Tips & Tricks Female Hairstyles

All of the advice in this thread is absolutely wonderful. Thanks so much I've never tried any of the hairstyles before. I'm making the Blue Tatooine dress for AOTC, but I think the hair will be pretty simple. I'm going to use those foam curlers and leave them in my hair overnight. Does anyone know what she uses to put the sides of her hair up? I'm thinking bobby pins.

 

Whoever wanted info on the yellow/gold picnic dress hair-the earpieces are chrocheted, then stiffened with fabric stiffener into the shape-tehn attached to the headband. The hair in those if fake, and just goes on with the headband. If you have thick hair, just do the french braids like kreliea said-Nat used hair etensions there because she really has fine hair...look at her hair in the making of EpI 2nd dvd when they are reading their lines...
Acrylic hair can be bought at Sally's really cheap if you are going to be using it for a hairpiece you fasten in, like the buns spoken about above-it can be wrapped around a styrofoam piece for the rainbow dress piece in the back.
A lot of this hair is made into the hairpiece, so when she goes in to shoot they just sit it on her head-EpI pre-senate, senate, purple travel, EpII picnic, purple senatorial,etc. The really only hard ones as far as getting up and doing your hair that morning are the EpI parade hair, Leia's buns and braids,etc.
If you need hair extensions or actual wigs...that is where the $$$ will come in...

 

Ooo, I wish I did live near there. Sadly enough, I'm in Alabama. Oh, well. I'll survive. *laugh*

 

Hi!

I don't have any costume, and I don't plan to make one, but, as you seem to have lots of ideas on how hairstyles are made in Star Wars...

I'd like to know how you think they've done Padme's hairstyle for the TPM battle (the one she wears with this dress, I couldn't find a photo showing the hair). The bun is quite big, but it looks like they're isn't a important hair length. It doesn't look complicated, but I just can't figure out how they dit it.

 

You all have such great ideas for doing the Leia cinnamon buns!!
I will be spending this weekend trying to figure out the best way to do my hair. Since Celebration is only one week away this is crunch time!
Someone should set up shop in Indy offering to help people with their hair, makeup, etc.

 

I would, but I am not going to be going.

Queenseamstress, I have often thought of styrofoam. But where the heck would you get it in the right shape??? Especially if you were doing the first gown we see Amidala in at the beginning of EpI. That shape isn't round, it's more of a spade-shape. Where would you find styrofoam pieces shaped like that???

The other reason I like pipe cleaners and yarn is that they are fuzzy and give the hair some purchase on the form. They can be sprayed with hairspray until they are damp and then the hair will really cling -- especially important for one of the Deanna ones because the hair just hangs free over the form, with nothing to hold it in place. With the spray, it stays put.

I have thoughts about how *I'd* do the battle dress hairstyle, but it wouldn't look exactly like the movie one. I don't know how the actresses stood that one, because it flops all around back there and all that weight on one place on the back of my head would have hurt my scalp like crazy. I think I could get it to look pretty close tho, if I had enough hair to work with.

I'd try something like:

Starting with a ponytail in the right place on the back of the head, and dividing it in two, an upper part and a lower part. I'd fold the upper part up to create the "upper fold," but secure it against my head with one of those long flat metal curved barrettes against my head before I folded it back down. This would spread the hair out and help hold it in the desired shape, stop the "floppage," and ease the weight hanging from the pony. Then I'd bring the tail back down, pin it or use a small barrette just above the pony to hold the shape, and whatever was left hanging from this upper part I'd twist around the base of the pony (under the hanging lower portion you haven't done anything with yet). I'd make a bun with that part and secure it.

Then I'd pick up the lower part of the pony and fold it down and back up again, against the nape of the neck, and under back toward the pony. This could be secured with another long curved barrette against the head, or you could use those long hair pins. Any hair left hanging could be hidden under the lower "fold" or "roll", or possibly coiled inside it and pinned. Depends on how long your hair is ...

 

I'll soon be able to do most of these hairstyles with my own hair. I love having hair that grows fast.

So does anyone know of insturctions they might have online about the hairstyles?

 

Unfortunately, I think this thread is about it. For good explanations, anyway.

There is a page on Leia-esque hairstyles, and an article that describes the hairstyle designs, but doesn't expain how to do them, except that they're head pieces. The hairstyles at the first link are just a braided bun, Bespin braids, and the Heidi braids from Empire & ROTJ.

I am planning, however, to do a series of tutorials on my website at some point, based off of the discussion here. Once we all figure out the best way to do them. Which may take a while. So don't hold your breath. *laugh*

 

LLL: Thanks for advice on the hair style, now just to get my mom to try it on my hair!

Stormtrooperprincess: Thanks for the pics, there way better then the other ones I had!

Gosh, Celebration is so close, I've got to hurry with the hair and arm bands!

 

StormtrooperPrincess-Just let me know when that site is up. Good idea btw.

 

I'd love to do the same thing, but I have no web skills and no digital camera.

Perhaps if I go to DragonCon I can do a few people's hair and we can take pics for a tutorial.

 

LLL--Would you? If you do the hair, I'll take care of the rest. DraconCon is much closer for me to attend than Celebration II.

Amidala-Leia--It'll probably be mid-May before I can get something up, thanks to a trip to the ever lovely state of Nebraska. But I'll let y'all know when I do get things up.

 

Thanks again Sp

 

You can use styrofoam as a base for some of the dramatic Padme Amidala styles-EpI &EpII.
The kay is to cut it and hot glue it together in a shape you need.
Large craft stores like Hobby Lobby and such have it in the floral section in a lot of shapes-wreaths, cones, balls, rectangles...all sizes. For the Throne Room Amidala you can use wreath shaped pieces and just wrap more hair around the bottom so it is fuller there and not completely half circular shaped. You can also make forms out of plaster gauze and cover them.
For the EpI pre-senate headpiece, I am making the arcs out of corrugated cardboard, covering them with fabric, and then on the backs of the arcs I have strengthened them with aluminum flashing so they withold the weight of the hair. I am using foiling glue to make the looped pattern on them, and thin trim cord to do the arc edging. Surliegirlie has instructions on her website on how to make the box that fits inside the arcs to attache the hair to. I am making the box out of brown posterboard with supports inside, and putting the hair extensions onto that, then sliding it into the arcs. The beaded flaps on the front and back are sewn to the fabric covering the arcs. (I used woven fabric, then an overlay of latch hook type mesh). Then the arcs are painted, jeweled,etc.
The long hair in back is a hairpiece sewn to the back arc, already braided etc...so all I have to do to put it on is to slick my hair down(it is Anne Heche short) and put it on my head...
The big key with Padme Amidala styles is to find a way to support all of the weight of the hair and hair acessories...and it has to be a perfect fit. I made a plaster mold of my head to use while making it so I know it will fit. You can pretty much count on anything with a big fancy headpiece is using fake hair. Also go to Nostradamus' website. Both of these ladies post here on 2002 costume projects to get their website info.
These are pretty expensive pieces to make...you need a lot of materials and patience.
The Padme EpI Tatooine can be done with a fall hairpiece, and then fake braids made out of synthetic hair wrapped around a headband, and braids in the fall.
The rainbow dress hair I would use small styrofoam balls hot glued into the weird shape and cover them with hair and the ribbon/trim. You are going to have to make sure the hair matches your own well-and attach combs to the top and bottom of the piece-and use lots of bobby pins.

 

Well, for my prom (which was last night, my feet are KILLING me..) I wore it like Padme's when she's wearing the blue dress one tatooine, you know the one with the embroidery on it? Well, it turned out interesting. To me it looks like hair you would have seen in the 40's. I'll try and get a picture up of it.

It took two hours for the hair dresser to curl my hair, and she had to use this stuff called hot set. Basicly glue. It help hold the curl in, because my hair is notorious for straightening out. I asked her where she got it and she said that only licensed hair dressers can get it. So if you have stubborn straight hair, ask you hair dresser for this stuff! With all the curls padme's sporting in this new movie this is a lifesaver.

 

How would you guys reccomend doing this hairstyle, and making the headpiece?

[image=http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/c60cd515/bc/Padme/headpiece.jpg?bcrWdH9Ak42RBwbg] [image=http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/c60cd515/bc/Padme/WT_Hair.jpg?bcrWdH9AmIA3t8_E] [image=http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/c60cd515/bc/Padme/paperdoll-drawing.jpg?bcrWdH9A025pWQSh]

 

Looking forward to the pics of the hair JGC. My hair holds curl incredibly well. Hardly ever have to use hairspray though I probably would in this case. I think mine should be able to hold the curls.

 

That silver headpiece, to me at least, looks like the same one from the blue turtleneck outfit that we never see. As for how to make it, I'm not really sure. I'm going to have to study those pictures again. And I really don't have a clue at the moment at the potential picnic look-like-a-faerie dress.

As for the hair, it's essentially the same as the picnic dress hairstyle ("formal court style," according to the Visual Dictionary), just without the haircases. So, "buns" at each ear, and the rest sort of twisted away from her temples to a low ponytail. At least that's how I see it.

 

MMN-You will probably have to play around with materials for the headress-maybe Sintra, Silver SculpeyIII, or Premo Sculpey-a lot of people have made slave Leia bikini trim and ANH Leia jewelry out of those...I would recommend making a plaster mold of your head to keep for headresses and hairpieces like this since it is so close to the head...They have chrome spray paint you could paint it with.
You could attach fake buns with bobby pins-but it looks like individual strands are twisted all over, then brought together into a low ponytail.
As far as the hair stuff-you can get "Hot Sets" at salons that sell Redken products. You can use it on wet hair if you are using rollers and then going under a dryer-or on dry hair with a curling iron. Spritz it on each piece of hair LIGHTLY before you curl or roll up each piece. It is heat activated, so it won't do well if you roll or braid your hair and then sleep on it overnight or something...need some heat. It is in a small spray bottle about half the size of a nonm-aerosol hairspray bottle. If you are going to sleep on rolled up or braided hair for soft waves-use Paul Mitchell sculpting lotion-it is real runny-almost watery and will do well.

 

Actually, now that I went back to look at it on the Padawan's Guide, I have no idea why I said it looked like the one from the mysterious blue turtleneck costume. Maybe because they're both blue?

You could always try looking for a headpiece like that at Renn Faires. I don't know how successful that may be as an option, but a lot of the faires I've been to have things like chainmail headdresses and circlets and "stuff." Maybe a vendor will have something similar enough to use for Padmé...

 

thought that ya'll would want to know--

to do the loopy pony tail with padme's white jump suit, buy long strands of foam from a craft store and wrap your hair around it and secure it.

 

Back to the Hot sets stuff, it is a pain to wach out. Nearly impossible to comb your hair when you have it in. I spent an hour and a half trying to get it untangled. But those curls sure did stay in. They lasted even longer than the perm I had.

And that loopy hair style is great, it's something I've worn to school before, slightly different and it was a long time ago. But what I did was pull my hair into a pony tail, then I just twisted sections of the hair and bobby pinned it to my head. Took about half an hour and if you have enough hair it looks really good. But not quite like Padme's. They style I tend to get is all bunched up in a weird twisted bun, looks cool and resembles what padme has. But the foam idea sounds like it would work.

 

Yay! Finally found a picture of the back of Beru Whitesun's head to go along with the front of her hairstyle:

[image=http://www.padawansguide.com/gifs/beru2.jpg]

New style for me to tinker with.

And somewhere I have a braiding book that has a style similar to Padme's arena hair, but I think it's more along the lines of what JGC described, the thin sections of hair twisted and pinned in place. Wrapping it around something would definately give it more shape. Pieces of florist wire might work, too, but I think it would be much more uncomfortable, unless the ends were wrapped in something soft to keep them from poking into the back of your head.

(edits just to correct my horrible spelling)

 

[image=http://img.stopklatka.pl/galeria/rysunki/00000/00030/g-13.jpg]

here's another one

 

Sorry, I was out of town.

Yeah, I think that'd be fun to try at DragonCon.

Email me at UPSTARTLL@juno.com with what it is you're trying to do.

Only thing I'd worry about with styrofoam held on with pins and combs is slippage, especially if something needs to stay on for hours on end. Pins and combs are notorious for not staying in my hair!! I have a bun up right now that is held only with pins, and I am waiting for it to fall down, LOL. If I can do something that is held into my hair with elastic, tied in, or held on with a barette, I feel much safer! I bet styrofoam would be lighter and more comfortable however.

Didn't they used to have something called "hair tape?" One could glue that onto the outside of styrofoam pieces before wrapping with your own or fake hair. This might help the hair stick and cling to the form.

One thing I have often done when I didn't have enough hair on my head to make a bun large, like Padme's EpI Tattooine bun, or Deanna Troi's season 1 bun, is make a pony and then put several thick hair elastic bands and wraps around the base of the pony. These are lightweight, and they are around the base of the pony so they don't go anywhere. Then I loop the rest of my hair back down over to cover them, braided, swirled, or whatever it needs to look like, and pin.