How to do vintage hairstyles (aka She Bangs!)

solidgold · 02-16-2010, 10:29 PM

I just wanted to give a new thread to a topic that came up in a couple of other threads, because this blew me away. Hookilau posted some YouTube video how-tos for vintage styles, such as:

Bettie Page faux bang: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUUtOZ0rKVc

Pin curls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QmIQ...eature=related

Finger wave: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQAz5Opz438

I tried the faux bang--before and after pics attached. It's so easy and versatile! I can't believe there are so many techniques out there for hairstyles! I never knew. Thanks Hookilau!

pedaheh · 02-17-2010, 08:31 AM

We are going to move the discussion to this thread. Hookilau mentioned in the other thread that you can use pillow rollers in place of pin curls.
She also mentioned bantu knots as a good way to set your hair without heat. (bantu knot thread)
Bantu knots on 3b hair???

Hookilau-By pillow rollers do you mean sponge rollers? Like this?
http://www.sallybeauty.com/Foam-Roll...efault,pd.html
Also, some additional hardware questions. I'm thinking about getting some duckbill clips for finger waving. I have plastic ones, but I'm planning on getting something that clamps tighter. (I know you are a plastic only girl) Any tips on what to look for?
http://www.sallybeauty.com/Metal-Gri...cgid=Hair14-02
Do you know anything about wave clamps? I have 2 at home from my Grandma from the 20's. I could buy more, but have no idea how to use them.
http://www.sallybeauty.com/Metal-Wav...cgid=Hair14-02

I'm just asking, because you may know the answers off the top of your head. If not, I can look it up myself. Thanks.
P.S. I'm sending the bantu knot link to a friend of mine with longer hair. Looks cool.

pedaheh · 02-17-2010, 09:08 AM

I've posted this before, but in the spirit of no heat sets...the bun set.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2ZNs...eature=related
If you have shorter hair you can do two stacked buns in the back of your head or two princess leia buns. I've done the princess leia buns on a chin legnth bob. My hair is currently too short.

hookilau · 02-17-2010, 10:37 AM

O boy!!!

this is gonna be fun!

Ok, where to start, where to start......

nope, not the sponge ones...Pillow rollers look like this:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3D2%26hl%3Den
I bought mine at Target pretty cheap--about 10$ for 20 something of them if I remember correctly. I've seen them in Sally's and all the drugstores here in NY (Walgreen's, CVS, even the supermarket and for sure Walmart)

Mine are white cotton, but I think the satin ones are better to prevent against breakage.

The duckbill clips I use I got from Target also, they came like 6 to a pack or so and cheap too!...they're some kind of metal and they hold pretty well for controlled waves, but certainly try it with the plastic ones and see what you get!...I've never had my hot little hands on the plastic duckbills cause as long as the metal doesn't come into contact with the skin on my hairline or neck, I'm ok. These clips I use on the sides and high up near the crown for definition.

Pin curl clips can be found in the same area of all the stores mentioned above. The funny thing is, these things have been around forEVAH but I'd never noticed them before, not know what to do with them and all.

Make sure to get the ones with the space near the part you depress to open the clip so that your curl doesn't become flattened...they look like this (the one that says yes): http://photobucket.com/albums/v158/p...rclips.gifalso, you'd have to make really tiny curls cause the flat ones have no room to hold the hair....they look like this:
http://img2.timeinc.net/instyle/imag...ps_400x400.jpg

I have flat plastic ones the shape small ringlets around my face, so it pays to have both styles....got mine at Sally's btw...they look like this http://www.cachebeauty.com/Accessori...rong_clips.jpg

I have the wave clamps too--got them at my local Sally's, again---cheap cheap cheap. I don't really like to use them cause they give the wave a sharp peak, not what I was going for since I wanted to keep the flowy look.

btw, this is what the standing pin curl looks like:http://badhairday.typepad.com/photos..._pin_curls.jpg
It's great for getting a wee bit of height and volume at the crown and hairline.

Learning these techniques opened up a whole new world for me. FSG works amazingly well and if you're not inclined to use it for whatever reason, you can use LottaBody setting lotion, I've seen it at Sally's, the supermarket and drugstores in the ethnic hair care section.

I'm soooo excited!!!! I can't wait to see everyone's hair styles!!!!!!!

The short version, get:
pin curl clips
wave clips
pillow rollers
silky head scarf or bandanna
a spray bottle of setting lotion or FSG
digital camera
a saturday afternoon
annnnnnd youtube videos!!!!
hmmmm....a beer might not be too off the mark here either.

O and I've found that it helps me feel less frumpy if I wear make up after setting my hair if I'm going to be wearing the set about the house or running errands during the day.

hookilau · 02-17-2010, 11:15 AM

OK so I haven't done the walk of shame in about 20 yrs however-----I often put my hair up like this to walk the dawgs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxhS5...eature=related

solidgold · 02-17-2010, 11:33 AM

Slightly OT, but do you ladies dress vintage too? Any tips on how to do so? I would love to incorporate a more vintage look (without spending a lot of time hunting for vintage or $ 'cause I'm finishing grad school). Any recommendations on where to shop and/or looks to go for?

hookilau · 02-17-2010, 12:40 PM

For sure for sure for sure....get a girdle

Shape wear that will pull you in at the middle and make you as hourglass as you can. Get the girls up high and the waist sucked in!

When shopping I look for anything that will make my waist appear small by comparison to my ample 40" hips. I have particularly wide lats so even though I'm only a B cup, the overall impression is hour glass.

Because of said hips, I can't wear truly vintage as women were just not that large

Round toe heels are very 40's....pointy, more 60's.

Simple clean lines that hug curves coupled with old Hollywood hair and you're golden. I try not to go too far into costume-wear....especially if I'm wearing my cold set out. Peep this youtube vid for more tips and tricks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXCmo...eature=related

Google 'rockabilly pin up or vintage styles' for inspiration. Have fun with it and post lotsa pics!!

BekkaPoo · 02-17-2010, 12:59 PM

Check it out:

http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2...-giveaway.html

I'm thinking of ordering this book as well, even though they hairstyles are geared towards straight haired women, I'm sure many can be adapted to a wavy or curly head.

hookilau · 02-17-2010, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BekkaPoo

Check it out:

http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2...-giveaway.html

I'm thinking of ordering this book as well, even though they hairstyles are geared towards straight haired women, I'm sure many can be adapted to a wavy or curly head.

Well this is embarrassing I have this book

It's a great beginner textbook. Doesn't have a great deal of patterns for sets but explains in pictorials a great deal of simple ways to style and manipulate the curls for a beautiful result.

Because my hair is curly-wavy, I am able to set my hair in pin curls either dry or barely damp and leave for one to two hours rather than all night for a beautiful curl that looks like I was born with it.

I whole heartedly encourage every wavy who's inclined to, to get the book and learn how to style your waves.

There's wash and go, and then there are cold sets.
I routinely use a combination of both.

if you check Amazon and use the search string 'vintage hairstyles' you'll get a huuuuge selection to choose from, including this book.

solidgold · 02-18-2010, 12:12 PM

This book is recommended by LisaFreemontStreet, who does a lot of the YT tutorials:
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Hairs...=rsl_mainw_dpl

In it is the instruction for the "middy" haircut that was the staple of the 40s and 50s styles.

pedaheh · 02-18-2010, 04:09 PM

I bought pillow rollers, duck bill clips, and more of the regular clips. I found this at CVS because that is where the old ladies go.

(and the young ladies) Can't wait to experiment.

hookilau · 02-18-2010, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pedaheh

I bought pillow rollers, duck bill clips, and more of the regular clips. I found this at CVS because that is where the old ladies go.

(and the young ladies) Can't wait to experiment.

camera! camera!
Don't forget the camera!!!!!!!!

pedaheh · 02-19-2010, 11:37 AM

LisaFreemontStreet's review on lotta body setting lotion recommended by Hookilau.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cgNThJRou8
Sounds like good stuff. She says to dilute it and put in a spray bottle. Adds body, has a great hold and contains protein. What more could I want?

pedaheh · 02-21-2010, 12:58 PM

This was my first attempt with pillow rollers. I started with hair that was straight.

The bottom center and bottom right show the pillow rollers. There is a square of foam with a wire running through it. This is all covered with fabric. You roll the hair and then fold the fabric covered wire around the foam to hold the roller. There are two sizes of rollers.
The center top shows what the roller set looked like. I slept with a scarf wrapped around my head. While not as comfortable as an actual pillow, the pillow rollers are fairly comfortable to sleep in. Ideally this set should have the rollers start at ear level. My hair is only ear length, so this was not possible. Ideal length would be an inch or two past chin length.
I sprayed my hair until slightly damp and added some spray gel. Any hair that was sprayed until actually damp did not dry by morning. For my short hair I will pin curl for sets that do not curl to the roots in the future.
I combed each curl out in the morning. These pictures are the results. I added some styling wax to the ends. Then, as an experiment, I brushed out the curls after this. I did not like those results as well. (all pictures of this were blurry) Not bad, not great But, this is a first attempt.

solidgold · 02-21-2010, 04:56 PM

Fun! Nice job, Peda.

mfrances · 02-21-2010, 08:43 PM

@ solidgold
Etsy.com is a great place to buy vintage without going to overpriced novelty stores, thrifting HARD, or brushing shoulders with snobby collectors. There are literally thousands of vintage pieces on that site, all ranging in price and quality...and there's also lots of vintage-inspired handmade stuff.
Not trying to do shameless self-promo here, but it's nice to have a starting point! My store is all vintage but I haven't updated in quite a while- anotherdoorstore.etsy.com. Some friends of mine are knifesauce.etsy.com and rustycuts.etsy.com - they both sell vintage and handmade, and have quite a few other vintage sites listed on their stores/in their favorites. Maybe start there and search around? You could spend 500 hours straight on Etsy if you wanted to......or maybe that's just me.

As far as pieces to have, that all varies on what you're into. I'm much more into the more androgynous 60's and 70's beatnik style (sort of a play-on of 20's and 30's working class style, trousers and cardigans), but some women are fantastically immersed in the classic feminine looks of the 20's, 30's, 40's, etc, and many others are way into the flower-child revival style, others are into disco, others into 50's housewife, on and on and on... 80's is vintage now...heck, 1990 is technically vintage

if you're interested in vintage fashion and haven't found your niche yet, I'd suggest getting a few nice pairs of vintage shoes that appeal to you (I love wearing super sweet vintage shoes, they really rev up an ordinary jean day), some nice button-up tops, start getting into high-waist styles, and maybe check out this website vintagefashionguild.com

Whew! So much info and none of it's about hair, I forgot that I was on naturallycurly for a second, haha.

solidgold · 02-21-2010, 08:47 PM

mfrances, thanks so much for the details!

pedaheh · 02-23-2010, 11:51 AM

I followed the diagram in this blog post using pillow rollers.
http://bobbypinblog.blogspot.com/200...hair-flip.html

I'm still struggling with the pillow rollers. I have no roller skills and am having trouble getting the ends rolled right. Also, even though I only spray my hair damp, it just won't dry for me in the pillow rollers in my house in the winter. After 12 hours it was still wet. I've read the fabric in the curlers hold moisture and can keep them from drying. I took out the rollers and put pin curls in and then pixie curled them dry. I'll pull out the pillow rollers again and give them another shot in the summer when my hair dries faster. Next time I'll try pin curls and see if I can get those to dry.
My wave is still readily apparent. I think this might be because it was half wet all night. It's not aweful, but I'm not really a fan.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to add that my hair looks better in the picture then is does IRL. I also had to do some clean up with a curling iron. The curls just didn't come out right. Hopefully with trial and error I will get less error.
I've decided against buying the setting lotion. This seems like a good plan for most people. It is high in harder to remove polyquats and I low poo my hair infrequently.

hookilau · 02-23-2010, 12:53 PM

PED!

that set came out really cuuute!....very Aeon Flux http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/102...ux_009393_.jpg

I think it looks just like the picture in the link you posted too. I've never been able to get a set to look like the picture. I usually end up with a reasonable facsimile of the picture, but that's as good as it gets.

dang it.........just re-read the label and my beloved Lotta body truly has polyquats

I'm glad you noticed that cause I sure didn't. I guess when I last checked the label, all I was looking for were cones.

Good to know when I set my hair again, that I'll hafta follow with a low poo though. I'd never had a problem with pillow sets not drying cause I only barely dampened the hair with lotta body only. It always gave me really tight curls so I even dry sets worked well for me. I'm sorry you weren't happy with how it came out

pedaheh · 02-23-2010, 05:20 PM

Thanks Hookilau. Like I said, it looks better in the pic then it does IRL.
I've always loved the Aeon Flux hairstyle.
The polyquats in the lotta body promote curls. So it makes sense that they put them in setting lotion.
Hand washed sweaters don't dry in my house in winter unless you put them near a heating vent. It makes sense that my hair won't dry either.

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