Not enough female reenactors pay attention to their hair, so it is my goal to find ways to teach women to do their hair in a suitable manner. I have found a video on YouTube that teaches women how to do their hair in a twisted braided bun very similar to styles I have seen in mid-nineteenth century photographs. This style is a more intricate version of the basic braided bun that I showed you all last week. Pay extra attention to how this girl twists her hair at the sides of her head because women in the nineteenth century did that a lot. She keeps saying it's an Edwardian style in her video but it's really mid-Victorian aka Civil War period. Edwardian women can be identified because they piled their hair on top of their heads. This style is clearly at the nape of the neck, which is identified as mid-Victorian.

If you do not have long hair, consider using clip on extensions like the clip on extensions in this blog. Read that blog to understand why hair is very important in portraying nineteenth century women and why it should not be ignored in reenacting today.

Please remember that if you are doing your hair for the early 1860s, there are a few standards that should be employed no matter what style you use.

1. Always part the hair down the middle.
2. Always keep the bulk of the hair at the nape of the neck.
3. For early 1860s, cover the ears with the hair.
4. From 1864 onward, tuck the hair behind the ears.
5. NO BANGS DURING THE CIVIL WAR!

Here is a video that shows how to do a twisted braided bun. Remember to keep it on the nape of your neck, part it down the middle first and use hairspray or something to smooth your bangs in with the rest of your hair. If you prefer, you can do one braid and make a regular bun out of it, or twist the hair into a rope and make a bun out of that. The main point of the style is the twists at the sides of the head with the bulk of the hair at the nape of the neck.