An Ode to Vintage Hair...

Oh! Pin curls and victory rolls! How I love thee!!!

And I do. I really do!!

When I decided that I wanted to delve into vintage style the one thing that hooked me (other than the fabulous fashions) was the HAIR! Modern hairstyles do absolutely nothing for my soul. The hairstyles of the 1940s and 1950s completely stole my heart. All of the rolls and curls and pomps just make my heart flutter.



Right now I tend to wear my hair mostly in pin curls... something like this.. . (sorry about the terrible picture quality. It's a self taken camera phone pic. Honey wasn't around to help take a real one)

I've only been doing my own hair in styles for a little under a year now so I think I'm doing pretty well. I try to set my hair every night and do a slightly different brush out every day. Sometimes that doesn't really happen. It just depends on how much I have going on on any given day.

I hope with all my practice I can becoming an amazing vintage hairstylist, at least on my own hair. Honey went to beauty school so I have some help. Having someone who knows all of the old school pin curl sets and how to achieve most of the looks I want makes life easier. I just don't really ask for help though. I'm like a baby and want to do it all on my own.

This is the next look I want to try out

Natalie Wood is absolute perfection in this photo. I love everything about it, ESPECIALLY the hair. I think  it requires stand up pin curls on the top with flat pin curls on the side. It seems to be pinned with maybe a hair comb on the side closest to the camera. The other side seems to be brushed out without any kind on pinning. When I get time, maybe next week, I think I'll try this set. Hopefully I can get at least the feeling of the hair.


I also want to try a version of  this style made famous by Lucille Ball!

LOVE this hairstyle! Lucy's poodle cut was adorable! I've found a couple of tutorials that help achieve the look with out actually cutting your hair. I've tried one and it came out almost how I wanted. Unfortunately I had to teach that day and the style doesn't lend itself to teaching ballet so I brushed it out. I'll do it again and blog about it soon.

If I ever get the nerve to cut my hair a little shorter I would love to try Dorothy Dandridge's spit curls. They are the epitome of 1950s sexy to me!

UGH!! She was so beautiful and elegant! Definitely one of my style icons! I was so flattered one day early in my vintage adventures when an older gentleman told me I reminded him of Dorothy. I think that was only because you don't really see young African American women walking around Brooklyn in a 50s hairstyle AND because I was wearing a flower that day. That's fine by me though! I took the compliment with pride!

Even though, as I've said before, I lean more towards 50s fashion I still love (with a capital L) 1940s hair!  I think victory rolls are my favorite look from this period. 

Betty Grable had THE BEST victory rolls here:

I love the combination of victory rolls and pin curls here.

This lady and her deliciously intricate hairstyle is among my favorite of the bunch. I wonder how long it took her to get her hair in those rolls? Women took such pride in their appearance back then.

 And just because I love them so, here is my Great Grandma (my mother's grandma). I believe this was sometime in the 40s. I think I wear my hair like that sometimes!!

And my Grandma (my dad's mom). This was taken sometime in the 50s. It looks like those may have been pin curls brushed into a wave but I'm not sure. I love it though!

 Both have passed on but I feel that I channel them in my attire. I think they would approve

If you haven't already done so you MUST go over to Ruby Armoire's blog and see the amazing beautiful hairstyles she creates. She's a genius with her hair! I hope to be like that, sooner rather than later!


So take some time today and do that set or hairstyle you've been dying to try out! I think I might!!

Have a beautiful day

xoxo