Episode 1 Hair

There are thousands of passionate home hairstylists all over Britain,

and we've whittled them down to a very talented eight.

-Hair's my life, really.

-It's been my passion for a long, long time.

It's just everything I want to do.

In this specially kitted out warehouse,

they're about to go head-to-head with scissors, combs and curlers...

Get the first cut wrong, you're gone.

..all in a bid to be crowned Britain's best amateur hairstylist.

I need to win this. This would mean so much to me, man.

Over the next six weeks, they'll be cutting, drying

and finishing everything from a bob to a beehive, a Mohican to a quiff.

-I've done it wrong!

-I don't think I've breathed for the first hour.

And each week, one person will be sent home.

I can't even think about how I'd feel if they told me that would be it.

Scrutinising their every move will be the judges.

-Get ready, they're on the warpath!

-Look at that, we've got a hold.

A big chunk, it looks like it's been bitten.

With over 30 years' experience styling royal hair,

Denise McAdam won't accept anything less than the very best.

I'm a bit disappointed. Not good enough.

You've lost the whole length of the sides.

Alain Pichon is a top session stylist

whose celebrity clients include David Beckham.

The angle's not strong enough. This line's not good enough.

Not sufficient, really, to what we were asking.

It's time to find out who's got what it takes

-to cut and style their way to victory.

-Ha!

The stylists are set.

The judges are ready.

Welcome to Hair.

Wow!

Hello, guys, welcome to Hair.

THEY LAUGH IN SURPRISE

Have a seat. Take a load off. You're home!

-Relax.

-Good.

-Wow.

Nervous? Excited?

Excited? Nervous?

-THEY LAUGH NERVOUSLY

-Yeah?

-Excited.

Well, listen, congratulations on winning a place in the competition.

Hundreds of people applied, but you eight, you were the best.

But now, my friends, you'll need to showcase all your talent

and expertise to get far in this competition.

Which brings me beautifully to the subject of the judges,

the people who are going to be watching you like hawks

over the coming weeks. By royal appointment, Denise McAdam,

and celebrity superstar hairdresser Alain Pichon.

-Denise, Alain, fabulous.

-Wow! Welcome.

Here's the guys. Here's the judges.

Each week you will face three challenges

designed to test your every skill.

The first challenge, our judges want you to create a hairstyle

incorporating a set element. This week's set element, a quiff.

A thick lock of hair brushed upwards and backwards away

from the forehead that must stand at least 7cm high.

Are we clear? Look at them. Lambs to the slaughter.

Your models are ready. You have 1.5 hours. Your time starts now.

In this challenge, the stylists have been allowed to choose

-the type of hair they are working with...

-Hello.

-Hi.

-I'm Dominika.

Let's get you dry.

..and can use any method they want

to make their quiffs reach the 7cm requirement.

What I'm going to do is Danny Zuko-style.

You'll see. It'll look so cool.

I can definitely get 7cm of quiff

out of this hair, so I'm really happy with that!

As well as reaching the height, the quiffs should not look

out of place with the rest of the hairstyle,

and Denise and Alain will be judging

how well the stylists achieve this balance.

I do know how to do a quiff to my standard already.

I'm quite nervous, I think.

I'm nervous to see what everyone else does as well,

and to see what the competition is, I think.

I told them my crude definition of a quiff,

but give me the artistic definition.

Well, originally, it was made during the 18th century, Marie Antoinette.

-That word is French, it's got to be - quiff.

-That's right.

-It was called "quaff" at the time.

-Quaff!

-You have a bit of a quiff yourself.

-I've got a quiff?

-Yes!

-A variation of it.

-I've got a quaff.

Why have you asked them to do a quiff today?

It's got really good hairdressing techniques in it.

Backcombing, folding, adding padding to get the height.

What type of judges are you going to be?

Are you going to go in with an iron fist?

This is the first challenge, will you give them a bit of leeway,

or go, "No, not 7cm. Get out!"

It's got to be high.

It needs to be completely integrated so we see a style from 360 degrees.

We don't want someone to make a quiff up here

and plonk it on the top of the head.

I'm quite happy that it is a quiff.

I do quite like them, so it's not something that is a challenge for me.

16-year-old Kobi has just left school.

He lives in Devon with his mum, sister and brothers.

Hair has influenced me a lot.

My sister has sort of been my model for the whole of my years.

You look like a model! We do photoshoots and stuff like that.

I really, really want to be top dog. I want to win.

Don't you look good?

Kobi is planning a polished quiff

with two vertical rolls at the back.

So, Kobi, what is your influence, what is your overall look?

More of a fashion statement piece rather than an everyday sort of look.

-Do you see it on a catwalk more than in a restaurant?

-Yes, something like that, catwalk work, photography work.

-You like statement in hair?

-Yes.

Kobi is backcombing his model's hair

to give it the volume he needs for his design.

What I'm doing now is pushing the hair outwards

and then getting a comb and making as much texture as I can

just to build and help create the shape.

He combs the hair down from the tips, causing it to tangle and knot.

The knots form a pad or mesh at the roots, which gives the hair volume.

Amy is also using this technique to build her quiff.

I think because I'm used to backcombing loads of people's hair,

it comes dead quick and easy to me now.

Amy is a beautician from Middlesbrough

who does her wedding hair at the weekends.

I've been doing it for years for my friends.

-Does that feel all right?

-That feels lovely.

I've got a close group of friends, we'll spend quite a lot of time together.

She'll make me come round and do about eight styles on my hair.

Someone always ends up saying to me, "Amy, play with my hair,

"do this, do that." So we all look exactly the same!

Any plans a bridal-inspired quiff,

with pin curls at the back.

I think I might backcomb it a bit more,

but I'm just trying to get the height to begin with before I pin it in.

Amy is using a brush to backcomb, which does concern me.

It is backcombing. She really needs use a tail comb. She just goes...

..and all she creates is a mesh of nothing in the middle.

She's not going to get the thickness and volume,

and I'm concerned she's not going to reach the height.

I want quite a lot of height with it.

We've been set the limit of 7cm minimum,

but I'm going to go a bit higher to make an impact.

Polish-born Dominika is the only stylist who's chosen a male model.

I've been learning how to do it in on online videos.

It cost me £3!

Dominika moved to the UK from Poland nine years ago.

I get lots of stuff from charity shops,

something sparkly, colourful or weird.

If you feel like treating yourself, just go to the pound shop!

She's attempting a Teddy Boy-style quiff with a short back and sides.

I know I'm just the one who is cutting the hair today,

and it is the first challenge, so I thought, OK, I need to challenge myself,

so I'm going to cut, and we will see if I risk it good or not.

Dominika is using a classic barbering technique.

By clippering the back and sides of her model's head,

she'll emphasise the volume of the hair on top.

Does your hair grow quick? SHE LAUGHS

Dominika has taken on the quiff as the way we all think about it,

the Teddy Boy look.

Back in the '50s,

the Teddy Boy quiff became the hairstyle of rebellion.

Teddy Boys, I don't like them.

I don't like their style of dress, it's just to prove what they are,

and they're very ignorant.

Back then it was the norm for men to have short hair,

so when boys started to wear it long on top, it was seen as an outrage.

Frankly, I don't know what to say. The boy's got me worried.

-Hi, Annie.

-Hello.

-This is looking interesting.

How do you feel you're going to reach the height?

I'm going to use some paddings.

What I've been doing at home is cutting my paddings

and bringing the hair forward, this section here, rolling it back.

24-year-old Annie is from Leeds. She works as a critical care nurse.

I'm just going to disconnect this, all right?

I think doing hair is kind of like an outlet of switching off

and just being able to enjoy it.

Friends I've made at work will go,

"Do you mind just sticking my hair up for me, Annie?"

There you are, free to go back to work.

Annie wants to create a '50s-style quiff,

which back then was called an elephant's trunk.

I'm using this padding here just to kind of create

the kind of smoother roll.

I want to make sure it looks good.

I've done a quiff before,

probably not so extravagant, on friends and family,

and just random places.

Self-taught Marvin has been styling hair at home

since he was a teenager.

I think I'm very good at doing hair

for the sheer fact that I was self-taught for everything I know.

I think now it's time to take it to that next level where

I get the recognition that I feel that I deserve.

Marvin is attempting a waved quiff, which will be braided on one side.

I'm going to take my fingers and start the base of my China bump.

As I'm twisting, it's kind of creating a tension with the hair.

Marvin twists his model's wet hair into knots called China bumps.

When the bumps are dried and unravelled,

the hair will spring up, giving him the volume needed for his quiff.

It's better for the hood dryer.

It's just a lot less stress than to stand there and dry it.

Just trying to save arm power, really.

It's the first challenge,

so I thought I'd go with something that I know,

I know I can do and it's something that I enjoy to do as well.

25-year-old Laura is a 1940s and '50s enthusiast.

I get my inspiration from looking at old photos of my nan,

my granny, from the '40s and '50s.

A lot of my friends say that I'm a bit of a Disney character

and perhaps a little bit in Cuckoo Land.

I've got birds flying around my head.

Laura has designed a rockabilly quiff

with a high ponytail at the back.

I'm giving it a '50s vibe, a high-top ponytail

and then I'm going to do a really big barrel roll

on the front of the hair.

To make her barrel-shaped roll,

Laura takes backcombed hair stiffened with hairspray

and rolls it by hand to the side of the forehead.

That was nerve-racking! Cool, its curved really well.

Laura isn't the only stylist using a rolling technique.

-So, what kind of quiff are you going to go for?

-I've gone from the roll.

I've gone for the height and then kind of rolled it,

rather than the normal back quiff.

I haven't actually practised this one. I'm winging it!

Sit down, then.

30-year-old Katie from Cheshire practices new styles on her two kids.

-I don't want it to hurt.

-It's not going to hurt.

-Ow!

-I do the children's hair, mostly Daisy's hair, the eldest,

because she's got long hair right down her back.

You're all done, Dais.

Wow!

I say it myself, but she does have the best hair in school. We do try!

Katie plans an intricate up-do

to show off her rolled quiff.

So what made you take your quiff to a twist and a roll style?

-What made you decide on that?

-It's just more to look at.

Because if it's just brought back,

you've only got the detail at the back.

So, Katie and Laura, I'm the most concerned,

because their quiff is looking like a roll.

A quiff should come out right from the hairline,

reach the right height. Here it's not going back, it's going sideways.

When you look at it in profile, it's not looking like a quiff at all.

I'm just feeling a bit on edge, bit tense about how it's all going.

Ebuni lives in Essex and she's a part-time teacher.

I'm really, really competitive. I can't help it.

Bottom out, good posture.

Unlucky.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no-one else involved,

just me and the judges.

I have to make sure that I'm the winner.

Ebuni's quiff will be finished with

rolls at the back and braids at the side.

This roll is just, it's not secure.

It's still rolled, but it's just kind of hanging in the wind.

I've had to get a few more pins and hopefully secure it

so that it doesn't fall off her head again.

Half an hour left, guys. 30 minutes.

Marvin is unravelling his dry China bunts to form his waved quiff.

Once I've taken this out, then I'll start working on my volume.

I should have enough to work with.

It's starting to take shape now.

(Oh, come on. Calm down, calm down.)

This bit is just getting a little bit fiddly.

I'm struggling, because spraying hairspray on

is making these little wispy hairs go really, really crispy.

I've just got to make sure that that doesn't ruin

the whole polished look.

Do I like that? Do I not like that?

Would you say that was a quiff?

This is so elaborate, I don't even know what to call it beyond "quiff".

At the moment, it's changing from my really polished look that I wanted.

This is so not what I planned.

I can see your hands are shaking a bit.

Five minutes left.

You have five minutes.

There's so much pressure, so much pressure.

How many clips do you think you've put in my hair?

I don't know...

OK, so you know the competition

requires height of seven centimetres?

Yeah. I think it is seven centimetres, isn't it?

I might need to get a ruler.

Now, I've kind of got this...

I'm just styling it now, just trying to get it secured.

Marvin, you should pull your jeans up - your bum's hanging out.

That's it, guys, no more trimming or tweaking - you're done.

He's got both ears - all good.

-Shall we take a closer look?

-I think so.

-I can't wait.

Let's go to Kobi first.

You're quiff is looking fabulous with the Princess Leia-feel

going through the back

and you've got some fantastic height.

I bet when Alain puts that comb in, there's seven centimetres there.

My eye can tell me.

-Perfect.

-Perfect.

Wasn't sure about the front blending with the rest,

it feels a little bit alienated.

What do you mean by that?

I though that was the point - to make this stand out.

It is standing out, it's not a problem.

But as you can see, it doesn't blend with the rest.

It looks like two different hairstyles.

Ebuni! What have you been up to?

I'm going to test. Well...

That's the main problem.

You had a lot of hair there that you

could have got that quiff quite easily.

-Plenty of hair.

-How sharp is that?!

Is it really jabbing into the top of our models' heads?

She's not a turkey.

You were spending a lot of time with this knot at the back.

So much time on this little bit

and not working on the task that you were given.

Let's take a look at what Dominika's been up to over here.

Not sure it's reaching the height.

You had the length, you could have pulled it up.

This is the main characteristic that was required for this hairstyle.

But I still like it.

Thank you.

Unfortunately, we're not there, uh?

Feels like it's dropped a little bit, kind of the risk that

you've taken in doing your own technique of twisting the hair.

Overall, she looks great, and that's important.

-And you've done some fabulous techniques.

-Thank you.

Not sure if it's 100% a quiff.

It feels more like a roll.

You started with the right height, but maybe if you can see now...

Not sure - no, it's not reaching.

-Mm-hm.

-So you're missing an inch.

This is an example of a quiff made with a roll effect.

-Going to check now...

-OK.

Well in the tens, surely.

You have reached. Well done.

I like the finish, I like the inspiration.

Be careful of all this little hair.

I really feel this should be going up.

It's great to see the perfect height is there - look.

-So, I'm very happy with it.

-Thank you very much.

This is the perfect quiff, as far as the shape.

Right from the back, beautiful even distribution of the shape.

Top marks. Well done, Annie. Fabulous work.

Thank you very much.

Overall, it could walk down an aisle for a wedding,

but I just feel there's an element where you've lost the quiff,

and it's just gone a little bit more beehivey at the back.

It's because your backcombing was very weak,

and I feel that you should have used a tail comb,

not a back brush.

You would have got a far better result.

This is the area we should be reaching, we're far from it.

Do that again and I'll push everything forward.

I'm not sure this is exactly what we were looking for.

Congratulations, guys, on completing your first challenge!

Fabulous work.

Go take a break in the prep room, have a nice cup of tea.

The judges comments, I feel, it's all a bit of a blur now,

so I know that they were positive.

I think what the judges said was fair,

but it's frustrating when you know you can do better.

It's just made me want to work harder

and show off what I can really do.

I was impressed by what the others had actually done to their models.

There's some pretty tough competition.

The next challenge is a precision-cutting round.

The contestants will be expected to expertly cut,

and perfectly finish one of the hairdressing world's most

classic styles, the perfect one-length cut.

Round two, the blockhead challenge.

This round is all about precision and accuracy.

Alain, give us a twirl and the details, please.

Check it out. This is it.

The perfect one-length baseline.

Look at the effectiveness of that cut.

Every single hair is at the same length.

It's all about the finish, so I'm looking for very sleek,

beautifully straight blow-dry, lovely smooth, shiny hair.

Needless to say, your blockheads are in a hell of a mess.

You'll be given one hour and ten minutes in order to achieve this.

You will be ranked on your efforts, so keep that in mind - no pressure.

Grab a blockhead! Time starts now! Good luck!

The one-length is the most basic cut in a

professional hairdresser's repertoire.

Just pleased that she doesn't feel

so that I can be really rough with her hair,

cos it's quite tangled.

They're cutting real human hair on identical blockheads,

so that the judges can assess the finished cuts precisely.

To be honest I know nothing about cutting.

I was quite nervous, but, I'm feeling quite excited about it.

I'm excited to, like, have a go at it.

I've never cut hair before in my life,

so this is quite a challenge.

This is easy.

Grab all the hair, gather it up in a ponytail, big scissors,

snip - got yourself a one-length.

50 quid, please.

No, no, no, no, it's not that easy.

What we try to avoid is graduation.

What is graduation?

It's when the length is uneven.

-Like a wedge...

-Different-lengthed hairs...

-Correct.

-OK, and there's no graduation here?

It's all the same length.

You can see, perfect one-length is there.

Golden rule, and to make sure that this length is exactly square,

is that you cut from behind your model.

So you keep your bodyweight at the back,

-and everything stays back here.

-So, no moving the blockhead?

No moving the blockhead and no moving round the blockhead.

If the stylists start twisting the blockhead,

you'll cut off this corner.

And you'll create a round shape at the back. It'll be round.

To make sure all the hair is exactly the same length,

the stylists should divide it into sections.

Sectioning hair makes it more manageable to cut,

and every haircut has its own sectioning pattern.

A standard pattern for the one-length

consists of five sections -

a central parting, two leading diagonally down to the nape,

and a further two on the crown.

Just started off sectioning the hair

and I'm just going to take it layer by layer.

I've had lots of different hairstyles in my lifetime,

I go to the hairdressers, so sitting in the mirror, chatting and looking

what they've done, it's obviously sunk into my brain somehow!

After sectioning, the stylists must make their first cut.

This is called the baseline, or guide.

It should be perfectly straight,

as it's the level that every single hair must reach.

It's really difficult cos my hands are quite shaky at the minute.

It just feels so unnatural holding a pair of scissors.

There's no margin for error - it's precision.

To follow the baseline accurately, the stylist should

bring down narrow sections of hair, so the guide can be seen underneath.

The first section's got a different length.

Second, you have to bring each section down,

use the fine teeth of the comb, go below with your scissors, have the

block through the teeth, you'll be able to create you perfect line.

Ebuni has moved her blockhead to start cutting from the side.

This is breaking Denise's golden rule.

So, how do you feel about the haircut challenge?

You guys said perfect, but at the moment I'm getting mediocre.

I'm not getting that perfect straight line - looks a bit staggered.

I think I would be thinking about the position of your head.

Working from the back of it and how that head is positioned.

All right. Thank you.

30 minutes left, guys.

Get it done - clock's ticking.

With most of the cuts now complete,

the stylists should turn their attention to the second

part of the challenge - a perfect straight blow-dry.

I'm not the best blow-dryer, but...

how hard can a brush and a blow-dryer in one hand be?

When judging the blow-dry, I'll be looking for that lovely sleek,

smooth cuticle, so you get beautiful shiny hair.

A smooth cuticle?

Cuticle is the top layer of the hair.

You've got to get the brush and dryer together,

so that top layer is literally polished.

-OK.

-Too hot a hairdryer, dryer too close to the hair,

the hair literally goes, "Ah, don't do that to me!"

So you're going to watching out for people going gung-ho,

crazy with the hairdryer in the last two in the last two minutes?

Absolutely. We want beautiful hair.

I'm flattening the cuticle by making sure I blow-dry the hair

completely flat against the growth, so it grows straight down.

This is quite straightforward for me, yeah.

Can I get a plaster, please? I cut myself.

I can hear blow-dryers, so I'm getting a bit worried.

Running out of time, got a little bit panicked

and I've cut my finger just a little bit.

Thank you.

I feel for you a little bit cos you killed it in the first round...

Shut up! Don't say that.

The judges loved your work, so now you're teacher's pet.

No! Don't be silly.

I've just got the one side left to do, so hopefully wont take too long.

As long as I get the majority dry, I can blast off the rest afterwards.

I'm just going through blow-drying.

I'm not really the best blow-dryer, but I've kind of worked out

a technique that helps and works for me.

I'm just kind of cleaning up as I'm going along.

-Excellent!

-Thank you.

-See you in a minute.

-Thank you.

Five minutes left.

You have five minutes.

In the last few minutes, it's vital that the stylists check that

all the hair is the same length

and that they tidy up any unevenness.

It's not a straight line at all.

But I'm just going to try and hide it an hope that they don't notice.

I've only got four minutes left

so I'm going to dry it off as smooth as I can.

It doesn't feel too bad.

I think it's more important to get the lines clean rather than

make sure it's fully dry.

That's it - scissors down, hairdryers off!

Step away from the severed heads. Annie!

Thank you.

The blockhead challenge is over.

You've all done your best, now it's time to hear from our judges.

Annie.

Annie, how did you go?

I was pretty nervous.

Step back, you can see the underneath.

There is shorter sections.

A bit of advice is sometimes to step back and look, in fact,

cos you stayed up close.

I watched you, you were up close all the time

-and you didn't stand back and actually look at this haircut.

-OK.

-And you would have seen what Alain's just pointed out.

-Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

We're being strict, but it's the simplest first haircut.

If we don't nail that one, well, the rest won't be easy.

The other seven contestants, get ready - they're on the warpath.

What has Amy done here?

-Feels like you've ran out of a bit of time for your blow-dry.

-Yes.

-Slightly damp.

-Just at the end.

-How did you run out of time?

-I spent too much time on the cutting.

I was trying to make it perfect.

There's a few little bits coming down, that's where you check the

haircut at the end, once the hair's combed, you can cut the remains.

Yeah.

What's Kobi done here?

Looks pretty good to me, but what the hell do I know?

If you step back and look at the line,

through the middle it's gone a little bit bumpy.

You've sort of formed a bit of graduation.

The main feature of it is keeping the angle on the sides

and creating the straight line.

And, um, yeah, I think you've done a very good job.

Thank you.

The blow-dry's absolutely lovely. Nice, smooth cuticle.

You're just going slightly up on the edge.

I would say that the line is slightly off, actually.

You'll probably find that you took your body slightly the wrong way.

-You didn't stay balanced.

-That's right.

-Were you cutting it all...?

Probably, yeah.

Just want to do one thing... is give it a good shake

so we can see exactly how the hair's going to fall down straight after.

You can see the hair's perfectly straight.

This shows a great blow-dry because the cuticle's lovely and smooth

so when you tip it upside down, it doesn't tangle

and it easily brushes through.

When this client walks down the street in a gale,

she still looks fabulous.

Look at that. It's pretty perfect.

-Fabulous. Nice one, Marvin.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

I like the length,

and the line is there.

-I think the blow-dry could have been a little smoother.

-Yes.

-I agree.

-You maybe dried it a bit too fast or...

-OK.

-So the ends are looking a little raw.

-Sure.

-It's a good attempt.

-Thank you.

That's a good-looking line. You've done a good job.

Well blow-dried. As we move it, the line's just floating.

Dominika straight-fingers.

I love this haircut.

-For me, this is a girl who knows how to have a good time.

-Absolutely.

Not like these prissy, straight-cut librarian types over here.

-She's got a flick in her hair.

-Oh, yeah.

Do you understand the difference from this to what was asked?

Yeah. I can see straightway that it's not what you wanted.

I watched so many cutting videos, I was trying to get the technique right

and I couldn't remember which way to do it

and I looked around and was like, "Oh, my gosh. Everybody's got a dead straight line

"and mine looks like Rachel from Friends."

-So you understand where you went wrong?

-Yeah.

Just the point where you were going through the sides

and you carried on going down the sides.

You have to keep the natural fall of the hair

but direct it backwards to create that hair.

-Not quite what the challenge was.

-Yeah.

The judges will now rank the blockheads in reverse order.

I can see what you mean about the angle of the block.

I didn't get a chance to finish the full hair properly.

I'm hoping that I'm not right near the bottom.

-Even in the finish, you can see...

-The shine.

It wasn't what they wanted at all

and I thought I'm out of the competition.

This is just going so pear shaped.

That's a nice shape.

Nice precision.

I can't blow-dry a lick

but it seemed to work

and I think I done the best.

Overall, I think we've made our decision.

Yeah, I think we know who we're going for.

Our judges have been ranking your efforts.

What we haven't told you is that the rankings

has a direct effect on the model you will choose

in the final round.

You can see, just behind me there in the prep room,

our board, which has eight pictures

of eight different models

with very different types and lengths of hair.

The winner of the blockhead round gets to pick their model first.

And the results are as follows.

In bottom place is...

..Ebuni.

In seventh place - Amy.

In sixth place is Annie.

Fifth is Laura,

in fourth place Kobi

and third Katie.

And in second place...

..Dominika.

Marvin, you've won the blockhead challenge.

Awesome.

The theme of tomorrow's final challenge is...

fairy tale.

Whether you go mad with extensions

to recreate Rapunzel

or get Cinderella ready to go to the ball,

it's entirely up to you.

Marvin, you came first in the blockhead challenge,

which means you'll get first choice of tomorrow's hair.

Ebuni, you won't have any choice.

Go take a look at the board.

On the board are models representing the three major hair types -

European, African and Asian,

some of which has been chemically treated,

either bleached or relaxed.

Marvin, you're up first, sir. Whatever you want.

The hair type I picked has got a nice length to it.

Not too thick, not too short and it's not too layered.

It'll be much easier for me to work with.

As amateurs, the stylists have limited experience

in working with different types of hair.

Those who came low down in the ranking may find themselves

in unfamiliar territory in tomorrow's fairy-tale challenge.

The hair type isn't really one that I would have chosen

so trying to incorporate that into my ideas

is going to require a lot of thinking.

-Ebuni, she's all yours.

-Thank you.

I would have liked to have tried something different

to show that I can work with European hair,

but I guess they gave me Afro hair so I'm going to show them

what I do on a day-to-day basis.

OK, let's talk individuals. Who's shining?

-Who are the ones to look out for?

-I'd say that Marvin is shining.

A very impressive haircut.

From the first challenge, I think Annie did really well

with her quiff. She really impressed the whole group.

Who's struggling a little bit?

I believe Ebuni. She's had a hard time doing a haircut.

The first challenge, her quiff wasn't high enough.

With Amy, it wasn't really a quiff. It wasn't exactly what we asked for.

-Good morning.

-ALL: Morning.

-Welcome back.

Welcome back, one and all.

Today, you will face your final challenge in the freestyle round.

The theme is fairy tale.

The judges really want you to push yourselves, OK?

So don't hold anything back.

You have three-and-a-half hours for this challenge.

Get in there and do it. Let's go.

The freestyle round is a chance for the stylists to impress the judges

with both their technical and creative skills.

And they can use any amount of hair extensions

and accessories they wish.

I'm going to use tons of this.

Those who did well in the blockhead round

will be working with the hair type of their choice.

-I'm Rebecca.

-Nice to meet you.

Others, who had little or no choice, will have to think on their feet,

and the stakes are high,

as at the end of this round, someone will be going home.

I'm going to put some extensions in here

and it's going to be ridiculously long.

So much hair, so excited.

I love the theme of fairy tale. I can be dead creative

and make it dead girly.

I think no matter how old you are,

everybody has wanted to be a part of a fairy tale

in some sort of way.

So the final challenge is styling.

The theme is fairy tale. That's exciting.

-Very exciting.

-The sky's the limit.

-Completely,

because they can use all sorts of techniques, accessories,

-and they can go for the fairies, the goblins...

-Did you say "goblins"?

-Goblins, yeah.

-I thought it had to be beautiful.

Beautifully done. It's their vision of a fairy tale.

I want to see big hair. I want to see how they're going to use

all the hair that we've provided,

making it ready to go on stage,

ready to go for a movie part.

Having come towards the bottom in the blockhead round,

Annie is working with much shorter hair than she was hoping for.

-Hey, Annie.

-Hello.

-Are you well?

I'm good. I'm a bit nervous today.

Have you got an idea of what your fairy tale is?

It's Snow Queen, Lord Of The Rings style,

-Game Of Thrones.

-OK.

-I've had to slightly adapt it, just through the hair type.

-Uh-huh.

I'm looking to use a wig cap

-and I'm going to be pulling the hair through...

-Right.

..using a crochet needle to create a looped effect.

Hopefully!

So just checked Annie. Right now she's using a cap.

I'm seeing her pulling out hair

and it looks like bald hair with hair pooping out

and she's been shaved off - not very pretty.

Not sure where that's going to go.

A wig cap is normally used to cover hair when fitting wigs,

but Annie is pulling fine strands of hair through it to create

a looped effect.

This bit I'm doing now

is going to be the trickiest

because it's quite time consuming.

Whilst her model is left waiting,

Dominika is working on her design in the prep room.

I'm making a flower on the top of the head.

I want it to come with something not obvious,

so I thought, "Let's be slightly different

"and do Thumbelina - something tiny, but really cute."

She's building her petals out of wire mesh and fabric,

-covered in hair extensions.

-It's a good idea.

It's a big project, too.

She's building some petals. They look quite chunky.

It's going to be hard to secure and balance into the head.

I am going to create a unicorn horn,

so sort of like a fantasy Pegasus horse.

Kobi will use a plait of his model's own hair

along with hair extensions

to cover a tower made of wire and florist's foam.

Oh, wow, that's heavy.

-It's going to be a whole lot heavier in a minute.

-Oh!

Just seen Kobi. He's building a unicorn horn.

Not sure about the placement.

Unicorns should be on the front, so let's see what happens.

-I'm scared to move my head.

-Don't be scared.

-So, Ebuni, you OK?

-I'm good, thank you.

You couldn't choose your model yesterday.

-No.

-Are you happy with the hair texture?

-Yes, it's the hair that grows on my head.

-Yes.

-It's the hair that I work with.

-And you understand the texture

and how to work with it.

As the hair's wet, what I'm adding is just a little bit of coconut oil.

Why coconut oil?

I find that it moisturises without making the hair too greasy.

-Uh-huh.

-So when I blow-dry it, it doesn't come too sticky or hard.

It still gives me a lot of movement.

-Does it keep a shine through the hair?

-Yeah.

As I just put that on, it's got a really nice look to it.

More important, have you got that fairy-tale style in your head?

It's going to be an up-do,

where her hair is braided up to the centre

then it's going to be bunned, and pin curls around it

to really decorate and make it look like she's walked out to greet her empire.

Having being ranked first yesterday in the blockhead round,

Marvin had his pick of the hair types.

I'm very pleased with the type of hair I'm working with today.

It's in between thick and thin

so it's very manageable. It's long with nice layers.

What is the character you're going to choose today?

She's like a princess of the woods kind of thing,

so she lives in big castle, tree house,

and everything's really messy.

She's at one with the animals and butterflies,

-so I'm just trying to go for a look like that.

-Definitely fantasy?

With what I'm doing now, my pin curl, I didn't want my pin curl too neat

to help achieve the style that I'm looking for.

I just wanted to put a basic curl in it.

Marvin's hair, right now he's tonging the hair.

I'm not sure about the technique he's using -

starting from the ends, rolling into the roots.

I would have used the other way, going from the roots to the end.

Roots need to be secure to make clean, clean curls.

Let's see what happens.

LOUD SQUEAKING

I apologise. I do apologise.

Katie is cutting florist's foam

to make an accessory for her romantic fairy-tale design.

I am covering it with the black hair that matches my model's hair

to make a heart-shaped hairpiece.

You look like you've got a clear idea what your fairy tale is going to be.

I'm wanting a medieval sort of Rapunzel theme.

Still keeping it dead long but dead detailed at the back,

-but I'm going to work all flowers and things into it.

-OK.

-Interesting. Good luck. See you later.

-Thank you.

Disappearing fast from the prep room stores,

are the hair extensions made of real and artificial hair?

Sweet!

No running!

Oh, I'm not allowed to run.

Amy has chosen artificial hair to get the length

for her Rapunzel pony tail.

Because it's made of plastic,

it's available of any length or colour,

but its hard texture makes it difficult to work with.

Amy, how's it going?

-It's going all right. I'm trying to brush this through.

-What's the idea?

It's a Rapunzel theme

so I'm wanting this to be a big fish plait down the side,

-but I'm having a nightmare brushing this.

-Are you going to get where you want to be?

-Hopefully.

If I can get a brush through this! I'll leave you to it.

-Nice work.

-Thank you.

Oh, my God! Please don't film me doing this!

To make her Queen of Hearts design,

Laura is using hair extensions for the first time.

I've just basically cut sections to add into the hair,

but at the minute,

the hair extension looks like this,

and I don't know what to do with it!

Guys, you have one hour left. That's one hour.

Dominika has yet to touch her model's hair.

All the petals are done. I'm attaching it to a wire,

making like a crown. You realise... there's not enough time.

-Did you miss me?

-Yes.

Using a French plait as a base,

Dominika plans to attach her flower to the model's head

using plastic cable ties.

Is it heavy?

It's not too bad.

(It feels kind of bulky. Flowers are much more delicate.

-(Yeah.

-It needs to be refined a little bit more.

(It's a little heavy the way it is.)

Seriously, why do I do it to myself?

Right, can you give your head a little wiggle?

I know it sounds stupid.

At the moment, it seems fine.

Instead of using his plait as a base,

Kobi is decorating his tower with it.

I've attached this structure that I've made by pins,

so it's all pinned in tightly.

Not by anything else, just all by pins.

Hold your nose and shut your eyes, yeah?

Ahead of the other stylists,

Marvin is putting the finishing touches to his fairytale design.

I've got some spare time left so I'll probably just sit down

and have a little chinwag with my model.

30 minutes left, guys. Get it done, clock's ticking.

That's not gold!

I see you've gone for something quite understated.

Something really subtle.

The question is, how far are we going?

I'm not going to take it any higher now. This is my limit.

You're going to give this lady a neck injury. Are you OK?

-Yes.

-Does it feel like it's pulling your head back there?

-If I move my head backwards, which I'm not doing.

-That's insane.

I don't have a word to describe what that is.

Look like some kind of Little Shop Of Horrors

Venus flytrap contraption.

It's not really a trap. It's a flower.

How often do you see your therapist?

That's a very personal question.

Ten minutes, guys. Just ten minutes.

SHE GASPS

I'm ready for that.

Every week in the freestyle round,

the models will be asked to parade their hair for the judges,

so in the final minutes it's vital the stylists

check their creations are stable and secure.

Just pop your head forward like that.

-Is that better?

-Yeah.

Amy is putting the finishing touches to her Rapunzel pony tail.

The long piece I was using was synthetic

so I couldn't really get my brush through it,

so I wasn't able to apply it.

I think it's a bit lazy, really, but...

Unless I just take it out.

Oh, I am going to.

I'm just taking it out.

Two minutes left, everyone.

Two minutes remaining.

-Did I just see the Rapunzel bit fall off?

-Yes.

Oh, my God, what's happening? Are you going to reattach it?

No, because I didn't have time to plait it

and because it wasn't the right style of hair,

I felt it looked a bit lazy.

-Do they know that you were going to attach that.

-Yeah!

-I was going to say hide it.

-Just kick it under the table.

Kick it under the table, don't mention it.

If they do mention it, just say, "What are you talking about?"

That's it, guys. The fairytale is over.

Step away from your models, please.

I don't really think that there's anything else I could have done.

I'm quite proud of it.

Once the judges come, they have a little surprise inside

and I just need to pull the string.

Denise and Alain will be looking to see

how well the designs fit the freestyle brief,

and that they stand up to 360-degree scrutiny.

-OK, let's go in for a closer look, shall we?

-Yep.

OK.

Dominika. Check this out. Behold!

MUSIC: "Daydream In Blue" by I-Monster

You don't mind taking a walk, please?

You can see that she's really enjoying it as well.

LAUGHTER

Nicely done.

It held together and your petals are still there.

Big challenge, doing this hairstyle.

It was a bit of a gamble, but I think it was worth it.

-All your edges, I would have covered that up.

-Yeah.

That's where it becomes a little bit too separate.

The theme is Thumbelina, isn't it? So where is Thumbelina?

-You have to open up the flower.

-Ah!

-SINGING THEATRICALLY:

-Ah, ah, ah!

-Look at that!

-She's in there!

-That's very sweet!

-That is a fairytale.

-Absolutely.

-It has to be...

Good try.

Having a go, that's what we're here for.

Well, very brave.

Let's check out Marvin.

UPBEAT MUSIC

So, I feel the forest is there but the nest is there too.

-What do you mean, nest?

-It's like a bird nest on the top.

Not very precise elements of texture.

It's quite strawy.

If you want to make it messy, make a feature out of it. Make it big!

-Cool.

-That's what you want to see - hair!

As much as possible.

You're just slightly lazy on your technique, I would say.

You could have lifted these pieces and curled those

and then they would have cascaded over.

-It would just have been finished.

-Were you a little bit lazy, Marvin?

I probably... Yeah, I probably was.

MUSIC: "Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy" by Tchaikovsky

-Oh, it's wobbling a little bit.

-Can you put your head up?

I can if I go like this.

-OK, that's...

-Otherwise it goes backwards.

Otherwise your head would just fall off.

Take a seat.

Well done.

So, was the positioning right for you?

I would have preferred if it was a little bit further upwards.

-Yeah, a little bit more than...

-Yeah.

You know, unicorns usually come up from the front.

If you were standing in the right place,

you would be much better positioned.

OK?

I feel there's an engineering thing that's going on.

-It's a little bit Leaning Tower of Pisa.

-Bit more Marge Simpson.

And the main part was you made a ponytail in the middle

and then you didn't use the ponytail to support the head of hair.

When you create something,

the person wearing it must be very comfortable,

-and not have to feel that they're holding it.

-Yeah.

Are you happy with that colour choice?

Um, I did run out of the colour of hair that I wanted,

-so I did, essentially, have to choose gold.

-Right.

ORIENTAL-STYLE ELECTRONIC MUSIC

It's the same feeling as what you're very good at -

-doing bridal hair.

-You've over-accessorised.

You've overdone these roses.

It's a bit wedding cake, not wedding hairstyle.

You did say Rapunzel, and I feel Rapunzel's lying on the floor.

I told you to hide that in a drawer.

When I looked at it, I just felt it was a bit lazy

compared to the rest of the hair, so I just pulled it out.

-I think your Rapunzel would have kept a fairytale in it.

-Yeah.

Definitely. I agree.

It's a shame you took it out.

SWEEPING ELECTRONIC MUSIC

Could be a lot cleaner as far as the buns are going.

-It's still a technique which is quite basic.

-Yeah.

The braiding's much more difficult. This seems to be your forte.

You've done it quite a few times.

-You didn't get quite enough support to get this...

-Yeah.

-In fact, is this had been...

-Just a little bit.

-..that bit more,

it becomes fairytale princess, just with that one swoop.

Yeah.

UPBEAT MUSIC

All the darks on Valentine's Day. Here it is.

I really like it. I think you've done a great job.

The placement's right but I would emphasise the volume a lot more.

But it's well achieved and it looks pretty.

-Fabulous.

-Well done, Katie.

-Thank you.

MOODY ELECTRONIC MUSIC

-Laura, for me, I am in Alice in Wonderland.

-Great.

The Queen of Hearts.

My only criticism -

-the balance of these roses...

-Yep.

..is irritating me,

-because you didn't get them a little bit more even.

-Sure.

-I would have brought some of the hair forward.

-OK.

So you just have one element for prettiness.

-OK, pretty good.

-Good work.

ELECTRONIC MUSIC

Well, Annie, that is definitely, I'd say, the Ice Queen.

-Yes!

-So it definitely is a fairytale.

I love the length, the dramatic aspect of it.

As much as you caught the texture, it's moving well,

even on the catwalk she looked quite effective.

And I think the other thing is one accessory.

It just makes it and you've just gone

for one fabulous piece of jewellery.

Would you say you've been proven wrong about using the wig cap?

-She's done it well. Wonderful.

-Really nice.

-Thank you so much.

-Very, very good work.

-Superb.

Guys, mind-blowing stuff, thank you so much for all your hard work.

The judges will now deliberate your fates. Well done.

Hearing the judge's comments

has kind of knocked me back a little bit.

I'm a bit worried that I might be going home. Hopefully not.

I don't want to go home.

I think now I've got a feel for it, I want to be creative with it

and do more things.

I'm feeling a little bit scared.

Today could be my last day.

I can't even drink, my hands are shaking.

So, two big decisions to be made.

Somebody's about to win the freestyle round

and somebody's about to go home.

-Who impressed you in the freestyle round?

-I really liked Annie.

Wasn't sure at the beginning, but she really turned it up.

For me, Laura took me to the movies.

The overall shape and the techniques that she used were fabulous.

So who's the person who's looking most likely to face the chop?

I'd say that Marvin's escaped by a hair.

"By a hair!"

For me, well, there's two of them, Amy and Ebuni.

They did the same kind of work, they weren't up to scratch

with their technique.

Unfortunately, it's not enough.

Amy does bridal hair and she does it very well,

but she hasn't shown us anything else

and Ebuni has shown us, in the first round, braids and plaits

and in the third round, braids and plaits.

-They never left their comfort zone?

-That's right.

And the other person I feel is in trouble is Kobi.

He didn't think about the foundations

and what he was actually creating,

he was just getting as high as he could

without thinking about it being on the head.

OK, well, you guys have got some tough decisions to make.

-I will leave you to it. Good luck.

-Thank you.

I think she kept it safe. It's not what the competition's all about.

Put a lot of planning into it, but it didn't quite finish.

It would have been nice to see something else, wouldn't it?

It would be nice to see something different.

I think we've made our decision.

Hi, guys.

It's been fabulous watching you in action,

but as you know, only one of you can win the freestyle round

and our judges have come to a decision.

The person who's won the freestyle round is...

..Annie.

-Thank you so much.

-Congratulations. Brilliant.

Thank you so much.

The bad news is that we do have to send one of you home.

I should tell you that this decision was made considering

all three of the challenges that you faced.

The person the judges have decided to send home is...

..Amy.

Oh, no, Amy!

Oh!

I wanted you to stay!

Aww, thanks.

We decided to send Amy home cos she didn't complete the challenges.

The quiff was flat, the cut was still wet

and the fairytale wasn't a fairytale.

-Thank you.

-That was the most...

horrible, awful situation ever.

Oh, my gosh, I can't believe that I'm still here.

Oh! I'm so happy! Oh!

I'm just so happy that they kind of...

That they chose me to win. I couldn't believe it.

Looking round after every task, everyone's really good here,

so there's no-one I've looked at and thought,

"Oh, they should have went."

I think it's definitely the right decision they've made.

Next time on Hair...

It's the first time I've ever done a braided style.

I don't think I've breathed for the first hour!

Oh, I have no idea.

The challenge is making hats out of hair.

The best Mad Hatter made out of hair that I've ever seen.