Historical SAILOR MOON VIKING HAIRSTYLES?! Hairstylist tries accurate Medieval hairstyles

Historically accurate Viking hairstyles = Sailor Moon hair?! Also, Brooklinen is giving you $20 off any order over $100 if you use my code SnappyDragon at checkout. Click here! bit.ly/SnappyDragon_Brookline... This video is kindly sponsored by Brooklinen.
After my video on inaccurate Viking hair myths, I got a lot of requests for a medieval hair tutorial on how to do Medieval and Viking hairstyles that are actually supported by historical evidence. Jackie of @Rigr Crafts, who is an expert in historical hair care, joined me to demonstrate some historical hair techniques, and it turns out one of them is a Sailor Moon hairstyle from the Viking age! We also tried several other Medieval hairstyles including lots of medieval and Viking braids, and chatted about medieval haircare and what we can learn from it.
While medieval people didn't wash their hair the way we do, they did have careful and effective hair care routines to keep their hair clean and healthy. Medieval hair care relied on combing, braids, and caps or veils to care for hair without modern technology or products, and there's a lot we can learn from it! Jackie and I tried several Medieval hairstyles documented by historical evidence, including different kinds of hair taping, easy two braid styles, and some more exciting Viking hair including the Sailor Moon space buns! Plus, we tried some more intricate and complicated early middle ages hairstyles, including the Elling Woman's five-strand braided bun and the Hammerum Girl's tiny, delicate accent braids. These historical hairstyles can be very useful for camping, dressing up, re-enactments, and more! This tutorial should be a helpful resource for medieval hairstyles for curly hair, as Jackie and I are both curly girls.
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Chapters :
0:00 You asked for accurate medieval hairstyles?
0:32 Meet Jackie from Rigr Crafts!
1:31 What Hollywood gets wrong
3:14 Headscarves were for everyone'
4:33 A word from our sponsor, Brooklinen
5:48 Medieval hair care tools
8:17 Braiding techniques
10:15 Medieval two-braid hairstyles
14:08 the Valkyrie knot
15:38 Viking Sailor Moon hair?!
16:32 Elling Woman's five-strand braid
19:35 Hammerum girl's tiny accent braids
21:03 Historical hair care in a modern world
23:33 Something new coming soon?

[@kellyburds2991]

I now need to see a cosplay of sailor moon as a historically inspired valkyrie.

[@rigrcrafts]

Me too!!!

[@WantedVisual]

Be the change you want to see in the world. And then take pictures, I wanna see, too.

[@kellyburds2991]

@@WantedVisual I would rather cosplay Jupiter though...

[@WantedVisual]

@@kellyburds2991 That's what the knotted pony tail is for!

[@kellyburds2991]

@@WantedVisual and now I'm dreaming up a green apron dress with pink trim embroidered with oak leaf and rose motifs. I can't even embroider. How dare.

[@ragnkja]

Shows like "The Vikings" can probably be described as "every reenactor's favourite nightmare" 😁

[@eazy8579]

It’s our favorite show to bully the bully the crap out of

[@TheGabygael]

My history teacher in secondary school (who was a medievalist mind you) went on and on on how incredibly accurate the show was, now I come to think of it, he probably had very low expectations for works of fiction and might have just wanted us to use entertainment as a source of interest in history I guess🤷

[@rigrcrafts]

@@TheGabygael it's a good way to open the door for people to get interested in a period and start doing research. I know several reenactors (myself and my husband included) who started out in leather, fur, and "war paint" until we did more homework!

[@SmolBean98]

There’s nothing truly wrong with the show imo. I love the Viking era so much, and yes shows like Vikings aren’t historically accurate. But like someone already commented, it opens the door for a LOT of people to research and learn how Vikings truly lived, what they wore, what they ate, what work they did, etc. its the people who 100% refuse to further educate themselves on Vikings or the Ancient Germanic people as a whole, and only listen to shows like “ Vikings” and genuinely think its historically accurate and refuse to listen to anything else about the ancient Germanic’s history that are the true issue. Videos and TV shows are well within their right to take creative freedom for entertainment purposes when it comes to history when only know so much about.

[@rigrcrafts]

@@SmolBean98 exactly, but the issue is that there are a LOT of people who don't want the further education. We run into that so much at reenactment events!

[@ragnkja]

Three-strand braids were common because it just _works_ on long, silky hair. And you know my favourite historical hairstyle, it’s the two braids pinned like a wreath.

[@kerriemckinstry-jett8625]

I actually wear my hair in two braids in a wreath (with one extremely long ribbon braided into both braids & wrapped around) as my default everyday hairstyle. Sure, it's inspired by Tudor hairstyles, but I certainly am not trying for historical accuracy. 🙂

[@ragnkja]

@@kerriemckinstry-jett8625 Same. I use modern U-shaped pins because I find that more comfortable than tying ribbon tightly around my head.

[@kerriemckinstry-jett8625]

@@ragnkja I use a ton of bobby pins because my hair is super fine & thin, so I don't need to tie the ribbon tightly. That would be an exercise in futility, anyway, since the ends always decide to escape. 😂

[@ragnkja]

@@kerriemckinstry-jett8625 I make the tie stay in by braiding it in first, usually into the last 10-15 cm of the braid. Any ribbon that’s just tied around the end and not braided in will just fall off.

[@kerriemckinstry-jett8625]

@@ragnkja Hi! I start the ribbon at the bottom of the back of my head, then one end gets braided into each braid. I do have to use a small elastic on each of the ends because tying the ends with anything else just means it will slide right out because my hair is insanely slippery. I like to have the ribbon match my outfit, so it's definitely not historically accurate. 😂 It's practical, though. I teach a lot of labs, so I need my hair out of the way for safety reasons. I also take ballet, so it works for that, too. And my 1-year-old nephew can't play with my hair. 😁

[@rigrcrafts]

Thank you so much for having me as a guest! This was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again!

[@caitannihilate]

This was a fantastic learning experience! The former cosmetologist in me and the viking nerd in me were simultaneously happy and intrigued! Thanks for sending me the link! ❤️

[@Thel20HF]

Wooooooooo Jackie

[@rebekahbishop8870]

Where did you get your comb? It looks so useful and cool!

[@rigrcrafts]

@@rebekahbishop8870 they are actually on our website! 😊

[@whitalleys5893]

Thanks for coming on and sharing with the community ❤

[@TheGabygael]

The advantage with hair covering being a norm and expected of you is that you can experiment with you hair and have it look really ugly or quirky or plan wierd and you can just cover it and no one is the wiser

[@ragnkja]

A lot of medieval hairstyles rely on being able to cover up weird, messy ends.

[@hellapeter8476]

I got into the good old "wrap two braids around your head, pop a headscarf on top of it" when doing 12hr forest fieldwork shifts, and it really does work as intended... My hair didn't get greasy or dirty that fast, it was protected from twigs, branches, dust, pollen, etc, and it minimised breakage too. Loved to see alternative ways to arrange the classic two braids, will def try some of them out

[@rigrcrafts]

A basic bun with a head scarf is my go to in the jewelry studio because it keeps the dust and debris out of it really well.

[@hellapeter8476]

@@rigrcrafts yup, that's my backup fieldwork hairdo when I wake up too late to do the braids :D Though I found the scarf is a bit more prone to slip off or be yanked off by branches (guessing not an issue in a studio 😅) with a bun, the double braids kind of anchor it in place very nicely

[@rigrcrafts]

@@hellapeter8476 not that big of issue. I just can't have anything dangling down because it can get in the torch or caught in the rotary tool.

[@thyra_UK]

I'm from England, the braid here is called a platt. We used to have medieval days at school back in the 70s and I love going to Warwick castle that has an ongoing historical experience. I can trace my family back over thousand years, history has always fascinated me and discovering who my Norse and medieval ancestors were has opened up a whole new world for me.

[@vamps_rock]

PS. It was good to see the randoms strands of air you missed in your braids - that often happens to me so it's always relatable to see a 'professional' can mess up too 😅

[@RR4711]

The Elling woman’s hairstyle is very similar to a traditional Hungarian unmarried woman’s hairstyle. The difference being the lower braid was not tucked through the top braid as they wanted to show the full length of their hair (hair that reached the hem of their skirts was most desirable and some women added large ribbons for extra length). One black and white photo showing the hairstyle from the back is in a museum and can be found online. Personally I’ve worn this style many times and also find it very comfortable for sleeping.

[@lady_sir_knight3713]

The Pretty Shepard has done a lot of videos on historical/folk hairstyles in east and central Europe, she's cool.

[@yuuri9064]

That's so cool! Do you do five strands, add it to your three strands like a French braid, or? If you do the five strands, please give me some tips!

[@RR4711]

@@yuuri9064 The Pretty Shepherd has a KZbin tutorial on the style but it is in Hungarian. There is another video on KZbin of an old Hungarian lady demonstrating the hairstyle on a young girl but that’s also in Hungarian. If you can’t speak Hungarian you should still be about to work it out just by watching. It’s quite a simple style as this would have been worn as an everyday hairstyle, a bit like our modern messy bun or slicked back ponytail. The idea is to take the top section from the ears to the top of your head/crown and start braiding in a regular 3 stand braid. When you reach the nape divide the bottom section into 3 and add into the braid. Before elastic scrunchies were invented they added a ribbon into the braid a few inches from where they wanted to tie it off. An additional wider ribbon was then added to the bottom and tied in a large bow. Sometimes the decorative bow was tied separately and attached with a pin. Lard pomade was used to hold down flyaway strands and add shine (there’s lots of recipes for making historical pomade and they shouldn’t smell bad).

[@angellinafosse1936]

@@RR4711 name of channel for other video please?

[@RR4711]

@@angellinafosse1936 video name: A fésülés (Élő Népviseletek Rimóc) channel name: IKON Stúdio/Székely Orsolya.

[@SibylleLeon]

"Our mums made bad decisions with their hair in the 80s". I was a teenager in the 80s! Startling to think that I could have a kid in her 30s by now (I'm childless though). Wonderful, wonderful video, thank you so much to both of you, for the detailed instructions ❤ Someone needs to do this about men's hair (if it's been done, I'm not aware of it and would be grateful for a link)!

[@rigrcrafts]

Look up The Welsh Viking here on KZbin. I'm pretty sure he's done a video on that very subject before. 😊

[@SibylleLeon]

@@rigrcrafts Thanks a bunch! I found this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZW0qZKgfp5gipo - finally something to point people to when the subject comes up

[@spidermiss2426]

right? I'm a bit younger at 45... but two of my Aunts were grandmothers by the time they were 30.

[@ppopper100]

An additional comment on the Hammerum girl section, is that those small braids near the front crown area also work well for keeping your hair out of your face without needing lots of pins, clips or product. When I had my long hair, I very rarely had bangs as well. When I needed to control the hair or was doing a lot of outdoor work (gardens, hiking, etc), I would do a few small braids toward the front and then a larger braid that was looped and clipped up with a scarf or hat of some sort over top. This kept the hair out of my face, off my neck and protected from the dirt, dust, bugs, leaves, etc. Hairstyles were often super practical and we need to remember that, as you often point out.

[@GraveyardMaiden]

So I wonder if the Elling woman's braid was done as part of a burial ritual. Of course it could just be a nice hairstyle, but we probably won't know until we find more evidence

[@tiryaclearsong421]

It's pretty similar to a traditional Hungarian style so it may have been a pretty hairstyle that they jazzed up with 5 strand braids for a burial.

[@GraveyardMaiden]

@@tiryaclearsong421 true, though even minor differences between the traditional style seen in Hungary and the Elling Woman's braids could have huge meaning

[@NankitaBR]

I literally started tying my hair in this style yesterday to help it grow and not break. Just a year ago I had a *terrible* disease (chikungunya) that apart from terrible pains that last for *months*, it makes your hair fall like crazy, so now I have full locks of hair that are reaching about above my nape now (the ones on the top) and every time I have to put it in a ponytail they get off really quickly and it looks *awful*, so I decided to do this hairstyles to help those short hairs to grow and not break before they do.

[@rigrcrafts]

My dad had that a few years ago, I hope you're feeling better now!

[@adri_makeup]

Omg I remember when there was a huge outbreak of tht disease in Puerto Rico a few years ago

[@yolandaray6862]

I work in a shipping warehouse and come home full of small pieces of paper all over me and my hair. Adapting these hairstyles would actually be very practical for me. Thank you for sharing this.

[@rigrcrafts]

When working with jewelry the dust and bits get EVERYWHERE! These styles help so much, and adding in a head covering was a game changer. I'm working on making a few videos for basic hair pin up-dos (like what I wear ever day) for folks who want to get into hair sticks. :)

[@TheIntuitiveArtificer]

Just tried the Elling woman style. This is totally getting added to my repertoire, thanks!

[@rigrcrafts]

So glad you liked it! We'd love to see it on Instagram 😊

[@secondjulia]

It's such a great style! Used to be one of my standards when I had waist-length hair. (I don't know why I'm here, I chopped it off last year haha...) There's something about it being anchored in two places that made it particularly secure. And you can play with where you put the bun/how much you leave dangling. I loved when my hair was long enough that it could still drape over my shoulder.

[@triloization]

I love it too.

[@johexxkitten]

It was nice to hear you refer to Jorvik, I’m from Yorkshire, England and I live just 50miles from York / Jorvik the layers of history in just that one town is staggering.

[@tenaoconnor7510]

Love all the hair styles. I’m letting my hair grow so I can get longer braids. At 58 I don’t have thick hair like i used to but it seems healthier than it did a couple months ago. I bought a wooden combe like yours, its a beard comb lol. I comb my hair twice a day morning/night and I stopped washing my hair. I rinse it out when I take my weekly shower but no shampoo. I do use a detangling brush before i use the comb, it helps with the ends. I use a Scrunchie to put my hair in a ponytail at work and my natural curl tends to make a mess of it by the end of the day lol

[@rigrcrafts]

Hair pins and protective styles like these will probably help. I can't wear mine down or I end up with an insane mess from the ends tangling.

[@aislinne.904]

Nice video! Medieval hairstyles are the best for really long hair. People around me always said that my hairtype wasn't suited for long hair and now it is touching my butt. I mainly use like a hairstick.

[@testosteronic]

I sleep with my hair in one loose three strand braid to stop it getting tangled, since it's very fine and somewhat wavey I prefer to only brush it before I wash it

[@margaretkaraba8161]

Uncovered loose hair in medieval history when there were open fires. . . no. Water and stews and raw meat mised with loose flowing hair - eww and add in fire. . .OW. I wonder what the death toll from young women dying of scalp and facial burns from hair catching on fire was? Seems like a very good reason to keep your hair up and out of the way. . .

[@lenabreijer1311]

There are quite a lot of deaths in the 1800s documented of women drying their long hair by the fire.

[@lauriemumm3407]

I had long hair when my kids were babies. It only took me dunking my hair in a dirty diaper once to keep it braided and pinned up thereafter

[@christineg8151]

One of my favorite historical hairstyles that just doesn't work with my hair is one that I saw on a Roman sculpture of a young girl, maybe 8-10, with mid-length curly hair. It was literally just the hair split in two, then the two halves were tied in a square knot. It does require hair that has some curl/texture to it, though, because it'll just slide right out of straight hair.

[@rigrcrafts]

This might work on straight hair if you pin it like the Valkyrie knot.

[@Noblebird02]

I looked at a lot of Janet Stephens videos, and the Greco Roman ones are only doable imho on coarse curly hair. The exception was one empress who (Plotina I think) who was born in Gaul. Oddly that hairstyle sought to achieve the Roman look (lots of volume on top) with fine straight hair . Power is beauty: powerful people are deemed beautiful

[@dressdeveloper]

Ok, I literally DROPPED what I was doing to watch this. 😂 Thanks for the insight on Viking hairstyles. Why does Hollywood thinks it needs to invent them if there is so much interesting stuff already existing?

[@leichtmeister]

Reasearch is more expensive than making stuff up.

[@Celebfinewn]

it's easier to find people who know how to do African braids then it is to find people who know the research about actual Viking hairstyles in LA?

[@Noblebird02]

They want to look cool and edgy, rather simple, practical and edgy.

[@ppopper100]

I've really enjoyed this video. I had very long hair (well below my waist) for a very long time and had done very similar things with my braids without really seeing medieval material. Once I began reading material from that time, I did even more. What I found hysterical was learning about the hairstyle for the Elling Woman because I wore my hair in a very similar style with similar technique back when I used to attend punk concerts. I grouped a larger amount in the initial top braid to create a higher style there to give a similar profile to the low spiked "Mohawk" look of my friends. I then did some paint on it because, well, concert. Fun to find out that this style I came up with out of my "need" was similar to a documented style from a very long time ago. Women with long hair have always found ways to create looks and protect their hair.

[@rigrcrafts]

I love that idea! We do a lot of events at a meadery that hosts metal bands (and we're friends with several of the bands) so this might be a good way to mix up my garb for those very non period events!

[@josephinedykstra3383]

I love taping my hair for overnight events- I do it on Friday afternoon, sew the braids to my head with the end of the yarn/ twill tape, wear a cap Saturday, and a hat to go home on Sunday!

[@rigrcrafts]

I wear a silk cap at night and let the braids float around in there over night, with a comb through in the morning with the fine tooth side of my comb to smooth the hair down a bit more they look as fresh as day 1!

[@prettywiltsforthee4763]

Well let me tell you i was absolutely GIDDY with delight to see this video pop up in my inbox! Historical hairstyling and hair symbolism/social importance is a niche passion of mine im really obsessed about, so its always much appreciated to see more info on the topic pop up!! Especially so i can aplly it for my myself... ((this video feels particularly relevant beacause i /always/ wear my hair in two three strands braids daily. Its too wavy and textured to comfortably wear it in a smooth bun without a world of pain (freshly washed hair is /hell on earth to comb/) but still to short for me to do a decent single braid: i twist the hairline a la italian renaissance hair rolls, start braiding at the temple, loop and pin the braids up behind the ear! Very medievalcore very fabulous))

[@prettywiltsforthee4763]

I solemly volunteer as human lab rat for any experimental archeology hairstyle recreations you might need to test out V! :D

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

Huh. My hair's also really wavy, but it seems easier to comb after washing it - though I've never tried combing it while it's still wet if that's what you meant. I basically finger-comb it really thoroughly when I wash it to make sure the shampoo really permeates it, so there's rarely tangles left by the time it's done (though my hair doesn't really tangle much in the first place for whatever reason...)

[@kivi7676]

The Lønne Hede graves (1st century Denmark) also had a couple of really interesting hairstyles! The one in grave 1969 is super complex with thin three strand braids and extra hair added for volume, while the other one (in grave number 6) consists of two buns at the back of the head, one over the other. The bottom one is made with a three strand braid, while the top one is unbraided. Thanks for this great video!

[@rigrcrafts]

I'll look into those, they sound like fun! The issue I run into with a lot of this research (I love big bodies) is so much info is not translated and I don't speak Danish. I need a Danish friend lol!

[@kivi7676]

@@rigrcrafts I understand! Sadly a lot of sources are also only available as physical books that are hard to come by. But! I can recommend an article called "Lønne Hede - an Early Roman Iron Age burial site with well-preserved textiles" by Ida Demant et al (2018). It really offers all you need to know about the Lønne Hede graves, and it's in English 😍🙌

[@rigrcrafts]

@@kivi7676 thank you I will check it out! 😊

[@annbrookens945]

This was so much fun! It makes me wish my hair was long again. When I was in college in the early 70s, I would braid my waist length hair and put it up using my great grandmother's hair pins or decorative combs. Nowadays, I would have tried hair tapeing

[@VeretenoVids]

As someone who was a teenager in the 80s, I now feel ancient. I keep forgetting that I'm old enough to be the parent of a lot of the KZbinrs I follow! Fortunately, I did not fall prey to crazy 80s hair shenanigans in part because I was a swimmer so kept it very short and my hair is curly, so didn't have to shell out for perms when I did grow it out once my competition days were over. I'm so glad I never did the gopher bangs! 😂 When I did have it long I mostly wore it down nor in a braid starting from the nape of my neck. I tried to do all sorts of historical buns and such, but I always got bad headaches (not to mention escapee curls), so gave that up pretty quickly.

[@rigrcrafts]

My mother is Sicilian so she excels at the large, puffy long hair styles without using any product lol. I used to get headaches as well whens was active duty (that's why I have the undercut now. When I got out I wanted to grow my hair out but didn't want the weight. Hairpins actually help distribute the weight AMD really help alleviate the headaches. I'm planning on staying to do videos myself soon and that's one of the things I'm going to talk about. 😊

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

Ugh, my mom made me get perms in the 80s and it was horrid!

[@VeretenoVids]

@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 Oh poor you! That's near child endangerment in my book!

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

@@VeretenoVids Perhaps not endangerment, but I still hate having my hair pulled...

[@Fiona2254]

It was definitely wonderful to have naturally curly hair in the 80s… everyone wanted to know who my hairstylist was before I informed them my hair was naturally curly. I applied mousse and just drove around the neighborhood with the windows open and my dog’s head hanging out for around 15 min and my hair was done.

[@kalka1l]

The wordplay layers of Sailor ‘Máni’ is ripe for cosplay renditions I think. Thank you for your persistence in position, content, and highlighting researchers on the mats discourse.

[@catsandkittys]

Damn i've been doing that Valkyrie knot thing on my own hair for years. I had no idea it was such an old style. I sort of just came upon the style on my own. I have longer hair and I would do it sometimes to give myself a shorter ponytail

[@Lilas.Duveteux]

I had about a month ago decided to get the front of my hair cut into fluffy bangs. Zero regret. They don't fall in my eyes as much as one would think, and they made my long hair a lot more manageable. Plus, it's way more stylish. Now, I get why people in the XVIII century got those. They are practical and confortable.

[@ragnkja]

The annoying part of having a fringe in my opinion (although I have very straight hair so my experience is likely different from yours) is that it needs to be cut often to prevent it from falling into my eyes. With glasses, anything past the eyebrows is an annoyance, and assuming it’s not cut unflatteringly short it reaches that annoying length again in a matter of weeks.

[@Lilas.Duveteux]

​@@ragnkja That's why I am growing out mine right now.

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

A few years ago, I discovered finger loop braiding, and I don't think I've had an elastic hair tie in my hair since. Never did the ponytail thing cause my hair's just wavy enoguh to tangle like heck evein in a ponytail so I'd leave it braided, and after I stopped washing my hair daily it just lives in its braid. I go for straight low single three-section braid down the centre but I've tried the double braids wrapped around the head thing (a la Morgan Donner, also where I found finger loop braiding). I knew how to weave a ribbon into my braid, learned that from braiding show horses and would use that trick with just some yarn if I broke my last hair tie, and having been doing it a couple years now, I find it less damaging to my hair than elastics. My hair's still shorter than SnappyDragon's so I need really long ribbons and a slightly different method when I wrap two braids around my head (I start the braids up high behind my ears and don't cross them in the back) but it's longer now than it's ever been in my life, probably because I leave it in its loose braid except to brush it out a few times a week, don't use hair elastics and stopped using shampoo altogether, even permanent hair dye a few times a year hasn't damaged my hair as much as daily shampooing no matter how much conditioner I used. But that's a style I rarely see depicted (though from the front you can't tell what's going on in the back if it's a plain old braid), and I'm always looking for period-appropriate things to do with my hair for when I'm not armouted up at the medieval festivals I go to a few times a year.

[@selkiemorien9006]

:D When my hair was really long I did the Elling Woman style a lot! It's very practical and looks interesting and like you put a ton of effort into your hairstyle. This video made me regret cutting it short a little.

[@ashdecota294]

I love this, I love learning about historical dress and historical hairstyles and I absolutely love that you are doing this for the viking age. I have one request, and I know this will be more difficult, but could you see if you could do this for men's hairstyles from this period?

[@rigrcrafts]

I can see what I can do with my hair 😂 I do have a good basis of info on that subject but it's more of a haircut kind of situation rather than a styling situation for most of them!

[@leebarre9625]

​@@rigrcrafts Any help is appreiciated. I'm also interested in historically accurate Norse & Celtic mens hair styles. it seems to be getting harder to find reliable information on these points in history with all these new shows or movies coming out with "fantasy cool" hairstyles.

[@rigrcrafts]

@@leebarre9625 you should check out The Welsh Viking here on KZbin. I'm pretty sure he has a video on this already!

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

@@leebarre9625 Same! I've got an 11th century based fantasy setting and it's hard to find much for the men

[@Palucu]

More than 7 years growing my hair. Braids made a ton of difference. Main reason why i dont want too many layers because it makes it hard to braid.

[@ashleypaul6326]

I will admit that I copied a hairstyle on a bog body once. I feel understood here lol. It was a type of Germanic manbun 😅

[@rigrcrafts]

LOL bog bodies is one of my favorite subjects. I plan on doing a regular "bog body hairstyling" series on my channel eventually!

[@eazy8579]

Actually Viking age haircuts are really fun, and really nice looking, and TV and Movies just can’t be bothered to do even 5 minutes of research, and instead go for modern hairstyles at best, seemingly forgetting that this is supposed to be 1,000 years ago, and don’t seem to want to remember that this is supposed to be historical, and not 2022. Love this video, keep up the great work! SKÅL!

[@Witchydigit]

I know you mostly specialize in women's historical fashion, but I'd love to see some stuff on men's hairstyles and headcoverings, as well. Even just external sources to look at. I'm unfortunately abysmal at online research, have no clue where to start other than google, so I tend to rely on secondhand sources like yours.

[@rigrcrafts]

Check out The Welsh Viking here on KZbin. I'm pretty sure he did a whole video about this!😊

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

The story of been working on for a while is in a fantasy setting based on late 11th century Europe (well mostly - a tiny bit is actually in an area based more on Northwestern Africa,) and I tried very hard to keep things pretty historically plausible while also accounting for features of varies fantasy species living in it. For instance the elves don't really 'get' sexism so they don't really have much of a taboo against what other peoples in the same region would consider crossdressing which makes them really fun to do character designs for since it gives me more leeway to splice things together. Most of the main elvish characters are actually from a group heavily inspired by the Norse, and one of them (resident healer) actually has a valkyrie knot because it seemed super simple, and that character is extremely overworked and has basically no time to mess with anything more complicated. Another notable female elf actually has more of a men's hairstyle since she's a warrior; I ran across mention that some Norse men would do a small braid on either side of the face to make it easier to keep hair out of their eyes, so that's what she has, with the two braids pulled to the back of her head to keep everything well away from her face. One of the notable male elves has a nice long braid since there's evidence for that, and as a noble who doesn't actually do any fighting he can afford to do something a bit more time consuming. The other guy just has a short messy ponytail because his hair's super curly and he gave up on getting it to cooperate with him and just wants it out of his face. Anywho, sorry about the character design rambling, the video just made me think about it... ^_^"

[@rigrcrafts]

Thanks for sharing!

[@pocketluna3607]

I’m coming back almost a year later, and I’ve actually incorporated a simplified version of the Ellingwoman hairstyle into my regular life! I use a 3 strand braid all the way down, and I either use a hair stick or a mini claw clip to secure it into a bun.

[@puggirl415]

Good to know about linen pillowcases. I put mine away when I started to work with my natural texture and got the silk ones. I love my linen sheets and pillowcases so much. Glad to know sleeping on them is good for my hair as well.

[@WantedVisual]

I wore (and still wear) a lot of the Elling woman braid while growing out my hair: you don't need all the hair to reach to your nape and still get all your hair in a braid. Before that, if I put my hair in a side twist on each side of my head, I could get a lil bun. And before *that* (kids, if you ever see a 3-12 month lockdown looming ahead, that's the universe telling you to get the buzz cut you always wanted to try) I wore a lot of Jorvik cap-style head coverings and head scarves because summer came early, I discovered my alopecia was worse than originally thought, and I have learned through observation alone that you do not want a sunburn on your scalp. Way easier to stuff a cap in your bag than drag around a sun hat. Historical hair dress works for all lengths, literally all of them.

[@lavendarcrash2941]

Thirty-something & raised Roman Catholic. Only learned today that the blue-banded veil was required wear for Italian Jewish women. I swear I've seen statues or iconography of the Virgin Mary with a blue-banded veil. For sure there's her with gold-banded veils out there. But fairly positive I've seen blue too.

[@catherinedrees7933]

I started braiding my hair in a way that I haven't seen anywhere else when I was really sick and had to go in the hospital. My hair is hip length and has several thickness so it snarls easily. Because of CAT scans, they didn't want any metal on me, so I would make a braid on each side of my head, with the very end folded over and wrapped in the middle to form a kind of toggle, then separate the base braid at my scalp and thread the end of the opposite side braid through the gap and pull tight on both sides. Then make a gap in the braid closest to the scalp in the remaining braid and do the same thing. When you run out of braid length, simply tuck the ends in on the top. You don't need pins to hold it in place, and it'll stay till you unweave it.

[@trichey1712]

Can you make a video on this? My brain isn’t comprehending this but it sounds interesting

[@vamps_rock]

This was incredibly interesting, and I hope you continue to do more historical hair discussions. However, it would have been fab to have visuals of all the sources you were commenting on. Also, I've never heard of taping hair before so an explanation of that would have been a good addition too. TFS ☺

[@deehappy43]

Hoooray!!🎉Thanks for giving us what so many asked for! I’ve been doing protective styles for a couple months on my only slightly wavy hair and its really helping my hair break less!

[@whitalleys5893]

Yesss more historical hair content! I was raised in a queer owned hair salon and historical hair is how I got into history bounding and historical sewing! Thanks for continuing with this content ❤

[@thesavingsorceress]

I love trying different hairstyles, but basic braids are easiest for me, so thank you for showing us how to do all these gorgeous historical styles! This was so interesting ✨

[@avalon5957]

Thank you for reminding people that just because there's no solid evidence of certain styles, doesn't mean they didn't exist. I remember one of the times I were at a viking fair here in Denmark, and whilst taking a break at the camp, I decided to whittle some butter knives from wood. On one of them, I just felt like making it pretty and so I whittled a little pheasant head at the end of the handle. Then a friend of mine, who is a reenactor and also a history nerd like myself, saw it and said "That's not very historically accurate," And I simply replied along the lines of, "If *I* decided to embellish this particular wooden butter knife, simply because I felt like it, then what makes you think that some person didn't have the same notion a thousand years ago? Besides, humans have always been attracted to pretty things, and wood rots unless kept in perfect conditions. Just because we haven't found a wooden butter knife with a pheasant's head, for example, doesn't mean no one ever made something like this one back then." He had a hard time finding a counter argument for that. The only reason we have these ancient things still to this day, is either because some people chose to protect and care for them or that they eventually ended up in a place where the conditions for their preservation were just right. Lots of things have been lost to nature, accidents and to the destructive tendencies of people.

[@rigrcrafts]

There is a great saint from an archaeologist that I watch documentaries from, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence". If we know that they were using similar things and similar designs it's not a serious stretch to think that they wouldn't use that design. 😊

[@ragnkja]

At most, the _style_ of your carving didn’t match any known historical art style from the area. You were just following the long tradition of embellishing everyday items such as tools and utensils for the sake of making them more pleasing to your own hands and eyes and practicing the techniques in a low-stakes way.

[@OpusMixtum]

One of my deepest regrets is having long hair at a Classics conference and NOT having my hair done by Janet Stephenson, who was doing a lot of work on Roman hair at the time. (Later that year, I went on a hiking trip in Turkey and forgot my hairbrush and ties, but got through by braiding my hair each morning and letting it unravel throughout the day.) Somewhere I also have a drawing I made of Livia, the wife of Augustus, who popularized a style with the Nodus or knot from bringing the hair at the back up to the front. It was a sort of horror movie poster: “Livia Drusilla in DEATH NODUS.”

[@triloization]

I love braiding with silk ribbons. It makes so much fun :)

[@lisam5744]

I've been growing my hair (which was very short) since early 2020. My husband calls it my Rona-do. I can't wait until it's long enough to do more than just clip it up. I may get some cotton tape to give it more length to do more.

[@kittys.2870]

Oh! I'm making hair pins tomorrow!

[@HumanCatfoodDispenser]

This was so fun! When I had long hair I did a lot of "how can I put this up with the 1-3 bobby pins I found under my dresser" and it resulted in a ton of fun braid concoctions. I have since chopped my hair into a pixie, but it's cool to see I was following a long tradition of women piling one or two braids on their head in the way that sparked joy that morning.

[@heleneverbach]

My hair is about as long as yours, V, and I do hair taping all the time and it totally works for hair of this length! I've both done the around the back style (crossing the braids at the back of the neck, leaving the hair ends sort of just touching at the top of the head, but I'll tie it into a cute bow) and sort of a horseshoe shape where you curve the braided edges back up (leaving a sort of gap at the back nape of your neck) to get more volume for the crown braid. I also almost always dutch braid my hair instead of just starting with three strand rope braids, because then the dutch braids create a sort of almost crown braid look and it's easy to sew the braids onto the dutch braids at the top of my head when I'm doing the 16th c style taping

[@chrisheartman9263]

When my hair was longer I used to knot it too, but I didn't use any pins. They would just stay up. Also, my boyfriend's hair is getting desperate. We both don't know if it's alopecia or bad, bad stress damage (and/or damage through external factors, which could very well be because he has been working in a factory for a year and a half, and his hair was starting to get way better before coming to the job. Also, yes, this problem has been going on for some time) to the hair. I might talk to him about protective hairstyles and massages that might help.

[@rigrcrafts]

Yep, my hair was forever breaking when I was active duty and properly caring for it and doing protective styles were a game changer. I have several men who wear my hair pins when reenacting or who braid ribbon into their long hair (in smaller braids) to get the hair out of their face. I don't know the specifics of his case (also not a cosmetologist) but I would have him start using oils and deep conditioning, which both helped me a lot.

[@chrisheartman9263]

@@rigrcrafts I don't know when we will be able to get oils and deep conditioning stuff, but I'll start with braiding, if he wants to. Also, his hair is so fucking curly. Very difficult to maintain. Also, it's just very difficult for him because sometimes he just doesn't have the energies.

[@rigrcrafts]

@@chrisheartman9263 If it's long enough I am posting a video Wednesday on my channel (very first hair tutorial!) that he might be able to do. It's my 2 most basic hair pin buns and they are my go-to styles for in the morning. I have to get up at 4:30am and I don't have the brain functionality at that time of day to do anything more than a basic bun!

[@ricky7111]

As a person who is bald up top but has a quite sizeable beard, I was wondering if you had any sources on medieval and viking age beards, not just styles but hair care. I know it's something else that has been very hollywoodized. I've done some research, but couldn't find a whole lot. Though I did find that viking beard beads weren't a thing.

[@rigrcrafts]

Viking beards absolutely were a thing! Many nicknames from that time period specifically talk about their beards, like Sven Forkbeard. There are also a ton of written accounts of how well groomed they were, including their beards, mostly written by Christians complaining about them. My husband actually makes beard care products and they are available on our website. 😊

[@snekysneks]

@@rigrcrafts he said 'beard beads' as in, wearing beads in the beard.

[@rigrcrafts]

@@snekysneks you're right! That's what I get for trying to respond to comments in a moving vehicle on the way to an event today. 🤣 Guess I missed the whole word beads!

[@lillithlochwoode788]

The firt time i ever tied my hair in one knot i thought oh! What about 2? And i love sailor moon!

[@user-lc2gj2yt9d]

I love your historical videos! I'd love to see a video about historical men's hairstyles, particularly for long hair (to shoulders or longer to be exact, which seems to be particularly difficult when searching modern long hairstyles for men usually returns results about hair barely reaching the ears), if you'd be interested in making one. It's a topic I haven't had a lot of luck with personally.

[@rigrcrafts]

Check out The Welsh Viking here on KZbin. He has a couple of videos on this very subject already!

[@flutenanyidk1806]

I'm like 21% scandanavian, so this is interesting to me both as a fantasy addict and as a fashion history nerd.

[@chelsaelinehan4361]

I love this so much! Thank you both!

[@saberg1082]

Educational and entertaining at the same time - well done!

[@zuzanadubravcova1307]

This is great video, thank you. Much more educational than any movies. Really good, I will definitely try some of them, when my hair grow a little bit

[@liadanducky]

Oh boy looks like I’m playing with my hair today lol!

[@polkadot8788]

I'm so jealous of people who can grow their hair long. My hair fluctuates between Bob and just above my shoulders depending on how much it irritates me. I love the braidedstyles.

[@Call-me-Al]

Even if I never would have cut my hair ever it only would grow to a bit below shoulder height, I have shitty terminal length hair genes 😭

[@teelehansen4995]

I love seeing the different ways to shape the braids. I've never seen a comb like that, but I want one now, lol.

[@rigrcrafts]

They're on our website! 😊

[@aislingeach7834]

This was so much fun to watch. Thank you for showing these hairstyles to us! Now I wish I had long hair to try them. LOL

[@Rozewolf]

I've found many of the same styles, and tried them. I really appreciate this video. I usually braid my hair at the hairline, then do a three strand braid. I often put it up in the Valkyrie knot. Other times, it is simply braided and put in a bun.

[@kamikessel]

I am loving your channel and what I'm learning. I am 55 now, so yes, I lived through the 70s and was actively taught to hate my hair and skin. I really damaged both trying to achieve some look that simply wasn't possible and I am just now learning how to properly heal from all of that (with great results!) This experience is being tied back to healing body image and trauma (skin is often the "scene of the crime" for most trauma), and it's all working so beautifully for myself and my clients. Thank you very much for your careful attention to detail.

[@theplussizecostumer]

Awesome. Thank you.

[@Karin-ik2oy]

You had me at Sailor moon.

[@sydneyward7286]

Highly recommend looking into the history of head covers in the middle east, from Roman to Byzantine and the various Arab empires to Ottoman times. It’s super fascinating!

[@winterburden]

Very cool, thank you!

[@ravenrespawns]

Hi, so I'm loving your videos! This is the information I have been looking for! I watched your Locs video and you're 100% right (I love locs and other cultural hair styles but I don't know enough to wear them without it being culture appropriate so simple fact is i don't wear them) but historical norse hairstyles (or around that time period) are beautiful and we should love them

[@truthseeker1954]

Thanks for doing this video. I am growing out my hair and want to wash less and oil more! I am so glad to be hooked up with Rigr! Also, your videos are most interesting and informative. Thank you for creating them!

[@emilyrln]

In college I had long hair and always wore it in two braids to keep it from tangling when I biked between classes. Very practical, minimal effort. Nowadays I have basically a pixie cut cuz I get hot easily and have to wear my hair up but then it gives me a headache and… I can't be bothered lol.

[@rigrcrafts]

That's why I have the undercut. I always wear it up and using elastics put all the weight on that one small point. Hair pins/sticks distribute the weight across a larger area and are fantastic for headaches. I did the undercut about 6 months before I started doing the hair pins and I really wish I hadn't done it, but here we are!

[@emilyrln]

@@rigrcrafts Yeah, I've made hair decisions I've regretted (never perming or bleaching again lol). The great thing about hair is that it does grow back (even though it takes a while for long styles). I like the idea of an undercut, but even with the pixie cut, I still have to mist my hair/face/neck with water to keep cool, even in the dead of winter XD If I'm ever able to solve my heat sensitivity, I might try some longer styles (I had a bob tapered from my nape down to my chin for a while, which was fun and not too heavy).

[@williamsstephens]

This was a lot of fun!

[@arwengrune]

💜 love it!

[@jayneterry8701]

Thank you Sappy dragon and your guest Jackie! This was super fun and interesting. I plan to try some of those styles lol . I didn't understand when you said bog? I am going to look up Elling woman and Hammerum girl. Tyfs 💖😁🎃🇨🇦

[@rigrcrafts]

Bog bodies/mummies are common in peat bogs in northern Europe. They're an excellent source of info because the organic matter is preserved too!

[@elizathemermaid]

This was a wonderful video! It's also making me want to grow my hair out

[@rigrcrafts]

Just throwing it out there that we happen to sell our Healthy Historical Haircare Kits on our website. 😉 They're a great way to get started!

[@angeleleven7692]

I love braids, but I am so basic with what I can do. My extent is three-strand braids, but I want to learn more.

[@rigrcrafts]

I'm planning on putting out tutorial videos on my channel for styles with hair sticks. I'm filming the first one tomorrow!

[@khazermashkes2316]

I will try these once my hair grows out!

[@ch1pnd413]

*makes you look good* Thank you camera Viking!!!

[@libraryoflilylol199]

Okay I literally just have two bits of side bangs that are long hair and the rest is cut short (because masc feelings and fem feelings fight) but I immediately tried all of these (some did not work so much). Loving these so much! Valkyrie knot will be my new go-to pulling-my-hair-back look I think. Sailor Moon knots will be for when I just wanna be extra cute. And I LOVED putting my hair up in a mini Elling braid on the side of my head and also the little zig-zag braid is excellent as well (I call it snake braid). Might do the Elling braid for my job interview idk. It looks very tidy. A low Valkyrie knot might look tidy too.

[@rigrcrafts]

Thank you for sharing your photos on IG!

[@libraryoflilylol199]

@@rigrcrafts 4 months later update: still using the knots to pull back my hair. The knots are my fave because it's just as easy as a quick ponytail to get your hair out of your way and that's the primary way I put up my hair - quick stuff to just get it up

[@rigrcrafts]

@@libraryoflilylol199 that's great!

[@alexandria3583]

i have the double sided comb from rigr crafts, its wonderful!! i made a little pouch for it with some of my favorite scraps :)

[@rigrcrafts]

I would love to see pics of it. 😊

[@janefuller1737]

I love this! Thank you for posting this! I love the hairstyles in “Game of Thrones”!

[@ninaschust3694]

10.55 - looks nice.

[@SimpleDesertRose]

I stopped using hair elastics in my hair after I spent my summer when it was going into 6th grade and brutally destroyed my hair. My hair was just long enough to pull up into a ponytail, so I did. All. Summer. Long. In and out of the heavily chlorinated public pool too. Then to add further insult to injury, I started showering day and washing my hair overnight right before bed. So it was no wonder by the time school started my hair was a hot mess. I started using scrunchies in 8th grade because they wore super easy to make and I could wear them on my wrist when I wanted to take my hair down. It wasn't until I was in high school that I read you weren't supposed to wash your hair every day. So I started washing my hair every other day until I got to the point where I could go three days then four. I can't seem to get past once a week and I suspect that may have something to do with my water. After I got married I started experimenting with some historical hair care. I have done the egg that Bernadette Banner tried to wash out of her hair using hot water and cooked into her hair. I washed mine out with cold water. I also tried a honey hair wrap. I highly recommend using some ceran wrap to wrap your hair in if you use this one because naturally it's sticky! But it washed out beautifully and my hair was silky smooth. I remember when it was a kid seeing a picture of a greek or roman statue of a woman who had her hair braided and coiled around here head and tiara all the way to the base of her neck and into a bun. I used to think her hair must've been really long to do that. Nowadays I would probably think that would have been the modern equivalent of dutch braid starting at the top and coiling around here head and twisting the left over braid into a bun. I can easily see how women in ancient times would have wanted to experiment with their hair and try different techniques. Especially the upper class women who had the luxury of doing whatever she wanted to her hair because she didn't have to be out working in the fields or plying a craft with her husband.

[@mylena3086]

Whaaaat! O my geeky heart! I love this already and have only seen the thumbnail 💚😁

[@dianagreene4257]

TIL I've been doing historical hairstyles (mostly the Valkyrie Knot) for about 25 years.

[@nattravn8445]

as a full-blooded Scandinavian I just find all these shows fantasy or drama about the vikings or viking themed to be really cringe

[@sockchen2707]

Love love love. You two are wonderfull

[@rigrcrafts]

Thank you!

[@thegracklepeck]

I love the Sailor Moon style! My favorites are always going to be the braids wrapped around the head though. Super comfy and they stay put all day!

[@rigrcrafts]

Same for me! I'm also a fan of different kinds of fancy buns with hair pins.

[@bo4627]

❤❤❤ABSOLUTELY loved this

[@ninaschust3694]

You are so lovely and I love your guests.

[@melaniesheldon8013]

Pretty hairstyles ❤❤❤❤❤

[@ilikethattuna]

Really interesting vid! Also, just wondering, have you ever uploaded an everyday hair routine? I think we have similar hair types and I'm really struggling at the moment to get my curls as consistent as yours, would love to know what you do!

[@rigrcrafts]

Check out her video about the medieval haircare rounding where she didn't wash for a month. It went over her daily routine for that.

[@BJKage]

Lol, I use this comb for my beard. It was a part of a set for beard care.

[@rigrcrafts]

Yep we sell them as part of both our beard care and hair care kits. I or beard oils are also great for hair.

[@BJKage]

@@rigrcrafts Yeas they are, whatever I have left on my hands I just rub it in my hair. That´s what American Indians did when they were eating, rubbing the oils from meat into their hair and they did have some great hair, never heard about bald Indian.

[@Stephanie-yz8km]

I wear my hair in the simplest variation of the Elling woman's hair, just adding the lower sections to the top sections like a French braid with my own hair fairly frequently. It took a bit of practice, but if braided all the way to the bottom it stays very stable wound around the top portion as a bun with a single pin.

[@alizamintz5750]

Thank you for your historically accurate and respectful representation of Jewish hairstyles and hair coverings. It’s really beautiful to see my culture discussed by such a great creator ❤