the same but without braiding the rest of my hair (straight hair evolving into the waves created by the bandannas/rags). And sometimes I'll do smaller sections with 2-3 pieces of cloth and go a bir further up my length, which results in smaller, tighter and flufflier curls for me.

Pics (these are from a few years ago, when I was around classic length):

-Straight hair on top (no added texture), bandanna waves in the ends and rest of the length:

-Braidwaves and bandanna waves in the ends:

-Flufflier and tighter curls as a result of using 2-3 rags instead of one:

And, to finish, my one and only attempt at cocoon curls, which I found more demanding and turned out in varying states of curliness xD:

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

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