Hair and Now
The Newest Trend From Across the Pond
Rachel King, a meticulous young stylist at Shear Country Salon, and I spent two weeks in England in February. Of course our trip wouldn’t have been complete without spending time in many high-end salons in the fashionable districts of London and Coventry. So what’s big in jolly ol’ England?
After years of sleek, smooth tresses, this season’s look couldn’t be any different. Big-hair, as seen on catwalks, is all the rage. We couldn’t fly back without knowing how some of the big-hair styles are being created.
There’s more to creating the big-hair style than simply backcombing—a 1950s technique that can make the hair look like a bird’s nest or potentially destroy its healthy condition. Modern hair stylists recommend absolute minimum backcombing to keep the hair sleek and smooth. Whether it’s voluminous, teased, tousled, bighead, raw, or wild, there are many simple techniques that can be used with or without special products. Here are some.
The easiest way to create big-hair is to add wigs and hairpieces into the natural hair. These can be augmented with ring- or sausage-shaped padding underneath the natural hair to create the bulk look. Specialist advice is necessary to make sure the finished combination appears real and natural.
London’s 2002 Hairdresser of the Year, Jamie Brooks, recommends a simple technique using hot rollers. She said hair should be wound towards the roots on the rollers to get more volume at the root rather than the end. When finished, simply running your fingers through the hair will give volume and the big-hair look without the curl.
A favorite technique in the Daniel Hersheson Salon in London uses readily available styling products. To get the desired style, they start by applying mousse to wet hair and then rough drying using a round brush. Hair is then put into Velcro rollers and sprayed with a fixing spray. After taking the rollers out, the head is tipped upside down and fingers pulled through the hair. Finally, flicking the head back, hair is sprayed with a holding spray.
For fine and normal hair there’s another technique that uses styling products. A lightweight mousse is combed through washed and conditioned hair. It’s then blow-dried upside down, as this lifts the roots of the hair from the scalp to give an automatic boost. The look is finished and secured using a fine micro-mist of hairspray, which dries fast and gives a lasting, invisible hold. The spray may be worked through hair with your fingers to create a stronger hold and encourage texture and lift.
For casual and day-to-day big-hair styling, a trip to your favorite salon isn’t necessary. You can build volume and body into your hair through blow-drying or traditional techniques and simple finishing products. But you may want to seek advice on how to do this for your hair.
Big-hair is becoming big in the fashionable districts of England. Peoria may not see this trend for another year or so; the Midwest tends to lag behind the East Coast, West Coast, and Europe in adopting the latest fashions. Maybe one day we’ll set the trends for others to follow.
My goal in sharing the latest trend in hairstyles and techniques in England goes beyond bringing fashion to Peoria. There are many women who have a need to add volume and bulk to their hair, and clearly there are many choices available to them other than the traditional backcombing. In a future article we’ll talk about hair extensions. They’re an excellent way of quickly changing from a professional day look to an elegant evening look. TPW
After years of sleek, smooth tresses, this season’s look couldn’t be any different. Big-hair, as seen on catwalks, is all the rage. We couldn’t fly back without knowing how some of the big-hair styles are being created.
There’s more to creating the big-hair style than simply backcombing—a 1950s technique that can make the hair look like a bird’s nest or potentially destroy its healthy condition. Modern hair stylists recommend absolute minimum backcombing to keep the hair sleek and smooth. Whether it’s voluminous, teased, tousled, bighead, raw, or wild, there are many simple techniques that can be used with or without special products. Here are some.
The easiest way to create big-hair is to add wigs and hairpieces into the natural hair. These can be augmented with ring- or sausage-shaped padding underneath the natural hair to create the bulk look. Specialist advice is necessary to make sure the finished combination appears real and natural.
London’s 2002 Hairdresser of the Year, Jamie Brooks, recommends a simple technique using hot rollers. She said hair should be wound towards the roots on the rollers to get more volume at the root rather than the end. When finished, simply running your fingers through the hair will give volume and the big-hair look without the curl.
A favorite technique in the Daniel Hersheson Salon in London uses readily available styling products. To get the desired style, they start by applying mousse to wet hair and then rough drying using a round brush. Hair is then put into Velcro rollers and sprayed with a fixing spray. After taking the rollers out, the head is tipped upside down and fingers pulled through the hair. Finally, flicking the head back, hair is sprayed with a holding spray.
For fine and normal hair there’s another technique that uses styling products. A lightweight mousse is combed through washed and conditioned hair. It’s then blow-dried upside down, as this lifts the roots of the hair from the scalp to give an automatic boost. The look is finished and secured using a fine micro-mist of hairspray, which dries fast and gives a lasting, invisible hold. The spray may be worked through hair with your fingers to create a stronger hold and encourage texture and lift.
For casual and day-to-day big-hair styling, a trip to your favorite salon isn’t necessary. You can build volume and body into your hair through blow-drying or traditional techniques and simple finishing products. But you may want to seek advice on how to do this for your hair.
Big-hair is becoming big in the fashionable districts of England. Peoria may not see this trend for another year or so; the Midwest tends to lag behind the East Coast, West Coast, and Europe in adopting the latest fashions. Maybe one day we’ll set the trends for others to follow.
My goal in sharing the latest trend in hairstyles and techniques in England goes beyond bringing fashion to Peoria. There are many women who have a need to add volume and bulk to their hair, and clearly there are many choices available to them other than the traditional backcombing. In a future article we’ll talk about hair extensions. They’re an excellent way of quickly changing from a professional day look to an elegant evening look. TPW