Vintage styles for short hair

[RetroMom]

Hi Ladies - Well I did it again, just when I promised myself I would let my hair grow out, I went had it cut super short again, and am already having remorse at not being able to vintage style it.

Any ideas on how I can style a super short (pixie) hair style in a vintagey way?

 

[Ccc]

Think Early Audrey Hepburn

Her film, "Funny Face" from 1957, shows very short hair. Granted it is from 1957, but there are short hairstyles from the 1930's. If I can find the links, I will post it in a follow-up.

 

[olive bleu]

oh hon, i feel your pain. I had shoulder length hair until last week, when in a fit of temporary insanity, i had it all chopped off and went to a little pixie cut.
Do you have any bangs left at all? Mine are supershort, but i am going to try to do a finger wave in them.I saw some really good instructions on a website once that were really good, if i can find it again i will post it for you, or if you have one already, maybe you can post it for me!

 

[RetroMom]

www.Nocturne.com has pretty good instructions for different types of sets. Go to the "swing" page and select hairstyles.

I bought some aluminum clips a long time ago that I used recently to set waves, but my hair really came out weird!

The good news is my hair grows fairly quickly and I can set the top now and get soft curls.

 

[rubyredlocks]

Vintage short hair inspiration(dancing,too)!

I found this clip on youtube and noticed that some of the dancers had darling short haircuts.Very short in fact and since I know there's a few of us around that feel a little less vintage due to our cropped tops I thought I'd post this to show not all the gals had the long and lovely look.Some are short and sassy,I'd guess this to be mid-late 50s.
Cute dancing,but one girl gets dropped when the lead basically releases her and backs up.:rage: Always protect the lady!
The others make me miss my air-steps!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3WQ3RGSEOA

I also love what the girls are wearing,very comfy day looks.

 

[lindylady]

Oh, I LOVE that clip Do you know how those foot swivels work, exactly? Gotta learn how to do them better.

 

[Shimmy Sally]

That's from 1956. That style is called the Pixie Cut and it looks good on anyone, any size, any age.

 

[Shimmy Sally]

Here's another clip from that same movie "Don't Knock the Rock"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLKdO2_pMVQ
Some really cute choreography in those teen exploitation films.

 

[Miss Dottie]

Under the scissors--short hair style ideas

Ladies, I've just about had it with my blah hair.

I really do believe I've had the same hair cut for about 12 years--a bit past shoulder length with marginal layers added. I can do victory rolls relatively well, albeit I can never get too much height.

But I'm ready to cut my hair short. But still keep it vintage.

So my question to you ladies is: is shorter hair easier to style in a vintage way? And if so, what are your favorite styles? And how long does it take you to do?

I am not that great with hair--as my photo is pretty much how I do it almost every day. Possibly a bit of pouf and pony tails. Always the pony tails as I can't deal with hair swishing around.

Also, I used to think that I could only rock short hair if I lost a couple of lbs. I'm losing them, but it still makes me nervous.

Any ideas, suggestions, thoughts?

PS: Kim B, I'd love to hear how you do your hair--it's just so adorable!

 

[Miss Neecerie]

ooh....can I just say me too!

I am the official hair klutz....so seriously pondering this same question.....

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I find that manageability depends on the cut, as well as your hair texture. A few years ago I had my hair cut in the same style as Marilyn Monroe's 1950s 'do, and I never quite mastered styling it (it was impossible to curl and always looked very lank on me.) I suppose that now I could manage it better, as I am more adept at vintage styling, but I didn't care for the way it looked on me so I doubt I will try it again.

However, I found this style to be super easy to curl and manage, and as I have straight hair, I find the curl lasts better when my hair is shorter.

I do feel your pain--I always grow my hair out, and then chop it above my shoulders. Taking even a few inches off definitely makes it easier to manage, especially during the hot, humid summer months.

 

[olive bleu]

about 3 months ago, I went from shoulder length hair. to a Louise Brookes style bob, cut pretty close up the back. I love the shape of it and the back is zero maintenance.I used to straighten the heck out of it, but that was alot of work as my hair is naturally wavy. Now, i just let it dry naturally,and it is perfect.I keep my bangs a little long, though, so i can pull them to the side with a sparkly barrette or do some finger waves just in the front.super low maintenance.there's a picture around here somewhere that i am trying to find...

 

[KittyT]

i have my hair roughly the same length as the photo that Jittybugdoll posted - it's about chin-length in the front and just slightly shorter in the back, with some layering and long bangs. my hair is very straight but the shorter length and layers make it take a very nice curl that's very easy to do. the longer bangs are nice because i can curl them under or roll them back or put them in a pomp if i use enough product to hold it! i do wish i were able to do more updos, though, and it's not quite the ideal length for side-rolls.

 

[Miss Dottie]

Wow! I like the Marilyn cut. I'm thinking about that.

Oh, and my hair is naturally curly/wavy, but can be combed out straight, but has a tendency to frizz and is on the thinner side. Sigh!

 

[Amy Jeanne]

DOn't know how straight your hair is, but my favourite short cut is the bob!

I even wear the exact same cut myself! It doesn't take me long to do it at all since my hair is natuarally straight as a rod. I just blow dry the edges upward to get that curve on my cheek, shape it with a bit of gel, spray to hold in helmet-like position, and I'm good for the rest of the day.

 

[Miss Dottie]

I dream about the chance to have this specacular cut pretty much every day. Ooh! I wish I had straight hair, but my curl/frizz combo makes it a hair pipe dream.

 

[Paisley]

See a Picture before you get out the Scissors

Here is a web site that really helped me: http://www.thehairstyler.com/

You upload a photo of your head and shoulders and try on different hairstyles and colors. It's $15 for a three-month subscription. It was money well spent.

 

[RetroMom]

I guess it must be the season..because today I went in for a "trim" and came out with a super short do!

It's a pixie (again). Actually for the warmer weather it suits me better, but after months of pincurling and actually having hair to brush, it is taking me a while to get used to my own reflection! So for now I will pack away all my rollers, I will probably just pin curl the sides into "curly-Q's" around my face.

 

[mysterygal]

And I second what Paisely just said! What may look adorable on one gal, might look disasterous on the next. Another tip is to go by face shapes; different shapes of faces tend to look better with different cuts.
Also, when you go to the salon for your haircut, bring a picture of what you are wanting. A lot can be lost in translation, and hair is just one of those things you don't want screwed up!!!!!

 

[Miss Dottie]

Oh, I found this Gretchen Mol photo that I might be inspired to do.

But do you think this would be easy to maintain?