Episode 3 Hair

Welcome back to Hair, and the pressure is on

as our six remaining contestants battle it out

to decide who'll become Britain's best amateur hairstylist.

Last week, the stylists went head-to-head to impress the judges.

There's not enough definition between each plait.

Royal hairdresser Denise McAdam and celebrity stylist Alain Pichon.

The angle's not strong enough.

The amateur stylists did their best to perfectly plait...

I don't think I've breathed for the past hour.

-..cut layers with precision...

-Oh, I've no idea...

..and create hats made out of their model's hair.

Mum-of-two Katie won the freestyle round with her fantastical creation.

It's the best Mad Hatter made out of hair I have ever seen...

But sadly for part-time teacher Ebuni,

her time in the competition was over...

The model's own hair is not in that hat.

..and she had to leave.

This week, the remaining six

will need to raise their game yet again.

I've done a lot of practice at home.

The contestants will have to backcomb...

-I'm getting annoyed.

-..and pin curl to their best ability

to stay in the competition.

And there'll be some surprises along the way.

Oh, my God!

The combs and clips have been cleaned, the scissors are sharpened,

and the judges are ready. Let's go to work on Hair.

-Good morning, good morning, good morning.

-Morning.

-Morning.

-Good week at home?

-Yes.

-Well, I hope you have been practising.

Because we're almost halfway through the competition,

and these guys, the judges, want to see you step it up.

They want to see you take it to the next level.

And that's where you need to be if you want to move forward, guys.

So let's not delay the inevitable.

It's time for the first challenge.

This week, the first challenge is...

the beehive.

Your beehive must stand at least 12cm from the crown.

That's there, I've just been told about five minutes ago.

And the vital thing for the beehive, it's all about the backcombing.

It has to be tight, firm, a very smooth finish.

You want a beautiful flow from the front to the back

into the hairstyle and it should be very secure to the scalp.

No padding. Absolutely no padding.

Padding is cheating and it will not be tolerated.

There is one hour and 50 minutes on the clock. Let's get to it.

Time starts now. Good luck, guys.

You OK? I'm so scared now.

There's so much pressure.

Oh, you've got good, thick hair.

Each stylist has specified the type of hair

they'd like to work with for this challenge.

Man, your hair is long.

I like the bleached blonde. It's easier to get the height.

The more damaged the hair, the easier it gets.

What is a beehive?

It's exactly what it says. It's a beehive.

It's a conical shape

and then finished off with a French plait coming up.

The most important thing is the hairdressing technique

that you learn which is backcombing and that is how we get that height.

I said earlier, no padding. Not allowed. Why not?

-Can't we just jam something in there?

-No, no, no.

You will see that the backcombing can work instead of padding.

You have got enough thickness there, you do it in the right place,

utilise all the hair from the back

and use it to make the padding itself. Then cover it up.

That's how you create the height and volume into it.

You know what we call it in France?

-What do you call it?

-We call it a choucroute.

-Choucroute.

-That is the sauerkraut which is represented from

the big cabbage that you have on top of the head.

-Big cabbage on the head?

-Yes.

Have you ever had a beehive?

-Yes!

-I was talking to Alain.

I'm wearing one right now.

Actually, if we lift up his hat, we actually have got a beehive.

The stylists are adding mousse, which gives hair a coarseness,

allowing the backcombing to hold.

Kobi has also chosen to dry his model's hair upside down,

in preparation for his backcombing.

I'm blowdrying it like Denise said last week.

Obviously, defying gravity, almost. So the hair is going upwards

and when it comes back down, it's got lots of volume.

I do hope that Denise is watching me do this.

16-year-old Kobi has been doing hair since he was in primary school.

I do love a bit of backcombing.

He's planning a contemporary beehive

finished with a cluster of pin curls.

I want to create an Amy Winehouse classic beehive, iconic look.

-So it's a 21st-century beehive?

-Yes.

-Is that what I'm looking for?

-That's what you're looking for.

The beehive was synonymous with the '60s.

It exploded on to the scene

when Audrey Hepburn wore one in Breakfast At Tiffany's.

The style was then adopted by stars such as Diana Ross

and Dusty Springfield, and became an instant hit in the UK.

We're often patronised by both

people who are managing directors' wives,

and also the shop-floor workers.

And thanks to do-it-yourself features in hair magazines,

the beehive became the hairstyle of choice

for the working-class woman.

They styled their beehives using lots of backcombing

and plenty of lacquer.

As a shortcut to get height into the hair before she starts backcombing,

Annie is stacking hairbands on top of each other.

I'm creating my base for the beehive and creating a bit of stability.

Cos we're not allowed to use padding,

this is kind of my other option.

Annie's passion for styling hair is inspired by her mum,

who used to be a professional hairdresser.

She's updating a Supremes-inspired beehive

with a long ponytail at the back.

I hate backcombing. I've never been taught the proper technique.

I am slightly worried about Annie. Her backcombing... It is just not.

She is literally taking the cuticle up and down.

You don't want this matted mess in there.

Perfect backcombing technique is take about half-inch section,

slightly take it forward,

you go in with your comb into the mid-length.

You just go down, nice and tightly.

You take the comb out. You go in and you go down nice and tightly.

You can see the mesh building.

You can create up to about three or four inches, really tight.

If the hair is backcombed correctly,

it can easily be removed

using conditioner and a detangling brush.

Backcombing, beehive, anything like that,

never comes up when I'm at home so this is all new to me.

Londoner Marvin loves working with wigs, weaves and hair extensions.

He's planning a high-textured beehive

finished with two French plaits.

The powder I've just put in is called root powder.

Root powder bulks up the hair,

creating a rough matte texture which should help to add volume.

How do you feel the root powder

is working with your backcombing technique?

I feel it kind of takes out the moisture in the hair

so it kind of makes it a bit more ratty.

What kind of texture are you trying to reach at the end of it?

Really trying to build, just the thickness into her hair

so I am just trying to maximise the backcombing as much as I can.

Sometimes if you use too much of that product,

it can be a little bit greasy.

So I think, backcombing, the best is on dry hair,

the best product for it is the lacquer.

Can you just tip your head forward for me?

That's it. Perfect.

I can whip up a beehive in next to no time,

but I want to get the polish right, I want to get the finish right.

I want it to look good.

Laura loves everything to do with the 1940s and '50s.

Her vintage beehive will be finished

with a couple of victory rolls at the front.

I'm going to stick with something

that I think is quite a classic '60s look.

I'm going to build it all from the top of the hair,

so I'm going to start at the back,

with a small French plait at the back,

and then I'm going to just start building and building the hair

so we get the lovely comb shape on top of the head.

It's going to flow all the way round like a big Walnut Whip, essentially.

Right, right. Very interesting shape.

So how did you learn to do this technique yourself?

Research, really. My granny always had a good beehive

so sort of looking at old pictures and things of my granny.

Excellent.

I'm very excited about the beehive, it's my favourite hairstyle.

Polish-born Dominika takes great pride in her appearance.

Her classic '60s beehive will also include a French roll and a fringe.

I'm now lifting the roots even more with straighteners,

so it's like a hot set to lift it up and get the 12cm or more.

The stylists' beehives should reach 12cm,

but Alain is concerned that their techniques may be falling short.

In perfect backcombing, you need to elevate the section up...

and start from the roots, slowly going down.

I've seen them all working fast,

making such an uncontrollable kind of element.

Kobi got it right.

Build up the base underneath.

Marvin is not using the right technique at all.

He has backcombed on the top. All he's doing is

flattening down the roots, not lift it up.

I'm not sure he's going to reach enough height.

I do apologise.

I'm so pretty...

Former fashion designer Katie loves to create ornate up-dos.

Her side-parted beehive will be finished with

an upside-down French braid.

You've practised enough?

I've practised before.

I have done a beehive before. What I usually find difficult

is getting the shape and getting it smooth and not looking odd.

-That is what is going to be my challenge.

-Odd.

-Odd.

That's your words.

So all I'm going to do is just create something here,

just so that the hair can be piled up on top of it.

Annie... It's not looking like a beehive. It is looking quite weak.

Too many pins going in. Too many pins.

-How's it going?

-It's going all right.

You are bit of a maverick. But I have noticed a chink in the armour.

The judges have, at least.

They're always complaining about your finishing.

That's your kryptonite. What is the mindset this week?

-What are you going to do?

-I'm just trying to take my time

and have a look before I decide I'm finished, proper finished.

-I'm behind you 100%.

-Thank you very much.

All the hair that I'm now going to backcomb

is going to be wrapped around the base to create the beehive.

It looks like you have got your hands full there.

-I'm doing an upside-down braid.

-Is that dangerous?

-Will gravity push the beehive out of whack?

-I hope not.

Guys, 30 minutes left.

That's half an hour left.

Once the beehives have been created, the backcombing must be disguised

with a veil of hair to achieve the perfect finish.

The front layer of the hair,

it's like a soft veil going to go over this backcombing.

I have done a lot of practice at home for this beehive.

I just need to make it smooth.

Whack it all at the back. It should be all right.

I have just got to make this look smooth now, with this hair.

This is going to be slightly quiffed.

And then it's just going to lay...

This is going to be really straight at the back.

I don't want to do what everyone else would assume

would be typical beehive.

I think Annie is in trouble.

It is not looking like a beehive too much

because it is pulled out way too far back.

She is not going to reach the height.

-How are you doing, Kobi?

-All right, thank you.

A little birdie tells me you have been taking heed

-of what the judges have been saying.

-Yes.

Jotting it down on a journal and learning it.

I'm just taking little, little comments which they say

which will just help to improve the look so much more.

By the way, if you are trying to take on Marvin

in a game of "how low my jeans can go", you are never going to win.

He is the master.

Five minutes left, everyone. Five minutes left.

It's gone.

I can't work under pressure.

Those can't cover my backcombing and I'm getting annoyed.

The more I play with it, the wonkier it goes.

I wish I'd have had five more minutes.

Time's up. You busy, busy bumblebees,

step away from the beehive.

You are done.

WHISPERS: It has not gone well. It's awful.

Let the judgements commence.

Let's start with Annie.

Annie, overall, I'm a little bit disappointed.

Your backcombing's quite weak in there.

-You've got quite a lot up at the top.

-How do you know it's weak?

-What are you doing in there?

-Because I can't feel it.

There's no strength underneath.

I'm going to check the height of it.

It's not reaching the right height.

Is this bit of tape here, is that 12cm?

-That's right.

-OK, thank you, guys.

Looks great.

It's reaching the right shape.

It's positioned in the right...

Right in the middle.

Right, so the main test.

It's a little short. You feel this, fallen down.

You had it a little while ago

and then it's just gone down.

Your backcombing in here isn't even here.

It's completely gone, cos you were a bit too rapid with it,

so you created a step effect,

not just a nice mesh in the roots.

Positioning, positioning's pretty good.

Look. Even from the profile.

Let's try it out. And...

Ooh! A little short.

I'm finding this a little bit untidy.

It's almost your backcombing's gone a little bit matted.

You can actually see it's slightly knotty here.

You're quite solid on the roots

there, which is good.

There's a very pretty little loop going on

and it is sort of slightly ruining it.

It's losing that finish.

It's a little short.

I'm stunned by that.

-It's a shame.

-No-brainer, that one.

Because it only takes a degree of pulling the tail comb

underneath and you could have lifted it up.

I would say you've actually got too much backcombing at the back here.

-Can I just show you something?

-Yeah.

See this shape here, this should be much flatter.

So we get a nice flow coming up.

But it's secure, it's very secure.

She can go out in a gale, that's for sure.

Now, is it reaching the height?

Not at all. Your highest point is on the top of the head.

It feels it's falling back.

It's mainly due to this front section that you pulled over.

-You were let down by your backcombing.

-Yeah.

It's just knots, lots and lots of knots.

You didn't get that lovely, thick, nice base.

If I lift it up, it falls back down again. It should stay up.

But, overall, it's disappointing, really.

Just to check exactly where it should be.

Look, how precise is that?

-That's perfect.

-Really incredible.

So it's right on the crown, this one?

This is what we're aiming for?

-Exactly.

-Yeah, it's near to perfect.

I can feel that this backcombing is solid inside.

It's got a nice finish in here.

-You can feel it on the root.

-Yeah.

Wahey, it's not going anywhere.

All it's doing is taking you up higher.

That's good backcombing.

I can't see anything through it now.

-It's looking good.

-A hell of a job.

-Thank you.

Fabulous, nice work, Kobi.

OK, albeit with varying degrees of success,

you've completed the beehive challenge.

Go put your feet up, take a five. Well done.

Obviously, my practice has shown off. I'm now top.

My beehive was just off perfect

and I was the only one that did meet the 12cm.

I didn't realise that I'd be judged against my backcombing technique.

I thought it'd be purely the hair once completed.

They said it was a beehive,

but I just added a Laura stamp to it.

Now it's on to Round Two and the blockheads.

This challenge is all about the amateurs tackling a basic haircut.

This week, the judges would like you

to perfectly replicate this hairstyle.

Which, if a painful childhood memory serves me correctly,

is called a bowl cut.

Thanks, Mother.

Denise, tell us more.

Precision is the word.

It's a full circumference going round, as you can see.

Your angle is quite a sharp angle, coming down.

And very important is it falls under the ears.

And there's a symmetry in it, there's no layers.

It is completely one length.

Within the blow-dry,

we'd like to see a wrap blow-dry.

As ever, you will be ranked on your efforts at the end of this round.

You have one hour and ten minutes

to achieve this blockhead challenge look.

Grab a blockhead, off you go. Best of luck, guys.

Good luck, people.

'The bowl cut is one of the basic styles in a professional

'hairdresser's repertoire.'

I'm just waiting for, like, in 20 minutes,

"Oh, yeah, I know what to do."

It's all about symmetry.

You have to make sure it's perfect both sides

and everything kind of blends.

So, that is the worrying part about it.

All right. I have to ask,

why did you choose

this ridiculous haircut?

Because it's an iconic haircut. It's the bowl.

It's a vital haircut to learn at the beginning,

-cos it's the haircut that will create a great haircutter.

-OK.

Not easy.

Once you achieve it well,

you can create a lot of different haircuts from that.

It is a classic look.

So, it's technically difficult to achieve,

yet you must admit, wearing this,

you would look like a slow-witted boob.

But if you saw it on the right person, you'd love it.

'In order to cut hair, it must first be divided into sections

'and every haircut has a sectioning map of its own.'

Tell me the truth.

Have you attempted this haircut before?

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever.

The only cuts I've done as well have been on this competition.

-Right. So you're relying a lot on the crib sheet?

-Yeah.

-And is it helping?

-It's a starting point. For me.

As long as I can get my sections right,

at least I'm doing one thing right with this haircut.

For beginners attempting the bowl cut,

the hair should first be divided into four main sections.

The back, the front and the sides.

It's quite nerve-racking, you standing there.

After sectioning, the stylist must make their first cut.

Beginners should cut the back first, then the front

and then connect up the two

by cutting the sides.

I think I'm going to start from the side.

Shall I get... Sides or fringe?

DENISE: Dominika's unusually nervous.

She's chosen to start from the sides, which is

quite a risky place to start, because the angle's quite steep.

Start from the back angle, it's a straighter line,

it's an easier line to follow through,

but she's got a creative licence,

so let's see what she does with it.

So I'm actually going to do the fringe,

then start on the back,

so then I can see the angle that's coming at the sides.

That's the idea.

Annie, however, has decided to make her first cut at the back.

I've just seen Annie.

The first section's cut is way too long.

She seems to put a lot of pressure on herself.

I just can't do it. Once again.

Regardless of where the stylists choose to make their first cut,

body position is crucial to ensure the finished haircut

is totally symmetrical.

Make sure that the head's in the right position,

your shoulders in parallel to it.

As soon as you start positioning yourself differently,

you're taking the risk. This is precision haircut.

When I cut on the left side, it's always messing up,

because apparently it has to do something with my body weight.

I don't know, I think my left hip is heavier than the right.

The trick to creating a perfect bowl is to cut the hair through

the comb, rather than through the fingers.

In hairdressing terms, this is called a low tension haircut.

What's very important is that you're using

the tension of the comb, when you smooth it out,

when you comb through it and you cut underneath.

So, if you use your fingers to

pull it down, you create too much tension,

which eventually will retract and create a much shorter shape.

Guys, 30 minutes left.

I want to try and get this cut with 15 minutes to blow-dry,

so I've literally got 15 minutes to get it cut.

I've realised I did it totally wrong,

so I've just started to do the back again.

I think it's not straight, it's at an angle.

So I'm just going to soldier on.

Once the stylists are happy with the symmetry of their cut,

they must blow-dry the hair.

20 minutes left, they should start blow-drying right now.

Because it's going to take them another ten, 15 minutes,

leaving them five minutes to check the haircut.

Not enough for some of them,

because they'll know they'll need to cut a lot more.

The judges have asked for a wrap blow-dry,

which involves brushing the hair in all directions

flat against the scalp, so that no partings form.

-You're a bit nervous?

-I am.

You've got a bit of pink cheek. I can see it.

What are you nervous about? What are you panicking for?

What I planned to do was basically cut a longer version

and then going again and then cut it shorter.

Because of last week, I did cut too much off too quickly.

But now I've sort of run out of time.

And you've got a load of hair.

So I've got a load of hair.

Can I help in any way?

-No.

-OK. I'm glad you said that.

You OK?

I feel like, for the very first time,

we're seeing a ruffled Dominika.

-Are you OK?

-Oh...yeah.

What are you not happy about?

This side is, like, wonky up,

and this one is more longer.

Yes, symmetry is pretty important with this round.

I guess I will know next time.

-If there is a next time.

-Thanks.

HE LAUGHS

SHE LAUGHS

One side's definitely longer.

Perhaps one side's curling under more than the other.

Obviously, I know what it should look like,

and I know it doesn't look like what it should look like, so.

Five minutes. Five minutes remain.

-How are you doing?

-Really bad.

-I just can't do it!

-Wait a minute.

That sounded an awful lot like, "I've given up."

Just look at it.

It looks such a mess.

You know, where's that fighting spirit?

It went as soon as the cutting test started.

I'm just hacking at it now.

I'm not over the moon.

I do wish that I took less time cutting it before.

-That's it, guys.

-But...

No more primping or trimming.

Time's up.

Step away from the hair, please.

Step away from the hair, Kobi.

'The judges will be assessing the symmetry

'and shape of the haircut

'and the quality of the wrap blow-dry.'

Let the judgements commence.

Let's see what Kobi's been up to.

-I'm shaking the hair.

-Why?

So I see how the hair falls.

-We're looking for movement there, yes?

-Yeah, the movement...

-Looks good.

-..tells you how the haircut comes out.

The outline's fairly good.

It's a little heavy on the back.

It creates some layering elements, as you can see.

So that's why it kind of flicks out on one side, but not the other side.

-How does that come about?

-Because he changed direction.

You brought it too much forward.

When you release it

to the natural position,

it comes back.

God, that is so exact.

Let's check the symmetry.

Let's check the evenness.

So, this is nice and even here. Very good.

It's definitely damp within there.

The blow-dry, you obviously ran out of time.

-Overall, it's a little bit long.

-Yeah.

There's always that line of,

"Don't take too much, take too little."

But really, we need exact.

Thank you, Kobi. Well done, man.

KOBI SIGHS

Dominika!

You've given too much tension into all your sections.

-Given too much?

-Tension.

So when Dominika held the section of hair

that she was going to cut,

she pulled it a little bit too much.

You've gone much shorter, but the angle is very good.

The angle is very nice.

It's a bowl shape, the symmetry's good,

but it's slightly wedgy at the back.

So, more of a wedge trying to get out of a bowl.

More of a wedge trying to get out of a bowl.

But very pretty.

Within the shape, you can see that the front is not even,

one side to the other, OK?

Because the hair is shorter on the top, it started flicking out.

That's what happens when you cut it too short.

The symmetry's gone at the back.

There's a lot of heaviness and weight lying.

It could have been a great bob.

But it's not quite a bowl.

Just got to be a little more precise.

And then this side seems a little heavier, somehow.

Denise, what about the symmetry?

Let's have a little feel in here.

Overall, I think the symmetry of this is looking good.

I agree with Alain here.

You're a little bit blocky at the side.

You've got a bit of a step coming in here.

Your blow-dry is pretty effective

and worked really well.

-There's definitely a bowl in there.

-Thank you.

Oh, honey.

-Could have been a lot cleaner.

-Yes.

The roundness has been lost through

the squareness of the fringe.

Your starting line was too long.

The symmetry is out,

so you've lost that nice, round shape.

You've lost the bowl, basically.

You've really gone into

a long pageboy shape.

Katie, ooh, I say,

we're getting closer than ever.

You can start to see right from the top,

the hair's lying perfectly into shape.

Lines following all the way round.

Katie, you chose to start at the front.

Which was, I thought, brave.

I thought, if I get the front right, then the back,

I can angle the sides.

It's very symmetrical.

I think I could put Alain's hat on top of this,

and it would be right round.

-It makes you want to have a haircut like this.

-It does, actually.

Well done, thank you.

-Thank you!

-Thank you very, very much.

The judges have had their say,

now they're going to rank your bowl cut.

So go through to the prep room.

We'll be through with the results in a short while. Off you go!

Well done!

'The judges will now rank the contestants in reverse order.'

Look at the line.

Is it really what we wanted? Not sure.

I'm not so confident about the ranking.

I was bottom last week, I probably might be bottom this week,

cos I haven't given them what they wanted.

You can see it's got the flaw...

-KOBI:

-Where I'm ranked today will affect my hair type for tomorrow.

At the moment, I do think I'm more

of middle, maybe lower.

-Ooh la la.

-It's long at the back.

-ANNIE:

-I was in such a massive stress at one point, looking at it

and thinking, "What a mess!" One side was longer than the other.

I always expect the worst in the ranking.

-Ready to rank?

-Yeah.

-Let's go do it.

The judges have made their decisions.

The rankings are as follows.

In sixth place is...

Annie.

-You OK?

-No, cool.

'In fifth place is Laura,

'Kobi is fourth

'and Marvin third.'

So, runner-up, I can reveal it is...

Dominika.

Which means Katie has come first.

Congratulations! Well deserved.

Weirdly, you were sitting in order. That was...

LAUGHTER

-Look at that. That's weird.

-That's weird.

-Well, congratulations, Katie.

-Thank you.

-Well deserved.

And thank you for all your hard work today, judges.

You've been fantastic. Off you go. Thank you, see you tomorrow.

Now, as you know, usually your ranking has a direct impact

on the model you choose for tomorrow's freestyle challenge.

I said "usually", because today there's a little bit of a twist.

Your ranking has no impact on the model you choose,

because you won't choose, we will.

We decided that, seeing as we are halfway through the competition,

it's time to up the stakes.

Join me at the board, I'll explain more.

Inside each envelope is a lock of hair belonging to

the models for the freestyle challenge.

OK, before we get into this,

I can tell you, the theme of tomorrow's Freestyle challenge is...

..period drama.

That's quite exciting, yes?

Katie, you came first in the blockhead challenge,

which means you get to open your envelope first, you lucky girl!

'What the stylists won't know

'until tomorrow is that the models are their best friends.'

-Pearl Ash, does that mean the hair of an old person?

-No!

-I think he's coloured that colour.

-OK.

-I'd say a younger person.

It was a bit of a downer. I thought we could choose what we want.

And then they do this to me.

Don't be shy, show us all.

It shouldn't be too bad, I just need to think it through.

Hello! Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

-I'll make it work.

-What do we want?

-Blonde.

-You want blonde?

-What have we got?

-Yeah, that's not blonde.

I was so much prefer to pick my model so I knew what I was

letting myself in for, rather than being given them, which we have.

OK.

It's definitely helpful to be able to feel the hair,

but we've got the disadvantage of not seeing the whole head.

Always a pleasure. Have a good night and I'll see you later.

Today I've not been feeling too confident in what I've been doing,

so I'm hoping I can switch that around tomorrow

and just get stuck in there.

Day two of the competition and it's the freestyle round, which is

where the judges want to see the stylist really going to town

on their creations.

Last night, they got touchy-feely with the hair they'll be

working on today, but what they are about to find out is that

the hair actually belongs to their best friends.

This is going to be awesome.

Let's talk about yesterday briefly.

I was very impressed with Kobi's work. The beehive was excellent.

He was the only one reaching the perfect criteria

of what we were asking for.

Annie for me is definitely in danger and Laura is just slightly behind.

-I like the fact that it isn't over until it's over.

-Absolutely.

I mean, today's challenge is definitely in Laura's world.

So that puts Annie in an even weaker position.

-Good morning!

-ALL: Good morning.

-Today is the big one.

It's the freestyle challenge. It's period drama.

It could be any period in the history of the world - Jurassic,

Elizabethan, the '80s - you're only limited by your imaginations.

The only thing we insist on is that the finished hairstyle has to

clearly define the era you've chosen.

Understand?

Off you go.

Exciting times! Exciting times.

Bring on the hair!

EXCITED SQUEALING

Oh, my God!

Oh, my God.

So, do you lot know each other?

-LAUGHTER

-It's freaky!

You have two and a half hours

to work your magic on your best friends.

Your time starts now. Good luck, guys.

EXCITED CHATTER

'As well as using as much fake hair as they like,

'the stylists can use anything available in the prep room.'

This is like dress-up but with extra fun stuff.

This is like Christmas came early!

-I'm so much more comfortable now. I'm not even scared.

-Oh, bless you.

This one isn't human, is it?

No, but if you need to take it off and unplait it,

you do what you need to do.

'Marvin's friend Bianca arrived wearing a wig

'made from synthetic hair.

'Fake hair like this is difficult to style using heat,

'so he's going to give her human hair extensions instead.'

I can't stop shaking. Oh, my God. I'm nervous!

'The stakes are high,

'because at the end of this round someone will be going home.'

What are you expecting from these guys today?

-Proper, traditional techniques.

-That's exciting.

-Very exciting.

How traditional could they go?

The exact technique from the era that they can research online.

So you're saying hopefully they've done the research

and know what they're doing.

It's part of hairdressing - you working through

a backlog of hairstyles, and you have to know the techniques.

I'm going to do a 1940s poodle. Betty Grable style.

So all the hair will be at the front here

and I'm going to do a flat roll at the back.

'40s Hollywood starlets like Betty Grable

'made the poodle hairstyle famous.

'Laura curls Holly's hair with hot tongs, pins into shape

'and leaves to cool, allowing the curl to set.'

Laura is sticking to what she knows.

She is using the same techniques, the same sort of pin curls,

and she'll probably put some sort of half-doughnut into that roll,

and really, I'd rather have seen something new from her -

another era, something more exciting.

I'm going to do the Roman hairstyle.

Roman... It's like a sculpture.

You must have seen it. A roll made of pasta-like curls.

'Dominika is trying to recreate a hairstyle that was popular

'almost 2,000 years ago.

'To create her Roman do,

'she pin-curls Hannah's hair with a heated wand and pins into place.'

Right, see you in a sec.

'Dominika is planning on making a base for her Roman design

'stuffing fake hair inside a gold net.'

I hope it's going to work,

because I need to thread through it, to pull the hair to the front,

to incorporate the hair into the hairstyle.

I've got to get the curls in as quick as I can.

'Katie also uses the pin-curling technique on friend Corinne's hair.'

So, tell us the era you're working on.

-Late 18th century.

-Wow!

-Marie Antoinette.

-Fantastic. My favourite.

-Of course!

-How big are you planning to do it?

-I'm making a sailboat.

-Fantastic.

-Hopefully not fake hair.

I'll use Corinne's hair in front of it to work around it.

I was hoping to make the waves out of the hair

but she's not got much length there, so I'm working with the length.

And then probably a few extensions at the back, ringlets.

I can't wait to see it.

-How are you?

-All right. I must do some boat-building.

Personally, I love Katie's choices of hairdo.

The 18th century is all about extravaganza, about big, bulky hair.

I've done it myself. I didn't do the boat. I'd like to see it.

That's really cool.

'Katie is taking inspiration from Queen Marie Antoinette,

'who wore a replica warship in her hair

'to celebrate a French naval victory.'

I've got to get this looking right.

'She's making the whole of her ship out of florist's foam

'and wrapping it in synthetic hair extensions.'

If I get the boat looking right, I can just whack it on her head,

it'll be fine.

'She is also using fake hair to make up her sails.'

-I hope the rollers work.

-I do. I'm so scared, though.

'Kobi plans to use heated rollers to curl his friend Ella's hair.'

-Bonjour, Kobi.

-Bonjour.

-So, tell us about today.

What I'm going for is a 1950s glamour, Marilyn Monroe.

I'm going to pull it all to one side

-and keep that wave going all the way down.

-You're using heated rollers?

Yes. Because I think it gives a better finish than using a tong.

I do want the wave to be quite tight to fit that '50s look.

'The most famous person to wear long waves like this was

'film star Veronica Lake.'

For me, Kobi should be using the tonging technique

and setting each section onto a clip.

For a 1950s wave, we are looking for an even curl.

Usually, when you brush on heated rollers the wave is really flat

and lacking in the roots, but really curly on the ends.

So it's not an even curl all the way through.

If I like this, you'll have to do my hair before college every day.

-Bonjour, Marvin.

-Hello.

-What are you going to come up with?

I'm going to do a 1920s look, based on, like, a speakeasy kind of

-Bugsy Malone look, with deep side parting, finger waves...

-Wow.

-Curls and...just...

-Sounds great.

'Finger waves were developed in the 1920s to soften the harsh

'appearance of the bob.'

If he's done finger-wave technique before it's going to be brilliant.

If he hasn't done it before it's going to be a little risky.

Right, that's the base done.

'Annie is using texturising irons to achieve her look.'

-I'm seeing lots of colour here, so what era?

-'80s.

-Punk '80s.

'Annie is planning an iconic punk Mohican.'

I crimped it for a bit of texture, just to get a bit of oomph to it

while I'm plaiting it.

-And crimpers are '80s, so...

-Absolutely.

Annie has plaited the front to secure this mohawk.

Overall, I think she seems quite in control. The techniques look solid.

I just hope I can see that crimped hair.

-Hannah?

-Hello.

-Who is Dominika?

Let's consider her outfit today, which is fabulous.

We are all talking about it. We love it. Is that a typical outfit?

If you bumped into Dominika at the supermarket, would she

-be in the frozen food section dressed like this?

-Yes.

Well, I'm used to her turning up with pom-poms, various things,

hanging from her.

Jewels stitched to her bum.

One day she turned up to work and I think you just had, like,

a plain pair of jeans, a white top and just straight,

normal hair, and I thought, "Are you OK?"

You know when somebody is not normal when they dress normal

and that's not normal.

-That's not normal.

-Yeah.

-Has she got the skills to go all the way in this competition?

-Definitely.

No doubt about it.

-OK, I'll leave you alone.

-Thanks.

'Marvin has now started finger-waving Bianca's hair.'

Quite flapperish.

THEY LAUGH

It's all about using...your fingers and your comb simultaneously.

So, if your comb goes one way

and your finger is holding the other way, it can be a little bit...

'Marvin heats the hair under a hood dryer to set his waves.'

Basically, just sewing two tracks together just to make them

a little bit thicker.

'Kobi will enhance his '50s waves with hair extensions, which he

'is sewing onto hairclips.'

I've not actually done the look with extensions before.

One hour left! One hour left.

Ohhh!

It's quite hard to do.

'Having finished making her ship, Katie is focusing on the waves,

'which will be made out of real and fake hair.'

I've come to pick your brains.

About Laura. '40s, '50s look.

-Laura wakes up like this.

-I don't doubt it!

She goes to bed like that and she wakes up like that.

-She was born in the wrong era, weren't you, Laura?

-Totally.

-I take it we are going for '40s, '50s era.

-Surprise!

-Surprise!

-Hi.

-Hi.

-You must be Helen.

-Hello.

Is this something you two have done before?

We used to do a lot of dancing in competitions,

so we'd always be doing each other's...

Well, me and the neighbour doing our hair.

Tell me about the glory days, the dancing days.

-What dances were you doing?

-Everything. Disco, rock'n'roll.

I was taller, so I'd end up trying to throw Annie in the air.

And crazy outfits as well.

-This hair would go really well with a few of those.

-It definitely would.

-Well, I can't wait to see the results.

-Thank you.

It's just getting this to, like...

-Do I do more hair and get it mixed in?

-Yeah, I think that could work.

It's called rhubarb and custard.

That's what they used to call it in the '80s.

I wanted them quite tight.

To create that nice wave that I wanted.

Marvin, you have 15 minutes left!

15 minutes left.

-How are you, Bianca?

-I'm good, thank you.

Tell me more about Marvin the man.

He seems very chilled out, very relaxed.

-He is. Very funny, so...

-Good listener?

-Very good.

I think one thing we always say is he needs to take

-more time out for himself.

-Oh, he just gives too much.

-He does.

The question is,

has he got what it takes to be a winner in this competition?

-I think so. I think you definitely want to watch out for him.

-OK.

'Using a French plait as a base,

'Katie attaches her ship to Corinne's head.'

I apologise now if I hurt your head. Wobble your head a bit.

Does that feel OK?

Yeah.

I'm enjoying myself. I'm definitely in my comfort zone.

Just put a little bit of gold paint on top of it.

Ancient Rome was like gold, jewels and...

You're going to be Goldilocks!

-Yay!

-Ten minutes, guys. Ten minutes left.

We've definitely got the '50s glamour in there.

I love the boat. I mean, how crazy is that?

I'm as happy as I can be, yeah.

-Are you pleased?

-I like it, but doesn't mean anything.

I'm about to put on the lace.

Time's up! Step away from your best friend, please.

'Denise and Alain will be looking to see that the designs fit

'the historical brief and that they stand up to 360-degree scrutiny.'

The judges are coming. What's Katie been up to?

Can we set sail? I think so.

Amazing. All the way around.

You can see all the waves coming from the front to the ship.

The curls on the back you imagine to crash

-and then the ship shape comes out.

-It says Marie Antoinette to me.

The sails are mesmerising.

I no way would have ever thought of doing that. Never.

I would have looked for a fabric that would have created

that sailing effect, but you've done it with hair.

It's just...

-It's superb.

-It's like the entire ship is made of waves.

-It is.

And you've used the model's own hair into it, you know, beautifully.

You made it really high, really extravagant,

just like it was in the era.

-Nice work, Katie. Well done.

-Thank you.

That went well.

I definitely get 1980s. Obviously the punk side of the '80s.

But it is punk with a fashion sense.

-It's not traditional punk, it's a catwalk punk.

-Exactly what I wanted.

-OK, then you got it.

-The spike works really well.

I love the way it points into the front.

Proportion works.

It's kind of different on one side than the other.

That's punk, though, that's anarchy for you.

-And you're talking hairdressing here.

-Oooh, sorry!

-It definitely is rhubarb and custard.

-Yeah.

-Marvin, I definitely feel I'm in the 1920s.

-Thank you.

-You've used her real hair to blend into the extensions.

-Yeah.

Your waves are lovely.

I would have loved to see them all the way round at the top.

It's classic to the era.

The definition could be a little bit more refined from the back.

I can hear the Charleston just looking at it.

Well done, you, for doing finger waves on that type of hair.

-It's superb.

-Nice work.

Laura.

Well done. Really good.

Would you say, Denise, that this

-hairstyle conjures up images of the '40s?

-Absolutely the '40s.

Lovely lines here, and you did mention Hollywood,

-the dolly style glamour.

-Yes.

I would have liked to have seen that roll a bit more snood-like.

What does snood mean?

A snood was kind of a net where

a roll would come much lower in the neck.

The finish is pretty good.

You used a technique which you are very confident with.

The setting technique, the pin curls.

If it was just a little more snood-like, it would

have been just a bit more sexy.

OK.

The '40s were very glamorous, sexy times.

Dominika.

And Hannah.

Fab-u-lous.

-It looks great.

-I'm speechless, actually. That takes a lot!

It really is...a Roman empress.

The way the curls are going up.

I can see her standing

in Caesar's Palace, that's for sure.

The intricate way that you put each piece one after the other

completed the whole,

because you only had the hair from the front -

you had to calculate what was going where, consistency into it.

It's not easy.

And I love the little reflection of gold that you put through it.

It is historic, in the sense of it and everything.

-It could headline a major fashion show.

-High praise!

I will take our drooling judges away. Well done. Amazing.

High five!

I'm definitely not seeing '50s.

I have to say the hair looks absolutely beautiful,

but it's not strong enough to the period.

-You've got much of a '90s-style curl.

-Right.

And you also used the heated rollers,

-which I really feel was a bit of a mistake.

-OK.

The problem with heated rollers

is that the roots are not taking that much.

It's not creating any shapes into it.

Those rollers have to be in a long, long time.

Guys, thank you so much for all your hard work.

You've excelled yourselves again.

The judges will now put their heads together

and decide on a winner of the freestyle round

and they'll be making a tough decision about who will be

leaving us at the end of the day.

Go through to the prep room and we'll come

and join you soon as we can. Thanks, guys.

My cut wasn't the best and today wasn't the best.

I'm basically just hanging by my beehive.

I didn't do too well in the cutting challenge,

so I don't really know where I stand in the competition.

I think I have cause for concern because I'm not consistent.

I don't want to go home, but what will be will be, won't it?

Some tough decisions. Who shone?

-Dominika and Katie absolutely got it in one.

-Yeah.

She created those lovely weaves going up and those sails -

it was an absolute work of art.

And why, Alain, did Dominika's efforts impress you so much?

-I've never seen you like that before. You were...

-Yeah, for sure.

I mean, it's consistent. At this stage she is delivering every time.

She shows skill, she shows flair into it.

It was also creative to the degree

of making it the best that we've ever seen.

Let's talk about the person who may be leaving us.

Kobi was very much at the top with that beehive.

He just didn't deliver the period.

Annie's haircutting is not very good, let's face it.

In her cutting round it was...

-it wasn't solid cutting, but her flair...

-She's erratic, isn't she?

Yeah. Well, she surprises you with her fabulous mohawk 1980s style.

Could have done with a bit more hair into it.

But when I go to Laura, I feel I'm seeing pin curls,

rolls with every brief.

I'm going to leave you with this hellish prospect.

-Best of luck, guys.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

They don't seem to be as harsh on this round.

You want to see someone that shows maybe a bit more versatility.

Who can deliver what we are asking for at high standard we want it.

-And take more risks with what they're doing.

-I agree.

Hey, guys.

Well...needless to say, the freestyle round was a scorcher.

The judges have really struggled to identify a winner,

but they have a name.

And the name of that person is...

..Dominika.

Congratulations!

Thank you.

Outstanding work. Congrats.

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

And the name of the person who is leaving us today is...

..Laura.

It's all right.

Laura, can I just say amazing.

We decided to send Laura home.

She does vintage hair really, really well,

but her technique is kind of limited.

INDISTINCT

She's been true to her vintage hairdressing,

and I know she can take that on to the next stage.

I feel shocked that I've got through to this point.

If I've got this far I must be good.

I'm so happy that I've survived another week.

I've had such a good time in the competition.

I did exactly what I came here to do - vintage styling,

and that's what I've done.

Making people look like they are from the '50s,

that's what I do, so I'm definitely going to continue doing that.

Next time on Hair...

-How brave do you feel?

-Is this a chignon?

-I hope so.

I would say this was going quite badly.

-It's absolutely stunning.

-The theme is sci-fi!

-I'm doing half-ram, half-man.

-Alien-like.

-Expose the brain.

-Extraterrestrial.

-Action man.

-Robot.

-May the Force be with you!