Plaits

French plaits
I have always been able to create a regular plait with ease and to pretty good effect however never, ever been able to french plait hair! I have watched people and tried myself but never managed to get it after having been shown countless times, however during our first week of hair on the course I managed to make a french plait in Lottie's class! It isn't amazing or perfect and for most people is something they have been doing all their life, but to me this was a great achievement! 

Equipment used:
- Tail comb
- Paddle brush
- Section clips
- Dolly head

Step by steps:
- I took a section of hair and split it into 3 equal pieces after brushing the dolly head through with the paddle brush to ensure it was knot-free
- I then began plaiting just like you would a normal plait about two times and pulled tight to add tension
- When I began to plait the third time I started adding in a bit of hair to each piece with each move I made
- I continued this till I reached the bottom of the head and then continued the plait by plaitinng normally till the length of hair was plaited and I secured this with a small hair band

1st attempt in Lotties class:

 2nd attempt in Helens class:

After I did this I began to play around with the plaits and used some lace and feathers and ribbon to decorate the hair and give it a different style and look.

Fishtail plait

1   - Create a section like I did for the French plait then split into two sections instead of three.

     - Take a little piece from the far left of the left section and move it over to the right section,  then take another little piece from the far right of the right section and move it over to the left section.

     - Make sure there isn’t too much tension when doing a fishtail plait as the effect is stronger when it is slightly looser and softer. 

     - Repeat this steps until you see the fishtail effect taking place and continue until the end, then secure with a small hair band. 

  

Here are some images I've seen of plaits in Elizabethan portraiture and plaits that remind me of those worn by the women during The Golden Age.

 

Images sourced from:
http://lhresources.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/detail-the-way-to-calvary-bassono-cropped.jpeg
http://www.braidsformaids.com/#!Celtic-Knot/zoom/c1iim/i25ohd
http://www.braidsformaids.com/#!Laurel---Heart/zoom/c1iim/image112v 
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/thumbnail/329437/1/Portrait-Of-An-Elizabethan-Lady.jpg