I've been futzing about with Blender lately. Here are the most recent results of my futzing
(the very thought of adding hair terrifies me... maybe I'll wait until I get my hair cut)
(seriously why did I design my character's hair to be so non euclidean and hard to draw)
(why)
Hair is never fun to model, but all it really takes is patience. And I applaud you for picking up Blender since it's not a very easy to start with, but it really pays in the end.
Two things on the model itself...
What I actually like to do in Blender is that I sculpt a hi-density mesh with the sculpt tools. It gives you a quick start on the shape you're after. Then it's just a matter of creating a new topology on top of it.
Link
Korozjin
Non Euclidean is best geometry