Tutorial - Hair Rats

How to make easy cheap hair rats, from not real hair.

I a lot of hair styles in most eras from Georgian through vintage require volume in some way and while teasing can get you only so far, hair rats are very versatile and always period. But not many of us have hair to spare or the time to gather it all up and contain it. 

So here is my cheating version of hair rats:
Start with one of those round chignon forms you can find at just about any beauty supply shop, they are usually only a couple of dollars each. You'll also need a packet of hair nets, needle and thread and a utility scissor.

Start by cutting open the form

Then cut a section off the end, this depends on the size you want. For something little like the size of my ear I cut off just over an inch, for something big like my fist I use about half.

Take that little cut off section and in roll it gently then pile it back up into a ball shape.

Now use one of the hair nets to wrap up the piece and contain it. I usually wrap my hair net in half then in half again, then wrap it around the piece.

I add a few long stitches to kind of contain the whole thing but I don't think it's necessary, the whole thing really wants to stick together all on its own.

TaDa, enjoy :)