Long Vintage Hair

[Sunny]

I've had a lot of fun learning about pin curls and rolls and whatnot, but I'm starting to wonder about alternatives for gals with truly long hair. And I'm not talking Veronica Lake, unfortunately! My hair is currently about 3" above my waist, and that's a lot shorter than it's been most of my life.

Are there authentic styles out there for longer hair? I've gotten fairly adept at my own version of side rolls, but I never know what to do with the rest of it, whether up or down. Just so long as it looks intentional and not I'm-not-sure-what-I-was-thinking-this-morning. lol

What about truely classic-styled chignons? (Meaning I don't really want to look like a grandmother down on the farm. lol ) Or in 1920s and 1930s fiction, I've read brief (too brief!) descriptions of women with low chignons. I seem to remember seeing them in "Bertie and Elizabeth"; even in Chariots of Fire those cloches had back brims that cut in to allow for a chignon. Then there's the all-around-roll (side rolls??) they advocated for WW II factory workers. How to do that with this much length?

My hair is slightly layered, but only slightly. I do 19th-century stuff, and lots of different lengths make that styling hard. Also, I have longer but straight-cut bangs. I wouldn't mind changing that cut, but bangs are a modern-day need for my high forehead. My hair is on the thick and, frankly, coarse side, although neither extremely. It's naturally wavy and tends to hold curl well. Because of the length I haven't tried rag curls or pin curls, and haven't used sponge rollers since I was little. And I wash it at night and let it air-dry overnight - otherwise it wouldn't be dry before noon!

Please, ladies, I'd love to hear your advice. I'm at a loss! [huh]

 

[Rosie]

Currently, as I wait for my hair to grow out, I have extensions which make my hair about waist length. For the most part, for day I do rolls, even side rolls, wher emy hair is parted straight down the middle, side parted side rolls. one roll higher than the other. either I pin curl the back and weare it loose and curly or, I wear a snood which comes in very handy (I do the snood thing a lot). Sometimes, I wear the back in a chignon which are fairly easy to do once you've practiced a bit. For evening, I usually wear my up back in a low bun or up high on my head, a la the late '50s. I'm at work now and not at liberty to search but when I get home, I'll post pics.

 

[RaasAlHayya]

I would appreciate some help with this too. My hair is mid-back length and straight and limp as overcooked vermicelli, and I wear it with lots of layers because it's so heavvy! I'm considering getting a body wave to make it easier to style, and some "rag roller" style hot rollers to style it with. I just need to save up my spare change for all this stuff!

--Leslie

 

[Tourbillion]

Rosie's snoods are a good idea, and also buns.

I saw a 1917 movie on Utube the other day and I thought the lead had a bob, but then partway through the film, she let her hair down and it was waist length. I was totally fooled.

You could wear braids, either down for a young look, or across the crown for a more sophisticated look.

Also, I have been more or less successful and the all around rolls with my really long hair.

Basically the in look throughout the 30's and 40's was usually short, but you can always wear an up-do.

Then there is Veronica Lake...

 

[Tourbillion]

Oh yeah, the Evita Peron look is totally do-able with long hair.

 

[Snookie]

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/...temID=30355&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=30355

Is this the all-around roll? This Rat might help.

 

[Rosie]

center rolls

side rolls

all around roll

medium bun

front rolls back out

snood from back (yes my tag is showing. no one told me and I didn't know until I snapped this pic)

 

[DancingSweetie]

I have long hair too, and figured I would just wear a low bun. My hair is curly and all one length so I don't think I can do anything else. I have worn a snood to renaissance faires and forgot that I could do that for a 40's look as well.

 

[Crookshanks]

If my hair was long enough I'd love to wear it like Julia Timosjenko. It almost looks like a crown and I think it would look great with a 40's gown at a coctail party.

http://images.bm4.metropol.dk/214/214176/214176_normal.jpg

Speaking of long hair... I've long wanted help with this. I hope I can make myself understandable. I also didn't feel like starting a new thread for this question since it's a long hair issue.

My hair is not as long as 3" above my waist but I still have a hair issue, don't we all? It's more like 6" below my shoulders and very, very, very thick and super straight. The longer it gets the harder it is to do pin curls. Since it's so thick I can't seem to find enough room on my scalp to attach the pin curls. The thing is that I don't want curls all over my head, I only want them at the end of it like in this picture, the one named "Center Part with Ringlet Curl Sides"
http://www.vintagebybuttons.com/hairdo/hairdo.htm but there just isn't enough room.
When my hair was about 3" shorter it would take about 7 hours to air dry it but now it's so much of it that I have to put one pin curl over another and obviously that won't work.
What do you ladies with long, thick hair do? Have you given up on pin curls? Do you use sponge rollers and similar things instead? If you use sponge rollers for instance do you let them hang loose on your back? Maybe that's obvious but I've never seen pictures of hair sets where the curls are not firmly attached to the head with bobby pins for example.

Also I'm thinking of having a hair cut soon but before that I'd like to try out the Veronica Lake style. How did she make those big waves at the end of her hair? Did she actually use pin curls or did they use rag curlers for longer hair back then?

 

[TheLovelyLolly]

My hair is not that long (just below the shoulders) but I too have the very thick, very straight problem!!

I tried sleeping in sponge rollers (yep, the 7 hours to dry is very tedious!!) but they tended to squash and I ended up with square curls!! Yuk!!

Also tried sleeping with rags in my hair - but I looked like Bozo the clown the next day because it was soooo frizzy!!

I tried pin curls, and then setting in hot rollers after because the pincurls never quite dried properly... and ended up with a very bouffant look because there was just sooo much hair!!

My best discovery was a curling wand with a larger than normal barrel (approx 1 inch - purchased in desparation when I was at Viva Las Vegas this year and my Aussie curling iron didn't work!!) I now end up with lovely curls and waves that aren't too bushy and frizzy!!

Yes - this is a girl with dead-staight hair!!!

 

[Sunny]

You ladies are awesome!

Rosie's snoods are a good idea, and also buns.

I saw a 1917 movie on Utube the other day and I thought the lead had a bob, but then partway through the film, she let her hair down and it was waist length. I was totally fooled.

You could wear braids, either down for a young look, or across the crown for a more sophisticated look.

Also, I have been more or less successful and the all around rolls with my really long hair.

Basically the in look throughout the 30's and 40's was usually short, but you can always wear an up-do.

Then there is Veronica Lake...

How do you do the all around rolls with long hair? I have a rat similar to the one Snookie showed, but with 12+ inches to wrap around it.... ?!

I do wear braids sometimes. Actually not unlike Susan in the old Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, come to think of it! And Crookshanks, I do love the over-the-head braids. My only problem is that I have a high, narrow German face, and rolls that give width are better than height. That still doesn't stop me from trying sometime. Although now my hair's really too long to just go over my head, but too short to go all the way around.

And yes, how did Veronica Lake have big waves in her hair? I have a 1" barrel curling iron, but the most I can get into it is in the lower 6-8" of my hair. The rest is natural, slight wave.

I love that Evita picture! At least the back hair - if I pull all mine back, I'll look completely bald from the front. lol Do you have a picture from the back? Or ideas on how to do it? I've only gotten my hair that wide, with that depth, using a looped up bun. And the results from that method are very uneven and unpredictable.

Rosie, your pictures are amazing! Those center rolls look like they'd be perfect for my other past-dressing adventures - very stylish for about 1864-5. How do you do your all-around roll? And your medium bun? That's a lovely picture, by the way. I can do braided buns, twisted (cinnamon roll) buns, and even a knotted bun. (My favorite, because it's so secure and easily pinned.) But somehow they all end up small and hard and tight, like a baseball stuck to the back of my head. lol Considering the shape of my head, that's not so flattering. How do you get that lovely wider, looser-looking shape - and pin it to stay?

I've done a lot of experimenting with looped-up hair, first to get the 1860s "waterfall" bun look, but I'm liking it because it does give a bigger, looser shape. It's still a very tricky thing to try, though, and I'd love to have some more ideas.

 

[Lauren]

Rosie, what lovely pictures! Thank you!

 

[Rosie]

Aww, thanks guys, *kisses*.

The all around roll admittedly is hard. I usually flip my head upside down then finger comb my hair to make sure nothings tangled. Then I start regular rolls to the front of my head and starts rolling and tucking. I use hair pins as these are best for me, especially with all of the individual twists on my head but, when I wore my hair straight, these worked fine too. When I wore my hair straight, I used fake kanekalon (sp?) hair to puff up my rolls. The biggest problem is usually the back because with a regular part in front, the majority of my hair is in the back and so this needs extra pulling, tucking and pinning (I hope this is all making sense). I wouldn't wear this style more than a day, not two days in a row because truthfully, my hair is very heavy and all of it on top of my head for more than a day makes my neck hurt.

For the bun, I again flip my head upside down, finger comb then put my hair in a ponytail at whatever height on my head I want the bun to be. Then, I use another ponytail holder and make a second ponytail but this time, I don't pull my hair all the way through, just about half way. I then use uair pins ALL over the place to secure the bun. This is hardly aperfect science as often when I get home after an evening out, there are strands hanging out but, it looks good before I during the time that I am out. When I get home, I'll post pics of a cinnamon roll bun I did a while ago.

Thanks again ladies.

 

[Rosie]

You look so beautiful! And, your hair is lovely. Once my ahir grows out, that is a style I'm going to try.

 

[mysterygal]

I also like putting my hair into a bun. For nights outs, I put my hair in sponge rollers. I find it's best to put them in at night and go ahead and sleep in them. My curls seems to last a lot longer that way. Also, just finding some cute hair accessories can really do a lot for dressing up hair.

 

[Rosie]

Speaking of curlers, have any of you ladies ever tried rod rollers? On my natural afro hair, they tend to make very tight ringlets that look very cute two or three days after the set so I'm thinking they would make big fat ringlets on straighter hair. I've never tried them on myself when my hair was straight and I'll probably never have *really* straight hair again as I've adopted a no more chemicals policy for my hair.

 

[RedShoesGirl]

..

snood from back (yes my tag is showing. no one told me and I didn't know until I snapped this pic)
...

rosie, what great hairstyles! you really are versatil! ( sp?)

rsg

 

[texasgirl]

Also I'm thinking of having a hair cut soon but before that I'd like to try out the Veronica Lake style. How did she make those big waves at the end of her hair? Did she actually use pin curls or did they use rag curlers for longer hair back then?

I'd also like to know how to achieve that Veronica Lake wave. Any tips would be appreciated!

 

[Rosie]

rosie, what great hairstyles! you really are versatil! ( sp?)

rsg

Thanks! You're so sweet.

 

[Tourbillion]

How do you do the all around rolls with long hair? I have a rat similar to the one Snookie showed, but with 12+ inches to wrap around it.... ?!

I do wear braids sometimes. Actually not unlike Susan in the old Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, come to think of it! And Crookshanks, I do love the over-the-head braids. My only problem is that I have a high, narrow German face, and rolls that give width are better than height. That still doesn't stop me from trying sometime. Although now my hair's really too long to just go over my head, but too short to go all the way around.

And yes, how did Veronica Lake have big waves in her hair? I have a 1" barrel curling iron, but the most I can get into it is in the lower 6-8" of my hair. The rest is natural, slight wave.

I love that Evita picture! At least the back hair - if I pull all mine back, I'll look completely bald from the front. lol Do you have a picture from the back? Or ideas on how to do it? I've only gotten my hair that wide, with that depth, using a looped up bun. And the results from that method are very uneven and unpredictable.

Rosie, your pictures are amazing! Those center rolls look like they'd be perfect for my other past-dressing adventures - very stylish for about 1864-5. How do you do your all-around roll? And your medium bun? That's a lovely picture, by the way. I can do braided buns, twisted (cinnamon roll) buns, and even a knotted bun. (My favorite, because it's so secure and easily pinned.) But somehow they all end up small and hard and tight, like a baseball stuck to the back of my head. lol Considering the shape of my head, that's not so flattering. How do you get that lovely wider, looser-looking shape - and pin it to stay?

I've done a lot of experimenting with looped-up hair, first to get the 1860s "waterfall" bun look, but I'm liking it because it does give a bigger, looser shape. It's still a very tricky thing to try, though, and I'd love to have some more ideas.

I have really long hair, so I don't always use a rat. If I wear rolls, it is usually all hair in them. The other option is to pin the hair on top of the rat and use the rest of it in the hairstyle (like an updo). I learned that trick from 1900-1917 hairstyling guides.

I don't have a photo of the back of Evita's head, but she had long hair. I think that she wore it in a braided bun sometimes, so that may be what is going on in that photo. You could also do curls kind of like pin curls in the back too, but try to hide the pins.

I've gotten Veronica Lake waves with pin curls. I used larger sections of hair and didn't wind it as tight.

p.s. you need hair almost to your tailbone to wear the crown braid sucessfully unless you fake it.