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| Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael with their hair in prep faze. |
I would assume hair and make-up designers for any period dramas are extremely grateful for modern technology in creating old-fashioned looks. I know my go-to products for theatrical hair is hair spray and tons of bobby pins. Lots and lots of bobby pins. We are talking the Witch Hazel effect from the old Looney Tunes cartoons- so many that one leaves a trail behind. Any time I have had to tackle the Gibson Girl look or a Marcel wave and bun, I bring these two items along.
Bobby pins can also be referred to as hair grips or even possibly kirby grips. They came of age in the 1920s and got their name from the hair style-the bob. Suddenly, long locks weren't being held in place in a bun on the back of one's head which meant they were falling in front of one's eyes all the time. Anyone who has tried to grow out pesky bangs understands this idea. Bobby pins were much smaller and less noticeable than barettes and could easily be used in one's hair or tucked into one's stockings for future hair catastrophes.
If one wanted tight ringlet curls all over one's head, a simple way to get it is to create bobby pin curls, more commonly referred to as pin curls. Take a small section of hair, wrap it around your finger completely from root to end (tip: place the finger one is wrapping the hair around directly under the root of the wrapping hair and wrap around the tip of the finger) and then place the curled hair next to your scalp. Using two bobby pins per curl of hair, make an 'x' with the pins to hold it in place. Continue these steps until your head is full of bobby pins and no stray hairs. Sleep on it overnight and the next morning, take out the bobby pins, shake out one's hair, and tada! Curls to make Lady Edith envious.
