Frequently Asked Questions list for alt.gothic newsgroup
This FAQ was created by Peter Wake (peterw@cs.man.ac.uk), and is
currently maintained by Ryan Watkins (vamp@vamp.org). Please direct
corrections and additions to vamp@vamp.org.
This list is posted on a monthly basis to the alt.gothic news group,
and is also available via anonymous FTP at
ftp.maths.tcd.ie:/pub/music/gothic/gothic-faq (mirrored at
goth-ftp.acc.brad.ac.uk:/ftp.maths.tcd.ie/gothic/gothic-faq) and in
HTML format at http://www.vamp.org/Gothic/Text/gothic-faq.html.
Special thanx to the following for information provided within :
Peter Wake (peterw@cs.man.ac.uk)
John Mc Donagh (mcdonghj@unix2.tcd.ie)
Digitar (digitar@io.org)
Ian Grimstead (I.J.Grimstead@cm.cf.ac.uk)
Jeff Harmon (harmon@elia.epfl.ch)
The Great Grendel-Khan (argent@iastate.edu)
Sexbat (sexbat@batt.demon.co.uk)
Ace of Hearts (uaceohrt@mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu)
Petro (petro@mcs.com)
Austen Jackson (Ozric@tentacle.demon.co.uk)
LadyRenee (michelle@dagda.ili.net)
The term 'Goth' was used by Ian Astbury who described Andi Sex Gang as a 'gothic pixie' and popularised by the UK music magazines New Musical Express and Sounds (NME) and was used to describe a class of music. For some people that music became the basis for a 'way of life'. They brought their own backgrounds and interests along and a sub-culture was formed and it took for itself the name Gothic.
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Subject: 1.3 Is goth about religion?
Gothdom embraces all religions, all denominations and all races. Many Goths are atheists and a sizable minority are new age spiritualists, Wiccans and members of other alternative religious groups. There are Christian Goths. Basically Goth is not about religion, but with the imagery of religion. May goths wear crosses or ankhs, and there are many religious references in goth songs, but it is not a religious movement.
Goth uses religous imagery in some songs. Christian Death are big on this. Bauhaus did a couple of tracks with religious imagery. The Sisters have a quasi-religious name but this is ironic, their music shows that religion is not Andrew Eldritch's main concern - he prefers politics. The Mission (UK) were fairly 'new age'. Carl McCoy favoured shamanistic traditions and gnostic revelation. Religious jewellery is often worn, particularly crucifixes and ankhs. These are strong symbols with powerful subconscious effects. Sometimes they are worn as an satirical statement, sometimes not. For some it is just fashion.
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Subject: 1.4 What does gothic music sound like?
Thanks to John Mc Donagh aka Nascent Virion for a list of what bands he though typified the Gothic sound. Some may disagree, but this is a rather decent representaion of GENERAL catagories.
Original Goth: * Bauhaus * Christian Death * Southern Death Cult* * Joy Division (Sometimes had a Goth sound, didn't look very Goth) * Sisters of Mercy * Siouxsie and the Banshees
Miscellaneous Goth: * The Fields of The Nephilim**(Too new to be original, too old to be new) * The Mission (UK) (Early stuff was considered Goth by the music press) * Sex Gang Children
Mellow Goth: * Dead Can Dance * Xmal Deutschland * Danielle Dax (more poppy)
Metal/Industrial Goth: * Creaming Jesus (Metalish) * James Rays Gangwar (Goth w/samples) (A lot of Goths listen to Ministry but they aren't really Goth)
Experimental/Folky/Occult Goth: * Current 93 * Death In June * Sol Invictus
New Goth: * Nosferatu, Rosetta Stone (Sisters/Mission sounding bands) * Shadow Project (Off shoot of Christian Death) * Clan of Xymox (Synth, almost dancey) * Southern Death Cult (SDC) later split in all directions. Only SDC are condsidered properly Gothic. However many of Southern Death Cult's Goth followers remained true even when they entered their 'The Cult' glam metal phase. ** Fields of the Nephilim were so unlike previous Goth it is amazing that they were ever considered Goth at all. Nonetheless they are one of the definitive Goth bands and most Goths took to them instantly because of their originality and talent. See "The Gothlist" by Corey for a much more complete list of goth bands. See 'Subject: 2.2 Where are the gothic FTP sites?' for more detail on how to get a copy.
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Subject: 3.13 What is 'Snakebite'? Half a lager and half a cider. Lager is what americans would call "beer" and cider is the same sort of thing made from apples basically. The combination is somewhat lethal. A lot of pubs will refuse to serve it. Variations: "snakebite black" - the same drink with a splash of blackcurrant in it, also known as a "purple nasty" up north and is the cliche goth drink (also can be prepared as snakebite and black with a pernod and a vodka in it). "red witch" - a snakebite with pernod and black in - not to be taken lightly under any circumstances. "Anaconda" - made with half a pint of Theakstons Old Peculiar (or another real ale) and a bottle of Diamond White or 1080 (or other strong dry cider), a dash of black and two straws. It can also be *real beer* and cider (i.e. ale) e.g. Theakston's Old Peculier (~5.5%) + Scrumpy Jack (erm, ~5%ish), a rather entertaining mix
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3. Isn't goth dead?
The UK goth scene not only continues today, but is attracting a new young crowd. There are certainly a number of goths who enjoyed the scene in the 1980's and continue to enjoy it today; but on the whole most of today's goths are aged between late teens and late twenties. This isn't discriminatory, but a reflection of most nightclub audiences.
There are several 90's goth bands who have had hits in the national or independent charts, including Garbage, Rosetta Stone, Sheep On Drugs, Nick Cave, Nosferatu, Curve and so forth. Many of these bands may not admit to being goths, but neither did many of the so-called goth bands of the 80's. They may not sound like 80's goths- often they don't use the jangly guitars and driving basslines associated with the 80's- but they all have powerful, haunting vocals and a dark theme to their music, without resorting to death metal nor industrial styles. And they look like goths. What else would you call them?
On the whole, 90's goth bands find it difficult to get media coverage or radio airplay, and there are scores of 90's goth bands which can pull good crowds- easily selling out small to medium-sized venues- which you'll never hear of in the charts. For example London After Midnight, Stun (formerly Children On Stun), Die Laughing, Inkubus Sukkubus and Manuskript.
There are also many goths who don't listen to much goth music; who dress goth and think goth but listen to industrial, metal, techno or alternative. Popular bands that goths tend to like include The Prodigy, Front 242, Cubanate, Menswear, White Zombie, Pop Will Eat Itself, Front Line Assembly and Nine Inch Nails.
4. Why is goth ignored by the music media?
The music media aren't there to reflect the current music scene; they exist to sell magazines and advertising space. Journalists like to see themselves as "discovering" new talent, rather than having talent evolve gradually from one genre to the next.
Thus the music press won't entertain the possibility that goth has slowly evolved into something new. They have to wait for the scene to die away so that they can "discover" it again. But goth hasn't died away, so the press label goths as "hangers-on" who still listen to 80's music- despite a wealth of new talent!
This is where the Internet comes into its own. There are no editors to decide what's "cool" and what's not. You don't need the approval of a record company boss to advertise your album. No-one can censor the letters page. A thousand fellow fans can be contacted for less than the price of one stamp. The Internet represents media democracy; goth is popular in the real world and this is reflected on the Internet.
Sadly the real world prejudice applied to goth means it can be difficult attracting new interest off-line and this affects bands and clubs who have a problem publicising their events. Due to media "goth racism", events are publicised off-line by flyers at other events, mailing lists and fanzines- in other words, a goth grapevine.
5. What makes something gothic? Am I a goth?
There are no hard and fast rules; anything which has an air of dark power is gothic. Some people also refer to goth music as "darkwave" "goth techno", "dark alternative", "electro", "ambient ethereal" and a hundred other phrases which may or may not be strictly applicable.
Whether or not you choose to adopt the "goth" tag is up to you. Certainly, dressing in black, crimping your hair and attending the Whitby festival will get you classified as a goth by your friends. But there are plenty of people who think of themselves as goths who don't do any of these things.
6. Where does industrial music / darkwave / cyber culture fit in?
There are many industrial bands which can be considered goth, and these two musical genres often share common styles, sounds and dress. But there's plenty of industrial bands which aren't goth (Nitzer Ebb) and goth bands that aren't industrial (Die Laughing).
Darkwave and Electro is also referred to as Goth Techno and these bands represent a very extreme interpretation of the goth ideal which has picked up fans rapidly in the mid 90's. These bands (such as Girls Under Glass) generally mix slowed-down analogue techno with digital new romantic synths and goth vocals.
Cyberpunk is closely allied with goth, but focuses on a dark future rather than drawing on a dark past, and is also primarily concerned with fiction rather than music. From a fashion and attitude perspective these two genres are easily intermixed.
7. Umm vampires?
Vampires are a rather contravercial subject, so to simplify matters a bit (and start more arguments probably) we will split this one up.
7.1 Are vampires goth?
Yes. In the same way goths tend to enjoy things relating to magick, ghosts, the paranormal and alternative religions, they will very often seek out and absorb anything vampire related too. Threads in UPG regarding shows like Ultraviolet, The Masquerade and even Forever Knight back this up, and the idea of more movies based on Anne Rice novels is always a source of excitement.
Vampire legends exist in most cultures and hence are an important part of world mythology. Vampires are used as and make excelent allegories for all that some of us see as evil in the world, for example corporate greed, dictatorship and fascism. Also the relationship between vampires, sex and death is not entirely alien to the goth mindset, but more because of the romanticism of vampires than anything else.
Oh, and they dress nice :-)
7.2 Are goths vampires?
No! Your average goth thinks that people pretending to be or acting like vampires represent all that is pants in goth. Plastic fangs are not merely frowned upon, they are completely and utterly taboo and anyone wearing them might as well go the whole hog with a T-shirt saying "I am tosser. Please do not talk to me or even make eye contact". Genuine teeth extensions are considered less naff (although few get past the inquiry stage- when they realise it's an affordable ?80 upwards from willing dentists. However you will still seem like tosser if you pretend to be a vampire in public, regardless of how good the fangs are!
For more information on vampires but not goths, see alt.vampyres.
8. Are goths involved with Satanism or paganism? I'm black/fat/old/gay/disabled/Conservative, can I still be a goth?
Goth is not a religious, political, racial, sexual nor occult movement, and there are goths of all faiths, races, beliefs and orientations. If you want to be a goth, be one.
The majority of goth bands are either non-religious or actively anti- religious. Religious imagery, particularly that of Christian Catholic (crucifixes), Ancient Egyptian (Ankhs) and Pagan (Pentacles) is popular, as it conveys the "darkly powerful" feeling associated with goth music.
The number of Pagans is noticeably higher amongst goths than other similar social groups, this is probably due to the cynicism over organised religions. Goths tend not to want to worship a religion which often treats gothdom as 'evil'.
Paganism should not be confused with Satanism, although the Pentacle and Pentagram are identicle in appearance. Pagans believe in the balance of nature, and do not have fixed notions of "good" and "evil". Many Pagans also practice magicke, which links them to the Wiccan religion and technically makes them Witches, however in the same way not all goths are Pagans, not all Pagans are Wiccan. The band Inkubus Sukkubus are particularly pro-Wiccan.
There are few genuinely Satanist goths. It is important to realise however that Satanism has nothing to do with sacrifices or ritual abuse, this is merely a media image. Satanism is no more or less evil than other beliefs.
You can find FAQs on Paganism, Wicca and Satanism at rtfm.mit.edu.
Goths tend towards socialism in much the same proportions as any social group with a majority aged late teens to late twenties. There are also Young Conservative goths, communist goths, fascist goths and anarchist goths. Another, growing trend in amongst 90's goths is that of political apathy; the view that none of the political parties make any difference, sometimes allied to conspiracy theories. This is a favourite topic of the band Rosetta Stone.
Racially, goth is a very "white" culture, although there are a number of Asian and Oriental goths, together with smaller groups from other races. The reason for the abnormal white population may have something to do with style (a pale, gaunt appearance is fashionable) or the fact that there is a very strong black rap subculture which is more readily available. Neil Gaimen's Neverwhere series on BBC2 proved that being black is no reason to not be goth. Goths are rarely racist and are often concerned at the lack of multiethnicity within the culture.
Despite their often androgynous or transvestite appearance, goths have pretty much the same spread of sexuality as any other similarly aged social group. There may appear to be a higher incidence of bisexuality, but this could simply be because goths tend to be more open about their preference. Many goths- particularly heterosexual males- can feel misunderstood when picked upon just because of transvestite elements of their dress, and will take offence from being called "queer" or so forth even when they don't consider homosexuality as bad.
Whilst goths generally do aspire towards a thin, gaunt appearance there are many "porky" goths, and people of a larger than average size will have few problems mixing with goths.
Disabled goths are a very common sight, and it is almost impossible to go to a goth event without seeing a wheelchair. Unfortunately most night clubs are upstairs or in older, less wheelchair friendly buildings.
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13. What's so special about Whitby?
The Whitby Gothic Weekend is the Glastonbury of Goth; it is a three-day event featuring goth bands, goth DJ's, fashion shows, market stalls, games and other entertainment. Whitby started with 200 goths on holiday and has expanded to 1000 goths invading the fishing village of Whitby in Yorkshire with 120 net.goths present in 1996.
Whitby Gothic Weekend (WGW) started almost by accident in 1994 when a goth lady called Jo Hampshire decided to go on holiday to Whitby. The fact that it is legendary for being the landing place of Dracula didn't come into it - Jo just fancied a seaside holiday. Several friends decided to come along with her and in the end she invited some more and told them to 'bring a crowd'. When 200 goths tried to all get into the pub simultaneously on the first evening, it was clear that there was something of an enthusiasm for an event where goths effectively went on holiday.
The Whitby Gothic Weekend has an official web site:
http://whitby.darkwave.org.uk
Check there for the latest info on the event and how to get tickets.
Jo Hampshire (Top Mum) is the top "person behind it all" of the weekend. Every year she has put together a well-rounded weekend to please everyone from the net.goths to the Vampire Society and all in between. Jo has organised more and more activities, and the Weekend now has a full three days of events, including bands, DJs, a market, annual competitions, and of course, a certain amount of time is spent enjoying the seaside attractions of Whitby itself. Jo has soothed the locals' fears, tried to give the press a correct picture of goth and has booked some of the creme de la creme of goth bands. Jo is a UPG reader.
Whitby was also a location in the "Dracula" novel- the spot that Dracula's boat landed in England. There is a museum and related Dracula items are available. Vampire fudge, anyone? Whitby has many other attractions: touring St. Mary's church and graveyard, visiting the Captain Cook Museum, hiking up to the 13th/14th century Abbey, admiring the architecture, and looking into the art galleries, museums and jet works (the stone, not the engine).
14. How do goths cope in rural areas or towns with no goth scene?
Living in a rural area doesn't stop you listening to the music, wearing the clothes or participating with the culture through the Internet or fanzines. Equally, just because you're a goth it doesn't mean you can't wear blue jeans and chat with the locals one day and wear a black dress and bugger off to Birmingham the next. Don't alienate yourself unless you really can deal with it- you don't have to look like Morticia Addams 24 hours a day to be a goth. Try a hairstyle that can be washed out such as crimping, gelling, high bunches or hairspray. Build up a good collection of jewellery and accessories which can dress up monochromatic normal clothes to look goth.
Provincial goths will often "adopt" a non-goth nightclub (even just a pub with a disco), usually one which has an alternative, indie or student night. Try bringing along your own records early on in the evening- the DJ is more likely to take requests since there is no-one dancing anyway. Or you could badger your local pub to put a goth compilation in it's CD jukebox. Alternatively, visit dedicated goth nightclubs whenever transport is available.
You could also ask on uk.people.gothic whether there are any other goths in your area- there may be another just down the road from you that you never knew about! In particular, uk.people.gothic is useful for organising lifts from rural areas to large cities with goth events.
15. How do I keep my black clothes black? (на заметку хозяйственным готам : ))
Black clothes, particularly the cheaper T-shirts, can lose their colour very quickly if machine washed frequently and become a washed- out grey. The two most important factors when washing black clothes are detergent and heat. But before you even consider how to wash an item, read the label.
Bucket with number: Indicates maximum machine wash temperature in Celsius. Ignore this and the item may shrink or go grey very quickly. Bucket with hand: Do not machine wash; hand wash only. Often this means the item will crease, shrink or grey easily. Bucket crossed out: Do not wash. You might be able to dry clean it. Square with circle: Suitable for tumble-drying. Square with circle crossed out: Do not tumble dry. Usually seen on clothes that shrink or damage easily, or on printed clothes where the design will melt. Drip dry instead and beware of melting. Triangle: Suitable for dry cleaning using Chlorine bleach. Triangle crossed out: Do not dry clean using Chlorine bleach. Iron with dots: Shows the maximum iron setting. Higher settings may melt the fabric and printed design, or produce an irregular shiny sheen. Iron crossed out: Do not iron. Try drip-drying or drying on a flat surface if you want to get the item straight. P in a circle (ahem): May be dry cleaned. P in a circle crossed out: Do not dry clean.
With machine washing, most of the colour detergents are a considerable improvement over normal powders. However, if you machine wash black clothes frequently, even with colour detergent, you still will notice greying after six months or so.
Non-colour detergents often contain optical whiteners which will show up as thousands of white specks when exposed to ultraviolet light (such as at a nightclub).
Concentrated detergents are probably more trouble than they're worth, and in particular some concentrated detergents eat holes in thin fabric.
If you have a problem with greying, try doing a "black only" wash using half the recommended amount of colour detergent. Avoid using a programme over 40 degrees Celsius, and if possible wash at 30 degrees. Lower temperatures can also help avoid shrinkage.
Even better is to hand-wash valued black clothes. Use warm but not hot water (you should be able to immerse your hands comfortably) and only one tablespoon of Twin Tub detergent. Rub the clothes together to get rid of dirt; remember you only have a small amount of detergent so you have to put in a bit more manual effort to get the clothes clean.
Tumble drying will not normally affect black clothes. That said, many black shirts and skirts- particularly "one size fits all" imports- are made from viscose, which shrinks and creases irreparably when tumble-dried. Woollens may also be unsuited to tumble drying- check the label.
If you really must iron printed T-shirts, turn them inside out and place a clean tea towel on top of the printed area. Use a low heat setting with no steam.
You can blacken badly greyed clothes, provided they don't have a printed design, by dying them. This is especially effective for jeans with greyed knee areas.
16. How do I dye fabric?
The fabric must be able to withstand 60 degree Celsius water and must not be damaged by creasing. Cold dyes exist but they're a pain in the neck to use and the colour doesn't stand up to repeated washing.
Buy some Dylon Hand Dye (Woolworths sell it along with their sewing stuff) and a bag of cooking salt. Then get hold of an old bucket or bowl, a pair of rubber gloves and a clean wooden stick (the bowl, gloves and stick will be stained afterwards). You will also need access to a kettle, a large measuring jug and hot tap water.
To dye the fabric a solid colour such as black, simply follow the instructions supplied with the hand dye. Don't skimp on the salt as this fixes the dye and helps stop it going grey. For better results, use extra dye and leave things to soak overnight. To get hard wearing fabric (such as cotton or denim) really, really black, simmer the fabric in the dye for an hour in a jam cauldron.
You can produce weird colourations by tying up the fabric prior to immersion in the dye.
To produce tie-dye circles (spots of deep colour with undyed streaked circles around them) get some string and wrap it around the fabric tightly many, many times then tie securely. Alternatively tie knots in the fabric itself. Tied areas will not get as much dye as the rest of the fabric (or none at all if tied tightly).
To produce criss-crossing streaks of bold and light colour, less clashing than tie-dye circles, tie the item up with rubber bands in a random fashion. Use as many bands as possible and have the bands tied over each other.
To produce a really mental marbled effect with hard wearing fabric (such as cotton), cook the dye-soaked fabric in a microwave then rinse immediately. Beware that condensing dye may permanently splatter the inside of the microwave. Make sure the item has no metal fixtures such as buttons or zips. Microwaved dye tends to produce deep and brilliant colours which do not fade even after years of repeated washing.
It is vitally important that you rinse away excess dye when you've finished any dying process. The item might not be as well dyed as you thought, and might drip excess dye onto other items. Repeat rinsing until the water runs clear.
17. Which black hair dye is best? What is crimping? What is a "my little pony" / "pineapple" / "manic panic" hairstyle?
All these tips apply to Caucasian hair. I would welcome hair tips from Asian, Oriental, Afro or other ethnic minority goths.
Temporary black hair can be achieved by using one of the wash in/wash out colours available in Boots or Superdrug. These are usually one part gel or cream dyes which you use like a shampoo. Everything you need is supplied, however the plastic gloves which peel off the back of the instructions are useless, you should use household washing-up gloves or you can buy latex surgical gloves in Boots.
Temporary dying is easy. Simply wash the dye in to clean hair and wait the appropriate amount of time. You might need to use two packs if you have a lot of hair. Once the dye is on you do not need to heat it or wrap your head in clingfilm, just wait. Once the time is up wash the remaining dye out and rinse thoroughly.
Depending on which brand you buy, the colour will begin to wash out in 3 to 5 washes. Many people have said Boots own brand is not exactly temporary.
Dying your hair black permently is a little more involved. Permanent dyes are two part and must be used with care. You can not buy full strength permenent dye in the high street as it can be dangerous.
Unlike temporary dyes you apply the mixed chemicals to you hair with a brush or applicator. It is important to 'mask' off the skin around your hair line as the dye will stain. You can use vaseline as a barrier cream (much amusement can be gained by buying your vaseline and gloves at the same time!).
Once you have covered your hair you must wait. Because the dying process is a chemical reaction waiting longer will have no greater effect. After the required time you should rinse out the dye and wash your hair thoroughly. The colour will 'bleed' for a few days, but this is normal and is more likely to be coming off your scalp than your hair itself.
Recomend brands are Clairol Nice n Easy (124), Lorial and Boots 28 Wash, however results from Boots brand seem to vary.
If you want to bleach your hair, BBlonde from Boots works well and comes with full instructions. If you want a bright colour, but don't want to bleach your entire head, try bleaching small sections of it instead: bleach locks of hair, approx 5-10mm wide (larger sections will give a very stripey result), evenly distributed over your head - maybe bleach only 10-15% of your head to begin with.
You can use this technique to add 'white' stripes into black hair, or to add vivid colours. A good vivid colour dye is Directions by La Riche, which comes in a good range of shades and is available from many alternative clothing shops.
Another easy way of getting stripes in your hair is to use Hair Mascara. This is more or less exactly what it sounds like, coloured liquid you brush onto your hair with a long dippy brush.
There are now several makes available including Loreal, Boots and of course Stargazer. Loreal is the most expensive, but seems to work well on any colour hair (eg blue on black), Boots and Stargazer seem better if you use light mascara on dark hair or vice versa, but have a very good range of colours. They all wash out easily yet don't stain your pillow!
The best easily available hairspray for sculpting hair is probably Shockwaves Ultra Strong. The classic basic goth hair-do is the 'big hair' / 'manic panic'. A good example is the style adopted by Patricia Morrison (the female ex-Sister of Mercy). It requires long, dyed hair, which has been cut with layers to allow the top to gain enough height when backcombed. By crimping and backcombing, you can gain an enormous hairstyle which you can then proceed to pull back at the top and sides and clip into a high ponytail, leaving the rest to hang down.
To get through the crimp-and-backcomb process, I can't recommend highly enough the in-depth guide to gothic hair (and make-up) in Take A Bite, the net.goth handbook, written by the excellent and expert Count Von Sexbat. This is available from: http://www.demon.co.uk/bat/aircrash/archives.html and tells you in detail how to produce the basis for any 'big hair' look.
You *can* use spray-in colour of the sort available from party shops with 'Space Age! Unisex!' written on the can, but be warned, if you spray all your hair black with these and then go to a club, you will look like a coal-miner after about half an hour, as it smudges off on everything in sight. It's better to spray small sections, say, a white streak on black hair, or vice versa. It's around GBP2.50 a can so you can probably experiment a little. The main disadvantage of this stuff is that you will probably have to wash it all off before you go to bed; that or sleep with your head inside a bag.
Extensions are also a harmless way of getting amusing shades of non-natural hair - you can buy these in clumps from Kensington Market, or certain hairdressers will be able to get you the colour of your choice if you ask nicely. You can opt for a couple of locks in a different colour (my hairdresser currently charges a pound for putting in a clump of any colour you like); or a whole head of hair down to your knees which will hurt a lot, both physically and financially (100 quid plus) and frighten almost everyone.
Crimping produces hundreds of small, tight waves in the hair and is done by clamping locks of hair between hot curved metal plates. It is basically a "temporary perm" and lasts two or three days but will not withstand rain nor washing. Babylis are the leading crimper manufacturer and basic crimpers cost around GBP15 from Argos or Boots. Old goths also comment that if you can get older crimpers in a second hand shop ('especially gas-powered ones') these will be far more effective (if they work at all- check before you buy!).
For best crimping results, do not crimp immediately after washing your hair- allow at least a day. Long, straight, greasy hair is particularly well suited to crimping. Bleached hair is particularly NOT suited and may snap off. Consult your hairdresser if you are worried about damaging your hair, or try crimping a test section at the end of a lock of hair.
Crimping all your hair will take between thirty to ninety minutes depending on how much of the stuff you have. Switch on the crimper and allow it to heat for 10 minutes. Then, take a 2cm wide lock of hair and clamp the base of the hair between the hot plates. Don't crimp too close to the roots- it will hurt. You may notice steam rising from your hair or a smell of burning. This is normal, especially with greasy hair. Count to twenty then continue down the lock. When you reach the ends of your hair, only count to five since excessive crimping will result in split ends. Continue with the next lock of hair until all is done. Use a comb or hairband to separate the crimped from yet-to-be crimped hair. When finished, run through your hair with your fingers or a wide toothed comb to stop the locks sticking together. Do not brush your hair or use thin toothed combs as the crimp may be straightened.
"My Little Pony" is used to describe high bunches or ponytails; either one ponytail at the top centre of the head swinging backwards, or two bunches to each side of the top centre swinging backwards or to the sides. This works best with long straight hair or long crimped hair. Bend over so that your head is upside down, or lie down flat on a bed, and comb through your hair thoroughly. Grab a bunch of hair and tie it very tightly as close to the head as possible with a small hair band. If you wish, you can wrap lace around the base of the bunch to make the bunch stand up further away from the head. If you have loose hairs at the back of your neck you may wish to shave these off. Some goths have managed to combine extensions, big hair, crimping, backcombing and accessories together with small clothing and high heels to such a degree that they look as if they consist almost entirely of these hair-dos, and furthermore, can only dance by twisting their heads from side to side.
"Pineapple" describes a single high ponytail together with long loose hair at the back. Comb through thoroughly and separate the hair at the sides and top from that at the back. Put the front and side hair into a high central ponytail as outlined for a "My Little Pony" style. Leave the back hair loose over down your back and over your shoulders.
