Diploma 0f Honour at the Paris Exhibition. Coiffeur by Appointment to H.m. the Queen.

The Switch - The Becoming Side Parting - Arrangement of Front and Side Hair - Large, Light Puff - A Coiffure that is Becoming to Almost any Type of Face

The circular plaits for the "Nattelina " coiffure (described in a previous article, page 3954, Vol. 6) should really be mounted on a featherweight circular frame, in which case about half the quantity of hair is needed.

But they can be twisted round and round to form the requisite size and shape.

These plaits are not expensive, and can be had at any good hairdresser's. But if a girl already possesses a long plait of her own, I should advise her to make it into a " Nattelina " plait herself. Every ordinary plait consists of three strands.

Divide these strands, and make one circular plait out of each. That shows how little hair these side plaits need.

Place the plaits in position above the ears, and pin them securely, taking care to leave some waved hair below them to soften the line of the plait. If these directions are followed there should be no difficulty in securing a successful coiffure. Simple but Chic

The style that I propose to explain and illustrate in this article is essentially practical.

It is a style that is capable of modification or elaboration, and I hope - and think - that it will appeal especially to the girl who wants her hair to look soft and chic, but has not a great deal of time to spend on hair-dressing, nor a great deal of money to spend on false hair.

This style demands no false hair except the coil which binds the curls into place, and gives smartness to the entire head-dressing.

Most ladies possess a " switch " - just an ordinary tail of hair - which they bought originally to use as a plait or to coil in with their own hair. It is no use for curls, being too long and not properly mounted or curled ; it is no use for a swathe, such as described in the last article (page 3956, Vol. 6) because it is not mounted flat. But it is of the greatest use for a coil, tied loosely and artistically round a bunch of curls or puffs, and it is for that express purpose that this very practical style is designed.

The light circular pad. with a centre hole, on which the puffs of the coiffure are arranged

For the Girl with Short Tresses

The " switch " may be in one long piece or in two short ones ; either serve equally well for this purpose. The remainder of the coiffure should certainly appeal to ladies with short hair - those same ladies who are fond of envying their sisters with long tresses grumbling that " they can make no effective dressing from their own ' miserable wisps ' I " Ladies are given to calling their hair "wisps" and " rats' tails," and, instead of seeking the most effective means of making it look its best, give way to despair, and go about looking badly coiffe.

The waved puffs, with curled points, which comprise the attractive " back " of this style can be easily made from short, even scanty hair. They can be secured and rolled quite well by the wearer on her own head, and form a change from the usual curls, which look utterly different when finished. I do not want to pretend that the waved puffs can be made in five minutes. But they can be excellently achieved in half an hour, and the result, which should last all day, will be well worth the labour. If a girl has to dress her hair in a hurry in the morning, ordinary curls could be substituted for the "waved points," and the big puffs could be made of straight instead of waved hair.

I must again remark that, for day or evening wear, this coiffure is without equal for the girl without very much hair on her head or in her dressing-table drawer.

The style is equally effective with a centre or side parting. Personally, my sympathies incline to a side parting, because I know from much experience that it is both becoming and smart. Many ladies pin their faith to a centre parting, and are content to look merely pretty. With a side parting they would gain a certain indescribable smartness, in addition. The left side is usually best for a lady to part her hair. But this is a matter for individual choice.

Ladies, using a side parting, must be careful that they do not harden or broaden their faces. The long piece of hair which is drawn across the forehead should never be left straight; it must be lifted upwards, or drawn down towards the eyebrows with a central dip, in order to lengthen or shorten the face. A side parting can be adapted to suit nearly every type of face.

Making The Foundation

Having made the parting on left or right side, place the front hair on pins, to wave it. Use six pins on the broad side, and two on the narrow; two additional pins may then be used on either side, if it is thought necessary to carry the wave round towards the back. Before putting the front and side hair into waving pins, the foundation must be made and securely tied, as directed in previous articles. Pinch the waved pieces of hair with rather hot pinching irons, and then put the hair that forms the foundation on to waving pins.

Ordinary pins may be used for this purpose, and, in order to secure the most charming result, it is necessary for the large puffs at the back of the coiffure to be made of waved, not straight hair. It is quite easy to wave the hair composing the foundation tail in the same manner as the front and side pieces, and on ordinary or tortoiseshell pins.

Six or seven large puffs are to be made at the back, so it is best to divide the foundation into six or seven largish strands, and roll each one round a pin. It is not necessary to wave these strands right to the top as every ' point " will have to be curled with irons. Having placed the foundation hair round the waving pins, pinch each one firmly as before, and remove the pins. The tail of hair should then be left hanging in large, natural-looking waves. The waves for these puffs should be large, not small, or they will merely look as though the hair were crimped. Broad, undulating waves, one on each puff, are all that are needed for this coiffure.

The puffs as they should be arranged on the frame or pad. The tail of each puff is curled in corkscrew fashion and then pulled lightly out into a natural curl. Finally, the switch is fixed round the bunch of puffs and curls

Design by David Nicol, 50, Haymarket, London, S. II'.

The front and side hair must then be arranged. French comb it thoroughly; and brush the uppermost side, lifting it into position, and securing it with two-sided combs.

Always remember that the front and side hair can never be artistically arranged with the sole use of brush and comb. They start the process, but it needs the insertion of the fingers under the hair to give it a gentle pull here and there, before a really soft and attractive appearance is obtained.

Do not be afraid to touch the hair with the fingers. Nothing is more unbecoming than a hard effect, such as is given by the sole use of brush and comb. This particular style can be worn with a central dip, made by pulling the broad piece of hair downwards with the fingers. The narrow side becomes very chic if slightly raised towards the back. But the actual arrangement of the front hair is, of course, purely a matter of, individual taste. The short tails of hair remaining from the front and side pieces should be lightly twisted round the base of the foundation, and securely pinned. This obviates the chance of the front dressing being pulled out of place.

Large, light puffs of the type illustrated look best, and are easier to arrange on a frame or pad. A light, circular pad, costing a few pence, and made with a centre hole, can well be utilised for this purpose.

Waved Puffs

It should be fixed at this stage of the hair-dressing, the foundation tail being drawn through it, and the pad pinned to the hair. To start making the waved puffs, divide the tail into strands about the thickness of a thumb. French comb the strand underneath, and brush the top lightly, then insert the fingers of the left hand under the strand ; draw it across them, and pull it out gently, pinning it securely to the pad just beyond the left-hand fingers. This leaves a large, light-looking puff, with a tail of hair hanging below it, to be afterwards utilised for the " curled points." Six or seven puffs should be made in this way, some lying downwards, some across, and some upwards on the pad. Each puff should have its loose tail of hair, ready to be turned into a curl.

In dressing the hair in this style, a narrow margin of hair may be left hanging below the foundation round the back of the head. This hair can then be utilised for a few odd curls to fill up any gaps. But it is not imperative. Having fixed the large puffs, each tail must be curled with irons, or round the finger, till it resembles a corkscrew curl.

These curls must be lightly pinned round the edge of the pad, and the end of each one pulled out to look like a natural curl. This gives a charming finish to the puffs, and is a change from ordinary curls. If the additional hair has been left apart from the foundation, it should be used last of all, and made into two or three curls, placed where they are most needed.

Lastly, the switch is fixed round the bunch of puffs and curls. If there are two short switches they must start from above each ear, one being drawn across the top of the puffs, and finished where the second one starts ; and the second being carried round the lower part of the puffs, finishing where the first starts. If the switch is in one long piece, it is begun over one ear and carried right round the head ; a fork pin or tortoiseshell brooch hiding the division. Of course, this switch may be omitted ; but it undoubtedly improves and strengthens the coiffure.

If ladies have no time to wave the foundation hair and " points," this style may be made in precisely the same way with straight hair. The puffs will then be smooth instead of wavy, and the curls, instead of being loose with the ends pulled out, may be made like ordinary curls. So, for either method, this style provides a practical and becoming coiffure for almost any type of beauty.