Roman Hair - Flavian Era - Wig Frames!

The first day back in university was fairly strange, with all the new regulations due to Covid-19. Making sure to stick to the one-way systems, sanitising our hands at the various sanitising stations and ensuring we had a mask and/or visor on at all times. It may take some time to get used to, but I’m very excited to be back.

 

The day started with our Period Hairdressing module, the first look being Roman hair from the Flavian era.

Figure 1 - Roman Flavian Hair Statue (Falconbridge, A. 2011)

To create this style, a wig frame had to be created. A wig frame is "an open-work frame for supporting a wig or hairpiece during such operations as permanent waving, setting, chemical treatment, dyeing and cleansing." (George, R.A. 1969). Wig frames are very useful, as they can be used to add extra height to the hair that you wouldn't be able to achieve normally. They can be made into any shape which allows for a lot of creative freedom. 

This was quite tricky to begin with, and would require a little bit of practice. A thick wire and pliers were used to create a base shape, like a headband. Another length of wire was then added to create the desired shape, with a final piece for support.

Figure 2 - Wig Frame Base (Brown, J. 2020)

The frame is then wrapped in a lace net, covered in crepe hair, 

then a hair net is sewn overtop to keep it all together. The net and the crepe hair is matched as closely as possible to the colour of the wig that will be used, so it is disguised easily. 

Figure 3 - Wig Frame wrapped in lace netting (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 4 - Finished Wig Frame (Brown, J. 2020)

-Jess

References:

George, R.A. GENIE WIGS inc (1969) Frames for supporting wigs during the processing of therof. US Patent 3,447,726.

Figures:

Figure 1 - Falconbridge, A. (2011) Flavian Roman Hair. Available from http://mbouchard.com/aneleda/flavian-roman-hair [Accessed 16/09/2020].

Figure 2, 3, 4 - Brown, J. (2020) York College