olde_fashioned

At the brilliant suggestion of

midenianscholar (who is also the model in the banner) I've decided to share the Regency hairstyle I often wear. Since I don't want to cut my hair for curls, I improvised!

Inspired in part by Georgiana Darcy's and Charlotte Lucas' updos in the 1995 Pride & Prejudice, along with some modifications of my own. ;-) Now in my opinion this is pretty period-correct, but I'm no expert. It certainly gives the correct "look" and isn't very hard, once you get the hang of it.

step one

Step 1: Part hair down the center. (middle of your forehead and all the way to the nape of my neck, as if for two pigtails.) Then make a second part, this time going across and intersecting the first part, from just about behind your ears, intersecting across the top of my head about 4 or 5 inches from the hairline, making a sort of quadrant of four sections, with most of your hair in the back. (The two front sections, which should be pretty thin, will each be looped around the final bun for decorations later) Braid these back two portions together, starting it high up on the crown. Finish and tie off.

step two

Step 2: Coil the braid you just made up around, making a bun. Pin securely, and if possible, moisten the wispy strands at the nape of your neck with water and curl them with your fingers. (mine does this naturally, but you might have to use curlers or just skip this part)

step three

Step 3: Now you're going to braid the front sections of your hair that have been getting in your way. ;-) Start with either the left or the right section; it doesn't matter which. Smooth it back neatly, and seperate it into three strands just behind your ear and begin to braid. Try to keep it as smooth and straight as possible, and braid all the way to the end. Finish off, and repeat for the other side.

Taking your newly-created accent braids, using your hands, run them straight back to the bun, and pin the accents to the base of your bun. Your hair should then look something similar to the Step Four image.

Step 4: This part is really a matter of taste and how long your hair is. For me, I take the two accent braids and wrap them around each other once or twice, like this:
accent braid detail

(note the red X -- tuck the braid ends inside the larger bun and pin them securely) You can just loop and swag them around your bun any way you choose. The finished product should look pretty much like this:

finished front