The Halcyon hair tutorial: Emma Garland 1940

So, who has seen The Halcyon? I'm feeling ripped off that not only did Home Fires get canned after two amazing seasons, but also that The Halcyon has only had one. So much for being the 'new' Downton Abbey. I've only seen episode one (aired on ABC on Saturday, Australian peeps if you want to play catch up) and spent most of my time drooling over Emma Garland's up do.

This 'do is so appropriate for a polished working girl in 1940, and I know later into the season we'll see some pretty 40s waves in her hair, but I like the tidy feel of this one - you definitely don't need to get the curlers out! It's also a great alternative to Victory Rolls and Gibson roll, which I'm making an educated guess that they weren't widely, if at all, worn in the way we are used to associating with the war yet. The hair on this series still screams 1930s.

So, here's my take on Emma's do!

You'll need:
Three clear hair ties
Bobby pins
A teasing brush
A regular hair brush
Hair spray
Hair extension piece (optional)

Start with well brushed hair, then part your hair to one side. You can of course do this hair do with a centre part as well if that suits you better.
Section from the crown of the head to behind your ear off on both side and pin out of the way.

Take the back loose hair and put into a pony tail using a clear tie to secure.
Divide the ponytail into two sections and plait them, securing with a clear band at the end. If you have short hair, or very fine hair, this do can be hard to achieve, so this is where a plaited piece of hair extension could come in very handy to either weave in with your own hair, or use your own hair as one plait and it as the other.
With one plait, wind it in a spiral on one side and pin securely, making sure to tuck the loose end under and hide the clear band.
Repeat on the other side. This is the basis of the do.

Let one side at the front out and give it a good solid teasing (be gentle though). This will give you height through the twist at the front.
Twist your hair back, careful not to pull too tight, then work it across the top of the two plaits and wrapping it around the spiral on the opposite side and pinning in to secure.

Repeat by teasing the opposite side for height, twisting, bringing across the top of the two plaits and twisting it into the updo. Pin to secure it into place. Then, hair spray the lot and you're done!

A very simple, elegant do that looks a lot more complicated than it is! Let me know if you try it, and if you have any requests let me know!

Love WTP x