Gothic Hairstyles

With the start of summer, you may want to refresh your gothic style with a few small updates. Below you’ll discover how to redesign a white shirt with a few simple tricks, how gothic hairstyles such as hair falls and extensions are worn by a Gothic hair designer.

1) How did you get started making hair falls and extensions?

There are two different types of dreads for gothic hairstyles: falls, the ones you take in and out and extensions, the ones that are braided into your hair. I have always been a little obsessed with dread falls and gothic hair extensions. Two years ago, I saw hair extensions and falls on the internet and I wanted some of my own. So I saved up money and I bought a pair online. When I received them, I studied how they were put together. I also looked online for hints and tips on how to make dread falls and hair extensions. I came across a site that had a lot of information, which helped me with the learning process. I also printed out all the pages for reference and then practiced making hair falls and extensions for a variety of gothic hairstyles.

2) How do you maintain your new head of dreads?

This all depends on whether you have dread falls or dread extensions. Regardless of what your have, you must always be careful not to snag your dreads on something and tear them. Because they are pretty delicate and can be destroyed easily, avoid getting your dread falls wet.

If you’re caught in the rain with dread falls, hang them up to dry in your laundry room or a warm place in your house. If you don’t, they can grow moldy and then you would have to get rid of them. Dread falls absorb odours easily, so if you wear them to a place that’s smoky, hang them up for a few hours after you take them out. If the do get smelly, your can spray them with Fabreeze and hang them up.

Dread extensions tend not to last as long as dread falls because they are being worn 24/7. You can choose to wash your hair, or not to wash your hair when you have dread extensions. If you do choose to wash them, remembers that wet dreads are extremely heavy. Make sure you rinse out all of the soap as any residue will cause irritation and itching to the scalp. If you decide not to wash your hair, you can mix a solution of water and tea tree oil once or twice weekly and massage the mixture into your hair and scalp.

When you decide to remove your dread extensions, wash them in the washing machine on silks, wools or hand washing program or hand wash them in a tub of warm water and a bit of soap. Again, make sure your rinse out all the soap. Afterwards you can attach them to lace and use them for falls.

3) How do you attach the hair extensions to your real hair?

You would attach hair extension dreads to your gothic hairstyles the same way you would attach any other type of extension. Braiding is the most common way to do it. If you want a dread kit as permanent hair extensions, then you will need to know how to braid the fake hair into your own hair (see diagram below).

How to Braid Fake hair into Real Hair

4) Can I add hair falls for the weekend only?

Dread falls are made specifically for quick changes in your hair. The dreads are attached to lace or a hair elastic. Put your hair up in two tight little buns for pigtails or in a tight bun in the back for a ponytail. You then tie them in. If you’re a first timer, your hair falls might feel loose. If this happens, I suggest cutting up an old pair of panty hose or stocking and tying them into your hair for extra security, then you can wear a headband or a pair of goggles to hide where the dreads are attached. To find out more about handmade hair falls and extensions, visit http://dreadobsession.tripod.com/

Redesigning a Plain White Shirt into a Gothic Shirt

You can revamp regular clothing in interesting ways. One of the easiest and quickest ways to Goth up a basic black button-down shirt or jacket is to replace plain buttons with antique-looking silver or pewter colored buttons with details on them. By replacing the previous plain buttons with gothic style ones, you completely change the look, with minimal time for cheap gothic clothes.

Another simple method is adding black lace along the cuffs of your shirt or jacket sleeves or along skirt or dress hems. All you need to do is hand-stitch along the edge of the lace to the edge of the garment. In the example below, I found a brand new white shirt with eyelet for $3 at the thrift store. I went to the notions store and purchased black lace and a black ribbon rose for under $1. It took 15 minutes for me to hand-stitch the black lace and safety pin the black rose on the shirt for this inexpensive gothic redesigned example.

Gothic Makeup

Summer is in full bloom and you may want to refresh your gothic style with some lighter pieces. Below you’ll discover how to turn any eye shadow into long-lasting liquid eyeliner, get affordable gothic clothing advice from our feature gothic designer of Gloomth and a few tips and tricks to cutting gothic hairstyles and putting on lighter gothic makeup with the newest mineral makeup to help you look and feel your personal best.

Gothic Black Eye Liner

In addition to a pale complexion, gothic makeup is known for its theatrical eye makeup designs. Some artistry is required to achieve the mysterious effect with a combination of eyeliner, blending of eye shadows and mascara or false eye lashes. One of the most striking features of Goth is that both men and women wear the ubiquitous black eye liner. This is one aspect of this makeup application that not only takes practice, but an extremely steady hand.

Types of Eyeliners

Pencil eyeliners tend to be quite popular because they are easier to use. The tissue of the eye area is extremely delicate, therefore when choosing an eyeliner pencil, be sure to select one that is soft enough to glide easily. Liquid eyeliners require more practice, but create precise lines once applied with enough control. Felt tip liners are quite similar to liquid eyeliners in consistency and offers a bit more control. Cake eyeliners, traditionally used by professionals are now becoming very popular.

A new trend is to use eye shadows as eyeliners. The advantage of this is that you have so many more colors with which to line. For a long-lasting solution, use a versatile product called Metamorphix by Lise Watier that transforms any powdered eye shadow into liquid eyeliner. Squeeze a drop into the eye shadow palette, use an eyeliner brush to mix the clear liquid drop into the shadow and apply it as you would for regular liquid eyeliner.

1. What is your art or design background?

I have a B.A. in Illustration from the Ontario College of Art & Design. I worked as an illustrator for several years during school and after graduation, wrote and worked on my own stories as well. I've been designing and making my own clothing since early high school, mostly because I lived in extremely remote areas and had none of the shopping options nowadays. All my sewing training has been hands-on, at home, with my mother's old 70s sewing guides in front of me. - Taeden Hall

I honestly had never heard the word "gothic" in the subculture context until nearly the end of high school. I'd always worn black; mostly post-punk type stuff, lots of Japanese crap I'd copied from magazines, combat boots I'd hand painted. If I said I'd always been drawn to what's considered abberant or frightening, it'd probably sound really lame and cliché, but I guess it's the truth. My art has always had darker undertones, and that bleeds into my life

3. What advice can you offer readers building an affordable gothic wardrobe?

You don't have to be swathed in all the Goth brand names in order to fit the description. Don't get too bogged down on being the epitome of Goth as the media represents it. The culture started as a way for people to express themselves creatively with clothing and attitude, it has never been about a cohesive uniform or jack skeleton or the clique aspect. This also applies to shopping. I'm a huge fan of charity shops and second hand shops, you can find awesome pieces between the racks for half the price of new clothes. 90% of my wardrobe is second hand, or items I've altered from second hand clothes or made from scratch. Looking amazing doesn't mean you paid $150 for your shirt!

4. How did you get started as a gothic couture designer?

As a gothic couture designer, I do everything from pick up our wholesale materials to coordinating advertising campaigns to actually shipping the products. I respond to all the customer emails and whatnot as well. My fiance, Derek Cutting, does all the product photography, which consists of a mannequin propped against the closet door in our living room. We are prepping for a full reshoot with models in the next couple weeks. After a lot of research, we discovered our prices would have to be extremely high in order to pay for all the costs associated with a retail store. We also sell internationally and that would limit our ability to reach those people. Gloomth will always be online, but we do attend events and will be having fashion shows and sales very soon.

5. Why did you start Gloomth?

I started my business in February 2007. I was working horrible part-time jobs at various repulsive establishments and it was making me really unhappy. I felt like my degree was a waste and that I was doing nothing creative or exciting. I had no control. So when I moved in with my fiancé and relocated to a smaller city to live on half the income in our household so I could do something creative. After a couple weeks of planning, scratching out logos, selling prototype clothing concepts on eBay for market research, and web design, we launched Gloomth & the Cult of Melancholy (www.gloomth.com) - and its been taking off like wildfire since.

Gothic Make-up and Hair

If your hair is longer, the weight may make it difficult to achieve the desired volume, particularly in warmer months with the higher humidity and temperatures. You'll need to go to a salon and have your hair thinned or textured. With texterizing, your hairstylist is cutting fine wisps of hair at an angle into a variety of fine layers to remove the excessive weight. You will be amazed at how much of a difference it can make. Also, styling products such as a molding mud can provide volume, but beware of build-up as it takes away bounce and shine. Use a clarifying shampoo once a month to remove the product residue. And longer hair must be trimmed regularly (every six weeks) to stay healthy to prevent split ends from traveling up the hair shaft.

Makeup brushes are a must for gothic makeup. You can find a range of prices for your brushes. Keep in mind you don't have to spend a ton of money on a makeup brush. Acrylic ones actually are easier to clean than the brushes made from fancy animal (sable, pony, squirrel, goat and badger) fibers, but will last longer. There are two makeup brushes for the foundation process for gothic make-up.

A foundation brush is designed to create an even finish and flawless gothic make-up look. It works well with a cream-based to full coverage foundation. You can use it to apply, distribute, and blend foundation into all areas in the face. A kabuki brush is firm and full to provide fast and perfectly controlled application of loose powder finish. The firm, full tapers of this luxuriously plush brush give perfectly controlled, full application of loose powder finish in record time. Also, for warmer months, a kabuki brush is perfect for applying the newest mineral makeup foundation containing no synthetic ingredients, dyes or scents and are lightweight to avoid clogging up your pores.