Do you have any headcanons about Dunmeri hair customs? Like, how the different Great Houses + Ashlander Tribes distinguish themselves?
Up to getting this ask, I only had a vague headcanon about Chimer vs Dunmer hairstyles, but this one got my thoughts chugging during work today!
My general thoughts on the Chimer vs Dunmer is that Chimer hair styles were typically looser, messier looking, and "wild" than modern Dunmer, who typically keep their hair more controlled and away from their face. With Ashlanders being more traditionalists and assumedly having had less change in their culture over time, they probably have styles more similar to the Chimer than the Houses in the modern day.
Now some ideas for the Houses:
Indoril - Their general piety means that style trends almost always originate in the Temple in one way or another, and other styles are seen as tacky. Almalexia and her court are common sources for trends and styles. If she does something new with her hair, the style is quick to spread throughout Indoril cities. Since her hair is typically shown in a kind of dramatic up-do, I can see this being a popular kind of look among Indoril women in general. Accessories are common, even in common day-to-day styling.
Redoran - Their strong connection to the military and warrior-hood means that practical and simple styles that keep hair short or otherwise out of the way (tied up, braided, etc.) are more common. Fancy or hard to maintain styles and accessories are seen as gaudy and trashy. While Almalexia has a lot of influence of Indoril styles, Vivec has more so with Redoran.
Hlaalu - trends and customs change fast and are highly influenced by foreign trends compared to the other houses since there is more cultural exchange going on. What other cultures have more influence depends on the era, with Imperial trends obviously having more effect under Imperial occupation and Nordic trends having more effect during the Ebonheart pact for example.
Telvanni - In general I picture their whole aesthetic and clothing styles as (from an outside perspective) psychedelic and tacky and bizarre looking, so I imagine their hair is the same. Tall, complex styles, sometimes even requiring magic/enchantments to stay in place, eccentric tastes, unnatural dyed colors, etc. Telvanni clothing and hair aesthetics appear very gaudy, impractical, and opulent to outsiders, but are often a status symbol among their own.
I don't have any strong ideas for Dres, Sadras, or Dagoth unfortunately.
One last thought I have is about mohawks, because Nerevar and the Ordinators are depicted with one. At first I thought that the connection to Nerevar would make them a popular style among Indoril, but I also wonder if their connections to Ordinators would instead make them associated with the military or police (in the way a buzzcut can irl in certain contexts) and would therefore be avoided or used as a hair style based on someone's association with that aesthetic. Maybe that would make them more common among Redoran (although a shorter version so they wouldn't get in the way)? Perhaps while they might have a militaristic connotation among the houses, they are actually genuinely popular among Ashlanders, who maintain the same style influences that Nerevar himself might've back in the day.
I'm not great with hair designing/styling in general (example: I keep my hair super short because I don't want to deal with it lol) but I tired with some general ideas. Maybe I'll come back this weekend and doodle some examples when I get the chance! Thanks for the interesting idea to ponder!
