Technical Post: Adding Hair Rats/Props

Hair Rats/Props

This week we learnt about adding props to the hair to create volume and shapes in the hair. The look we went for was adding two props to create the classic Elizabethan heart shape on the head.

Hair Rats/Props: You can make these by taking a piece of stocking, and stuffing it with wadding or cotton wool. Use a lighter coloured stocking for fair hair and a dark couloured one for dark hair.

To achieve this look:

-Curl the hair, as done in week 4. Make sure the hair is curled right from the root.

-Section off the front of the hair.

-Make two small plaits (french or normal) behind these sections to use to secure the padding. A french plait will work better as it is more secure.

-Attach the prop to the plaits using grips, and pierce the grip through the tights.

-Once the prop is secure on the head, cover it with hair from the front, pinning it under the back of the prop. Be sure to cover the whole prop with the hair, and use pins to move the hair into place and secure it.

-Adjust the hair until you get a heart shape, and secure with hair pins.

I found this task quite tricky. I did not curl Terri-Anne’s hair well enough from the root, as her roots were still straight when I put the prop in. The prop I used was also slightly too large for the section of hair that I used, so you could see quite a lot of it sticking through her hair. Next time I will curl the hair right from the root, and use a smaller hair prop.