Since
my August tutorial
I have given a lot of thought to the importance of styling the front
of your hair when doing vintage inspired or Period retro hairstyles.
Looking carefully at hairstyles in 1940s movies, I was convinced that
the true 1940s look is not the shoulder length curled back hair, but
how the front was styled. There are many ways to do it, since there
were many styles and techniques used – from the glamourous look to
a tumbled schoolgirl appeal.

Then when on a family trip out West, I needed to something else with my bangs
since the wind wouldn't let them hold a curl. I have hair of
different lengths – from 4-8 in. – on the top of my head, thanks to
growing out different parts of bangs at different times. That makes a
challenge for keeping the ends concealed! But when I came up with
this method, not only do I get a great retro look every day in just
minutes, I also don't need to hide my short ends!

It's not professional and probably isn't quite the way they used to do it, but it works and is quick and easy, which is the main thing!

 

Preparation

If you are already growing out bangs or have long bangs, it would
make a good foundation for this hairstyle. If you want to try it and
don't have anything cut on the top of your head, I'm not sure what to
recommend other than cutting deep bangs about down to your cheek
bones, and in a few places a little shorter.

I have lots of favorite things about doing my hair like this. It is
never the same every day, is perfect for styling anything from
Victorian to '40s and '50s styles, and like I said before, it takes
care of my short-ends-on-top-of-my-head problem!

So here is how it's done…

 

You will need:

bobby pins

wide-bristle brush

hairspray

spray bottle with water (if doing dry set)

1 in. curling iron (if doing wet set)

 

Hairstyle

There
are 3 ways to do this style – wet set (from right out of the
shower), damp set (out of the shower but dried a bit), and dry set
(the overnight way). But for all of them, take note: do not
use
conditioner on that part of your hair. The curls will fall out if
they are too silky. Even the 2-in-1 kinds of shampoo don't work for
me. I'll wash my hair with plain shampoo and use conditioner on the long back hair if needed

This is demonstrated the damp set way.

1. Decide if you want a center or side part. I wanted a deep side part
on the right side of my head, so I brushed it to the left,
fluffed it with my fingers and let it air dry until it was still
damp but not soaking wet. 

(You'll notice my shirts change since I
started taking photos one day and finished another.)

 

2. Take a section of the short hair, about ½ to 1 in. section, and wrap it around your
finger.

 

3. Secure
with a bobby pin or two, right against your head. It's similar to my
1930s style,
only on the top of the head and with smaller rolls.

 

4. Keep doing steps 2-3.

You have to start from one side and work in sections across to the other side. The
hardest part is separating the short strands from the long! I
usually have 6-7 rolls of different sizes, and sometimes don't lay
them all the same way.   

5. The end result:

 

 It's nice that it's not nearly so noticeable as having curlers. It's
a subtle way to set your hair, and you can even answer the door if
you want to, without embarrassment.  

6. By the time the rest of your hair is dry, the rolls should be too.
Take out the bobby pins. You'll have a bunch of loose curls on the
top of your head.  

Now the fun part begins!

 

Styling

Letting the back hair for now, you can experiment with different looks.

You
can leave ringlets on your forehead and brush the rest back and up,
for a base for a 1890s hairstyle like Laura
Ingalls' timeperiod.

 

Using your wide-bristle brush, draw gently through the curls, brushing away from the part. For a
1940s style you want ripples on the front and a bunch of curls on the
side, so don't brush all the way through. You want smooth individual
ringlets at the ends of your hair. You can smooth them out later.

 

Here's an example of a finished 1940s hairstyle, using this front hair style.

  

Of course, the curls are easy to reshape for pin-curls like they wore
in the 1940s, too. Just twist one around your finger and it should curl into shape.

 If you have a curl that won't stay where you want it, or a stray
strand, use a bobby pin to tuck it out of sight under the other
curls. I usually use a few even if my hair is behaving itself, just
to give it body.

 

For a 1950s style, brush all the way through – but lightly. You can
wear it high and rippled off your forehead…

 

 …or push it down low on your forehead. Flip the back curls over to
reform them.

  

 It's fun to play with the curls and get different styles.

 

When your front hair suits you, hairspray it lightly; then you can do
whatever you want with your back hair, knowing that when you are done
you'll have a very Period hairstyle, or even if you just pull it back
into a ponytail, your face is framed nicely.

So far even on windy days this style has worked well for me the last several months. Do check
it in the mirror occasionally throughout the day to make sure a
strand you missed isn't poking out, etc. Always if I miss a little strand when curling it's constantly out there on my forehead if I don't pin it back!

 

Today I went with the last style. Here's my finished style for the day.

  

Options

As I said earlier, there are 2 other ways to do it.

Dry Set:

I
have noticed that the dry set seems to be longest lasting and is my
favorite. I take a shower 4 times a week, and wash my hair each of
those days, so I dry set my hair on the evenings when I am not taking
a shower the next morning. To do this, you take your dry front hair
and curl it like in step 2 and 3. If you are working from a previous
set, just brush out your hair a bit to break the hairspray, then wrap
each individual curl. It only takes a few minutes. With a spray
bottle, make the rolls quite damp. They should feel wet to the touch.
By morning they will be dry and well curled for the day. Best of all,
you can sleep in total comfort, since the hair is all on the top of
your head and won't even be against the pillow unless you sleep with
your head under
the
pillow! Sometimes the bobby pins will slide around a little, but
usually this stays nice and tight even with a restless night.

 

Wet Set:

When you've come out of the shower, you can style it right away with
the help of a curling iron. Like in the damp set, take the sections
of hair and curl them with a curling iron. The curl will still be wet
and partly fall out – that's ok. While it's still hot, curl it
around your finger and set it against your head. The rolls will be
set by the time the rest of your hair is dry enough to comb.  

 

After the Hairstyle

I've really enjoyed wearing hats since I've done my hair this way. Tilt hats don't work as well because if they go low on my forehead they tend to flatten my curls. But 1950s hats, almost all intended to sit on the top or back of the head, are perfect and the curls fill them out so nicely. I had to snap a few pictures of this style with 2 of my 1950s vintage hats.

 

 

Let me know if you try it!

 

Till next time:

~Kristen – Verity Vintage Studio

Look for my new tutorials posted sometime during the first full week of every month.      Hairstyles, crafts, repurposing, vintage themed, etc.