'Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History', Victoria Sherrow, Greenwood Publishing Group Inc, 2006
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Sir Walter Raleigh, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ sir_walter_raleigh.htm |
Within the 16th century the male Elizabethan took as much pride in his hair as the women of the period with barbers dedicated to shaping, colouring and maintaining the beard and hair. Often men would use a starching powder the stiffen their hair to allow for the hair to maintain its shape for a longer period of time. The hair was commonly styled into small curls called 'lovelocks' which were created by wrapping the hair around thin iron rods that were heated to create the curl, however this style did not come into fashion until the later half of Elizabeths reign when longer hair became more suitable for the gentlemen. Before this hair was cropped more closely with the main focus being on that of the beard, but the concept of the curl remained a feature throughout the period.
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http://www.interviewmagazine.com/ fashion/guido-1#slideshow_69777.1 |
This image taken from Guido Palau's 'Hair' is a perfect contemporary demonstration of how the use of small tight curls used for this hairstyle is resonant of the male Elizabethan hair fashions of the time period. At the beginning of Elizabeth's reign the fashion for male hair was to be short and tightly curled to the crown of the head, and it was not until the early 17th century and end of Elizabeths reign that longer curls became fashionable. This use of tight curling is an excellent example of something that could be done for my own final hair design as long Elizabethan waves would be highly unattainable on my own short hair.