Getting a vintage haircut: what to ask for?

[Elaina]

Miss Amelia, yours is the length I do want, lol. I hate long hair on me, and anything to keep it off my face, i.e. short, is a good thing.

That and once it gets any length to it it takes 2 days to dry if I roll it.

 

[MissAmelina]

Miss Amelia, yours is the length I do want, lol. I hate long hair on me, and anything to keep it off my face, i.e. short, is a good thing.

That and once it gets any length to it it takes 2 days to dry if I roll it.

It does feel "springy!" That's for sure...In fact, i am wishing i'd had it done at the beginning of the summer, since it has been so hot. It would have saved me alot of grief! (Not that it was super long...but it was long enough that my neck was sweaty....ewww)
And I know what you mean....I always grow my hair out long and then it just sort of hangs there. And then I start feeling all clingy and get afraid to cut it. So now I force myself to whack it all off every so often--and it's always refreshing. Kind of like clearing the clutter in my soul. They do say that the hair hangs on to energy. I think that is why so many woman chop it off after healing from a breakup or loss.

 

[MissAmelina]

Do you think layers are necessary? I'm going in for color and more shaping on Sunday, so I guess now is a good time to ask! I am not cutting it shorter, I do want to keep it about this length.

Here's my most recent hair:

I think layers are necessary if you want more volume. Otherwise, it is just the ends of the hair that hold the curl....but I think that looks nice too, as illustrated by your pic.
If you do want to layer, why not just keep the layers no shorter than ear length? That used to be my rule. That way, if I hated it I could chop it off to my chin at some point. For me, it's the growing out from the ears to the chin that is the most awkward. But if your hair is shoulder length, then that would still give you a good couple inches of extra volume.

 

[Elaina]

I always grow my hair out long and then it just sort of hangs there. And then I start feeling all clingy and get afraid to cut it. So now I force myself to whack it all off every so often--and it's always refreshing. Kind of like clearing the clutter in my soul. They do say that the hair hangs on to energy. I think that is why so many woman chop it off after healing from a breakup or loss.

lol Mine is a deep rooted dislike of hairdressers. I've had one too many not listen to what I wanted. I do believe it about energy, tho.

 

[msrsimpkin]

I finally got my hair cut about a week ago. I took this diagram in with me, and asked him to cut it exactly like the diagram, but with the layers around 6 inches. Unfortunately, he didn't.

He didn't put nearly enough layers in it, and the layers he did put in were made all... feather-y, like a modern cut, which makes it so hard to put in pincurls. I'm so disappointed, I can't curl my hair like I used to. No matter what I do, it tends to kink outward, more like a 60's style, rather than a smooth 40's.

I guess it feels better than the very long length I had before, but I can't wait until it grows out, so I can just get a straight forward "U" cut, with no layers. I've always been disappointed whenever I've got layers cut into my hair.

 

[MissAmelina]

That 40's book says her hair was just past her shoulders with six inch layers, u-shaped in back. But i think the layers may have been a little longer than that.

 

[Antje]

That 40's book says her hair was just past her shoulders with six inch layers, u-shaped in back. But i think the layers may have been a little longer than that.

I also think so, her hair is just past her shoulders when wearing her actual hairdo, It means it has to be longer as hair always "krimps" when curling it

 

[LisaFreemontSt]

Hi ladies! I recently did a video on the middy haircut after my stylist did cut it exactly by the diagram in my 1940's hairstyling book. It's called Creative Hairshaping and Hairstyling and it's a repro of a book by Ivan Anderson. You can get it on amazon. The haircut is vaguely rockin' when it's straight but it curls up perfectly for vintage styles.

You really just have to ask for the same length all over. I apologize if it's been mentioned before. haha. I haven't read the whole thread.

 

[RueBea]

Middy Extra Long

I am really considering the Middy, but a long version. I currently have hair at about my waist. I usually just do modified victory rolls and call it good, but I want more variety. How time consuming is it to curl every day?

 

[C-dot]

How time consuming is it to curl every day?

Most of the ladies here will set their hair at night, so the next day all that is required is to brush out and style (In the Golden Era, there were, of course, no heat tools.)

Generally speaking, the shorter the hair, the less time it takes to set/curl. If you've got hair to your waist, curling it with an iron will take a long time! You'd also need extra big rollers to fit in all that hair, so you wouldn't be able to sleep in them.

Is your hair cut in layers? Most period styles require layers. It might also make the task of curling a bit quicker.

 

[LisaFreemontSt]

I am really considering the Middy, but a long version. I currently have hair at about my waist. I usually just do modified victory rolls and call it good, but I want more variety. How time consuming is it to curl every day?

It is time consuming in comparison to gals who don't do anything to their hair but less time consuming than flat ironing every day, like some ladies do. For a longer middy, I'd just ask for hair about ten inches all over...the result will be a Rita Hayworth length and effect.

 

[Jennifer Lynn]

My hair length is long like RueBea's (but down past mid-back), and has developed curliness to it over the past ten years (thanks mom!). I'm thinking of going for a long middy (perhaps 14 to 16 inches) with a u-shape to the back and a few face framing layers at the front. I'm seeing a few longer styles on the "do thread" that I'd like to try. That, and I've got that Vintage Hairstyle book (#2) coming. I'd love to see what I can try with my hair. I can go naturally curly, or do the curls myself.

Thanks so much ladies for the tips and pictures here. It's helped me figure out what I'd like to do with my own 'do.

 

[RitaHayworth]

OT

A question for the hairdressers ...
Am loving Dita's hair in this pic, how do you think it is cut and set ??

I am loving Dita's sunnies in this pic!!

 

[jtcarrey]

Does anyone know a vintage hairstylist in the Los Angeles County or Inland Empire area? I'd really like to get a proper 30's haircut, I have tons of hair, and I'm still trying to grow out all the dead bleached hair, so whenever I curl it, it's always frizzy and fluffy... I just want to be able to have a tame cute proper authentic style without the fluff and frizz...

 

[Jirina]

I really love this thread. Here i've found a really clear instruction of how to get a vintage haircut.

Thanks for advice!

 

[Miss Jess]

I have had a lot of success with my longish middy cut, with minimal layers. The longest part in back hits about 7-8 inches below my shoulders. I took in a diagram and had my stylist cut a very, very obvious U-shape (I had to reassure her quite a bit to get her to do it!); I opted out of layers anywhere behind my ears, as those are a bit hard to handle on a daily basis. BUT - I did have her cut 2-3 longish layers in the front, to aid in various rolls/waves. I part on the side, so she cut it that way.

It really looks FABULOUS when set, very Veronica Lake meets Rita Hayworth. I have people shouting out of cars about my hair when I'm walking down the street - so I call that success. The other advantage to keeping it long without too many layers, is that I can just as easily put it up into an updo without setting, OR just wear a pony tail when I'm doing casual.

I love my middy cut!

 

[C-dot]

I do a middy plus as described in 1940's Hairstyles. Good thing I learned basic hairdressing in high school, because I can't let anyone near my hair lest they cut a strand wrong! People today don't wear hairstyles, they wear haircuts. Stylists don't understand shingling, or the u-shape, so I do it myself.

 

[~Psycho Sue~]

I do a middy plus as described in 1940's Hairstyles. Good thing I learned basic hairdressing in high school, because I can't let anyone near my hair lest they cut a strand wrong! People today don't wear hairstyles, they wear haircuts. Stylists don't understand shingling, or the u-shape, so I do it myself.

Do you dry cut and do the slithering technique to blend as well? I think it is describes as such in that book. I worry that if I get a Middy without the intended cut technique, the tension on the hair will be wrong and not lay right.

 

[Inky]

I too have a modified middy - no intentional layers and a u-shaped back. I say intentional because obviously with my ridiculously red hair I bleach it and ends do break off, but I get a mini-trim every other visit to my hairdresser (I color every 6 weeks). I am working on getting the back a bit longer, perhaps 2 to 3 inches but the bangs will remain at just about chin length or they are too difficult for me to work with.

I don't care for layers in haircuts when my hair is not set, so that's why I avoid them, since I don't set my hair every day.

 

[Audrey Horne]

I have had a lot of success with my longish middy cut, with minimal layers...It really looks FABULOUS when set, very Veronica Lake meets Rita Hayworth.

I love my middy cut!

I'd love it if you could post pictures in the Before and After thread:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=34504