Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

~Recreating Hair styles of the 1940s~

ITG

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,483
Location
Dallas/Fort Worth (TEXAS)
Lottabody is a good one you can buy at Sally's Beauty Salon. Do a search here for it. You'll have to dilute it before using. I just put some in a spray bottle and diluted with water, making application very easy.
 

humblestumble

One of the Regulars
Messages
209
Location
South Texas
Havent read through this whole thread, but when my friend comes over to help me with my hair in the near future, she's going to use brush rollers on me with some gel. She also is going to use heated rollers. And she suggests me getting a bonnet hairdryer. Also, she said to invest in some picks (not afro picks, these things are kind of like miniature hairsticks, rounded and bulbous at one end) She went to school for this sort of thing and had to learn the old styles to graduate. I'm so excited :)
 

mysterygal

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,667
Location
Washington
I would be VERY careful about what kind of shine spray you got...I've tried a couple that left my hair feeling extremely greasy....not exactly the look I go for. I've been using John Frieda's brilliant brunette. It gets ris of the frizzies and leaves your hair nice and silky...if I'm curling my hair, I put the cream on first,put rollers in,then hairspray the heck out of it and....whalla! beautiful ringlets
 
J

jp*81

Guest
Thought this was cute.

I like the "Handlebars".
141219607_453ff6621e_o.jpg
 

jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
would be VERY careful about what kind of shine spray you got...I've tried a couple that left my hair feeling extremely greasy....

I use one by Citre Shine or one by Got2B--the trick to preventing the "greasies" is to avoid using any shine product too liberally. Just a few sprays (one for each roll, and a couple sprays in the back) and you'll be good to go with hair that looks naturally shiny!
 

DancingSweetie

A-List Customer
Messages
366
Location
Sacramento
carpecaligo said:
I have the opposite problem as well, I have a head full of thick, ringlet style curls. (think Shirley Temple, only longer and dark)
Trying to achieve 40's waves results in disaster - somewhere between 80's big-hair and a fro after a thunderstorm.

carpecaligo I have the same problem. My curls are a little looser than ringlet, but I have yet to figure out how to get it into a vintage style. I may have to stick with a snood.
 

jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
DancingSweetie, have you ever tried setting your hair? Women with naturally curly hair (and permed or straight hair, too) would set their hair to achieve the desired curl/wave pattern (rather then leaving it natural).

I have a friend with curly hair who had hers set in pin curls for her wedding; when styled, her hair ended up in soft 1940s waves.
 

Lady Day

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
Messages
9,087
Location
Crummy town, USA
swinggal said:
I have thin hair too. I find that if I curl my hair first, I don't need rats to do my front rolls. The curl helps the roll take shape very easily and little backcombing is needed then. I use rats when I dont have time to pin-curl or use hot-rollers. I make rats out my own hair and press them into a flat pancake by rubbing my hands together. Then, I just roll them into a sausage.


Hehehehe, those were the cutest food analogies for hair. lol

LD
 

cadence

New in Town
Messages
28
Location
Brisbane, Australia
My favorite way to curl

My favorite and the most effective way to curl my hair seems to be pin curls. As i was born with dead straight hair, nature has tried its hardest to keep it that way. I found that no matter which way I tried to curl my hair and no matter how much hair product i used to try and make it stay, it always managed to fall within a few hours of curling it (until recently, my record was 5hours). I decided to try pin curls for the first time about a week ago, and to my astonishment they stayed in well and truly for around 36 hours. Sure after the first 12 hours (and sleeping on them) the fell a little, but there was still curl there. So i say give the pin curls a shot and the best way is to wet your hair first and add a little bit of light hair gell to the section of hair before you curl it around your finger. This is a fantastic site for step by step instructions, it has instructions on how to do Pin curls, Rag curls and Finger waves

http://www.nocturne.com/swing/hair/hair.html
 

cadence

New in Town
Messages
28
Location
Brisbane, Australia
Miss Dottie said:
Pin curls look fabulous, but they look like they would take forever.

How long does it take you to pincurl your hair?

As i mentioned before, i have only just learnt how to do pin curls. I have not yet mastered them, but i am very pleased with the results as a novice pin-curler. My hair is 19 1/2 inches long (still trying to grow it) and it takes me about 1/2 an hour. but as i said i am a novice, and i'm sure i will get faster with time. Good luck!! ;)
 

Laraquan

Familiar Face
Messages
58
Location
South Australia
I'm glad to find this thread. My hair is very thick and with a wayward natural curl to it and a bit of the old Irish frizz and so I've largely tried to put it up in a ponytail and forget about it. With this advice, I should hopefully be able to master some of the more simple hair styles, though I still can't find a snood which would cut back on the styling time dramatically, and when I tried to buy setting lotion, I got given heat protective foundation lotion from the store clerk, which I don't believe is the same thing. That'll teach me for not reading the label.

So what would you ladies think are the simpler 1940s styles to recreate? My hair is at my shoulder blades so I can't do those very simple short hair styles (I don't think short hair suits my face at all).
 

starla

New in Town
Messages
25
Location
Vermont
I'm also new to the vintage hairstyles thing (the vintage thing in general, even). I have wavy hair that's cut in layers to about my chin...the last time I tried pincurls in my hair they didn't turn out well at all (I think I combed them out wrong or something, maybe.). I'm trying to get the courage to try again.

Anyway, my question is what is a snood? I've heard people refer to them a lot and have seen them on vintage clothes websites but I'm not sure exactly what they're for. Is it just for girls with longer hair or can short-haired girls get in on them too?

Thanks! :)
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,645
Messages
3,085,668
Members
54,471
Latest member
rakib
Top