The first thing I think of with the word 'Elizabethan' is red hair. All portraiture and modern interpretations have a variation of the red colour in their hairstyles. This stems from Queen Elizabeth's iconic royal updo's. 'By 1550 the fashion of frizzing the hair had arrived from France. This was done in a similar way to modern backcombing, the hair then being brushed over pads and wires frames to hold out the style on the temples' (Keyes, 1967, pg 7). A trend Queen Elizabeth also started was the use of wigs. It is suggested by historians she is known to have more than 80 wigs throughout her reign. These popular wigs that would be re-created following Elizabeth were mostly made up of curls or frizzy hair. They were built up into a variety of shapes, usually symmetrical or heart-shaped with the peak in the centre of the forehead. (Keyes, 1967, pg 11). The photo from the book 'A History of Women's Hairstyles 1500-1965' demonstrates the evolution of the heart-shaped updo's. As well as the common tight and frizzy curls, bonnet size hats became a massive part of the style. They add various shapes and textures into the look. 
In the Elizabethan Era, men's style was also transformed. The Elizabethan man 'was more inclined to 'feminine ways' due to the atmosphere of court life which was orientated to the whims and desires of a woman' (Gunn, 1973, pgs 70-88) following Elizabeth I's reign. Masculine hair trends for the English man became moderately long and curled with groomed and pointed beards and moustaches. Men also had their own ways, like wigs, to keep their hairs in place - gum!
The updos, textures and colours throughout Elizabethan hairstyles will be a great place to start with my personal evolution to create my own 'Modern Elizabethan' hair style.
Book used for reference:
Jean Keyes, 1967, A History of Women's Hairstyles 1500-1965, London, Methuen & Co
Fenja Gunn. 1973. The
Artifical Face, A History of Cosmetics. Published by David &
Charles (London). Chapter: Late Fifteeth and Sixteeth Centuries
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