Creating Shapes with Hair

Slick ponytail
Equipment:
-Spray bottle of water
-Paddle brush
-Pin tail comb
-Hair Dryer
-Hair grips
-Hair bungy
-Hairspray

Step by step:
1. Spray water lightly all over the hair.

2. Brush the hair backwards and blow the hair towards the hair so that it blows the hair backwards. Do this all round the hair line.

3. Take a section from each temples and take it to the crown of the head to a point. Use a tail comb for this.

4. Clip this top section out of the way.

5. Spray the bottom section of the hair and brush the hair into a ponytail to the crown of the head. Ask your model to tilt her head back slightly so that the hair at the back is taught. 

6. Go over the hair with a comb and hair spray to make it look even more sleek and smooth. 

7. Use a hair bungy to secure the ponytail. Hook one side of the bungy into the hair and wrap it round the hair tightly and then hook the other side in to secure. 

8. Comb the top section of hair backwards into the ponytail and then use a hair bungy to secure.

9. Take a small section of the ponytail, comb it through and put hair spray in it, then wrap the hair around the hair elastics. Use a hair grip to secure this hair.

I am happy with this outcome; however it still isn't as sleek and smooth as I would have liked. I found it really difficult to get the hair all round the ponytail smooth and flat because I found that when I combed one section, others fell loose. I will need to practice this hair style as I think it is a basic style that I need to be familiar and confident with. I am happy with the height of the ponytail because it sits well on the crown of her head. I am also happy with how well I blended the two sections togethers together because the joining is not visible. I forgot to add the piece of hair round the elastic so I would do this if I did it again to complete the look.

Sleek Ponytail with Quiff
Step by step:

1. Take the top section down from the hair style above so that just the lower section is in a ponytail.
2. Back comb the top section in small sections going backwards with your tail comb. You can add product to the hair to give it more texture if necessary.
3. Gather all the hair and lightly comb the top layer of hair to give it a smooth finish.
4. Shape the hair with the pin tail comb and then connect it with the ponytail at the back.
5. Secure the hair with a hair bungy tightly to keep the hair in place.
6. Take a small section of hair from the ponytail, comb it through and put hair spray in it, then wrap the hair around the hair elastics. Use a hair grip to secure this hair.

I am really happy with how this came out because the quiff looks very even and smooth. The hair isn't as smooth and flat underneath the ponytail as I would have liked but I really struggled to keep the hair taught when I was adding other sections in. I like how well I blended the two sections as the join is not visible. I really like how I added the section of hair over the hair elastics because it makes the look more polished and occasion appropriate. I added lots of hair spray to the the flyaways and I am happy with how neat and smooth the hair looks.

French Pleat
Equipment:
-Pin tail comb
-Curling tongs
-Hairspray
-Hair grips
-Hair pins

Step by step:

1. Take a section from the temples backwards into a point at the crown of the head using your pin tail comb, then square this point off.

2. Curl the bottom section of hair backwards in sections away from the face. This is so the hair naturally going in the right direction.

3. Back comb the bottom section of hair in sections, going backwards/away from the face all over the head.

4. Back comb the top section of hair, going in sections and making sure to tease the front slightly to get lift.

5. Twist the top section of hair in a one direction, push it up slightly and pin it in place. This can be as much of a quiff as you like, but try to make it look smooth and even.

6. Comb/brush the whole bottom section of hair to the opposite way that you twisted the hair. Try to blend the top and bottom sections together so that look like one. 

7. Hold the hair over to one side and put some hair grips going upwards to keep the hair to one side. Place the grips further over than the middle parting.

8. Comb the hair back on itself and twist it all in one go in the same direction as the top section was twisted.

9. Use hair pins to go in the direction of the hair first and then back on themselves to hold the hair in place.

I am really happy with how this hair style turned out, especially as I had never done it before. I like how smooth and voluminous the quiff looks from the side, however it looks slightly wonky from the front view, so I will need to make sure I take more time to make both sides even next time. I think I should have used more hair spray to finish the look off because there are some fly aways that make the look slightly messy. I found it fiddly to twist all the hair round and into the pleat so I did it in sections starting from the bottom and found this easier as I could line up each section and I didn't have to hold as much hair at once. To improve the look I would try to make the bottom section of hair blend into the neck more smoothly as it is sticking out, but I want it to be more of a gradient.

Editorial French pleat

1. Take the top section of the French pleat out and back comb the whole top section. Make the back combing more extreme as you go backwards. 

2. Comb the hair very lightly backwards and style it how you want. Make it as messy and big as you want. In this look I turned the ends of the back combed section under because the model's hair looked too ratty and thin to just lie over the pleat.

I like how there were so many possibilities with this hair style because it is editorial. I decided to back comb the top section and then comb over the top section lightly and then just bring it all back. I didn't want it to look particularly neat or smooth because I wanted it to have some texture. I like how I turned the ends of the hair under because it gives the hair a rounded shape and it doesn't cover up the pleat. If I did this look again I would make the bottom section look slightly messier and bigger to compliment the top section as I don't think they look very cohesive.