Results:
I'm not sure I scored better this round than previous rounds. The judges did not seem to respond well to the textured hair, but I also know the hairline could use some work. I plan on redoing the hairline with lace, and keeping the textured hair while making it more uniform throughout. This wig will be available for purchase at a later date.

​Links:
Here is the promised link to the rules.
You can see the scores here.
​
Here is the promised product list:

• Malinda in Dark Brown
• Short Wefts in Light Brown
• Long Curly Clip in Dark Brown

Challenge:
I will link rules and results at the bottom of this post.

TL;DR: In this challenge, contestants were asked to design a wig with a removable hat or accessory. We could color the fibers and create whatever design we wanted, but we could not add any additional hair besides that which was provided.

The Materials:
Links to products used will also be provided at the bottom of this post.

Arda gave us the following to use for this challenge

• Nina in Crimson
• Short wefts in Pure White
• Candy Striper Ponytail clip in Purple Rain

Inspiration:
I am not sure what put the idea into my head, but my first concept of this project was centered around a silly idea of making a literal hair helmet. As the idea grew, I realized that I had not seen very many submissions to past Iron Wig rounds in which the face had been obscured. I felt making some kind of masked helmet would be new and if done right, exciting once people realized it was made entirely of hair.

I set out to make something structured that was simultaneously regal and strong, and eventually landed on a design for a Spartan helmet. I mainly focused on the face plate and and the mohawk aspects of the Spartan’s helmet design and made the base of the helmet look more like hair typically found on an ancient Greek statue. As absurd as it may sound, I decided I wanted a hair design that looked like a helmet rather than a helmet made of hair.

In order to meet the requirements of the challenge, I made the mowhawk and face plate removable. I wanted each stage to be a separate look as follows:

1. Curly Greek hair, no accessories
2. Basic helmet, mask on
3. Ornate helmet, mask and mohawk on

In the end, I only showed that the mohawk was removable as I did not like the look of the curly hair by itself. In retrospect, I'm not sure if this hurt or helped my final score.

Process:
Base Wig:

• Cut the length off of the Nina provided and set it in rollers.
• Steamed the wig using a handheld steamer and a plastic bag to trap the warmth/moisture.
• Styled the wig once it dried using ancient Greek statues of men as reference.
• Spray painted the wig metallic gold and brown for texture and to reduce shine (shown later).

Face Plate:

• Constructed base shape out of foam using reference pictures of Spartan helmets found online.
• Fitted the mask dimensions of my fiance's head (not pictured).
• Used the short white wefts and Tacky glue to add the hair to the surface of the helmet for texture.
• Spray painted the face plate reddish brown first to match the wig then added a coat of the gold and brown to match the curls on the base wig.

Results:
I did better this round than the previous round! Each new round, I am not sure if I will actually win, but my goal is to at least beat my previous score. I managed to accomplish this, place higher, and do better in the Cleanliness section which was my ultimate goal. While I would like to win, and I am trying my hardest to, I also know that I will get more out of this competition if I make it more about improving my own skills and less about beating my competition.

Inspiration: 
I was inspired by the French Gothic architecture of the Notre Dame and wanted to play this against modern alternative Gothic. My design started with a halo as seen in many Gothic depictions of religious figures. I then wanted to capture the vaulted ceilings of the cathedral which lead to my inclusion of the crown. From there, it seemed only natural to fill the crown with stained glass windows. I used the Rose Window as inspiration for the shape but ended up needing to create my own simplified design. An updo would allow for clean lines and a more regal presence.

Results: You can see how I did here. In short, I didn't win the round, but I didn't lose either! The round definitely set the bar for the rest of the competition. Check out the other contestants too.

• Rentchan (Lauren)
• Hidory Hope
• Lina Flan
• Phunkee Bones
• Rin Marie Wigs

They are all incredible artists and I am lucky to be creating art with them.