Create high-flying hair

Create an avant garde circus-inspired style incorporating hair circles. Stylist Karen Brown talks us through her extreme creation.

1. The model's natural hair was pulled back and secured.

2. Very thin lengths of flexible wood were used as the base for the circles. The wood strips were coated in a strong varnish and lengths of pre-coloured purple and orange extension hair was placed along the length of wood.

3. Strong hairspray was used to smooth and secure the hair in place and left to dry. The wood used was very light, almost as thin as paper. The first length of wood was bent into a circle shape and stapled together.

4. A piece of strapping was placed around the model's head, like a headband. The first two circles were attached to the model's headband and further circle shapes were linked in the same fashion, creating a tail of circles.

5. To keep the circles looking perfect, any loose hairs hanging were snipped off. Invisible thread was then attached to some of the circles so that they could be pulled away from the model's body, giving the effect of floating circles. 

6. The model was attached to a harness to give the illusion of flight, like a trapeze artist. With a combination of ladders, invisible thread and the harness, gentle movement was created. The model's harness was taken out of the photo for a picture-perfect finish.

Credits 

Photograph: Alessandro Ceccini

Hair: Karen Brown, JFK salon, Edinburgh