Most of the waved and curled 30s styles required sculpting and constant upkeep. So wearing a hair net to bed with pin curls, wavers clips or rollers to maintain it was just part of every day life for ladies of the day, unless of course, you were lucky enough to have hair that waved or curled naturally and easily. Husbands and boyfriends back then certainly were used to seeing their ladies in curlers regularly. Was just part of life.

Women that could afford to go to the salon on a regular basis usually went for a ‘wet set and style’, which would last up to a week if you protected it while you slept. For those of you new to vintage hair speak, a wet set involved having your hair pin curled or finger waved in the style you wanted while the hair was wet, then sitting under a hood dryer for an hour or so at the salon, until the hair was completely dry. Then the hair would be brushed out and combed into the style required by the hairdresser. Certainly a lengthy process, but worth it for a week of hair that retained its style. This was a common practice right up until the 1960s in salons. Many ladies of the day (like my Nana and Grandmother) who weren’t flush with money, learned to style and set their own hair at home in the 30s, 40s and 50s for the most part and went to salon once a month.

Tips for 30s waves:
What many people don’t realise is that finger waves were actually designed to enhance, tame and smooth the waved, curly tresses of those lucky enough to have them. The waves and curls were stretched and moulded into the looks in the pics shown. But for those like myself who have dead straight hair (ugg) – I was given some invaluable tips a few years back from a lovely ex-hairstylist named ‘Lily‘ who is now in her 90s. This is how told me she used to set waves and curls for her straight-haired clients in the 30s:

- wet set hair with setting lotion under a hood dryer (or overnight) to give yourself a good curly base to work with
- THEN brush out the tight curls, smoothing the hair and relaxing it a bit
- use a styling comb to sculpt the curls on top and sides of your head  into soft waves and ridges and clip them into place with wavers (so much easier when the hair is already curled). It’s all about the sculpting.
- sculpt the smaller curls so they are softer around the back of your head/ears etc using the comb and your fingers. Spray on some hairspray to set.

So – curling first, drying, THEN waving for us straight haired lot! For years I wondered why trying to achieve soft finger waves was so much harder with straight hair … simple, because they were designed to beautify curly hair! So, salons of the day had to come up with techniques to help out the straight-haired gals like to me achieve these amazing styles too. Information has just been lost over the years as the older generation pass away. Anyhoo, here are some great style to inspire you. My fav 30s ladies are Carole Lombard, Myrna Loy and Ginger Rogers.

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! Well, you’ll be pleased to know the someone has bothered to break down how to do this hairstyle! Over at Bobby Pin Blog, Lauren takes you through step-by-step on how to achieve this look. Here’s a little preview (in case you haven’t already clicked over to the post!)

The sections of the style are asymmetric. One side of the top section is parted above the outer eyebrow. The other side of the top section parts starting at the hairline about an inch above the ear. Clip this out of the way.

Take all of the rest of the hair and create a French twist. The ends are not tucked in above the twist at this point. I am actually going to use the ends to help create some stamina for the pompadour. This doll has a decent amount of hair, so if you have fine hair, a rat may help you here.

For more detailed instructions on hair basics such as curling and setting, check out Vintage Hairstyling: Retro Styles with Step-by-Step Techniques. I have the book and I love it. If you have questions about the book, click the link above and check it out or ask me a question and I’ll do my best to answer.

Fleur is exceptionally skilled and truly has a knack for what she’s doing. She has styled for a number of photo shoots and here are some pictures:

Model Sinderella Rockerfella, and we shot at a Hot Rod garage in the depths of Bedfordshire.
Miss Mink, the Pinup Poet

Miss FanTeasy, burlesque star and owner of some seriously luxuriant tresses!

Top top it off, she’s a model as well. Click here to go to her gallery, otherwise here are a few of my favorites:

Pictures by John Evans, Tobias Key, Damon Allen Davison, and Paul Godfrey respectively.

Click here to buy ‘Vintage Hairstyling: Retro Styles with Step-by-Step Techniques’ on Amazon.com

Vintage Hairstyling: Retro Styles with Step by Step Techniques is a guide showing how to create hairstyles from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s using simple, easy-to-follow instructions. I have revised and revamped the book of worldwide popularity to be even more informative and fun. This 2nd Edition takes hairstyles and breaks them down so that the directions are clear. It uses over 750 brand new photographs and illustrations and detailed directions in a 200-page full-color book.

The book begins with the basic elements and works its way back to advanced techniques. It concludes with information on makeup, nails, and accessories to finish the look. No matter your skill level or hair type, Vintage Hairstyling has something for everyone.

A Review of the book from Debutante Clothing:

From cover to cover, the book is full of beautiful photography of vintage hair styling tools such as pink dryers and jars of Lustre-Creme. But this book is not a fluffy, pretty art book full of hair related pictures. The book is more instructional without being boring.

The beginning of the book walks you step by step through the necessary tools you will need and basic curl techniques in order to create a true vintage hairstyle. Then, Rennells leads you into the techniques for combing out the curls. Finally, you get into the actual styling.

I’m a very visual person. I have to see someone do something in order to determine if I am doing it correctly. The step by step directions with accompanying images are the next best thing to having Lauren right next to you. The steps are clear and concise.

I myself am thinking about getting the book. Perhaps it could be a Christmas or Birthday present?!!

This video is a mixture of two styles, a more casual and a more formal one. It’s rather simple in the front, but still very lovely.

She has a myriad of videos on her page. Check out her Classic Pinup Series, Starlet Series, and Authentic Hair Technique from the 40s.

Day Look (no sound):

Evening look (no sound):

Brought to you by Helena Rubinstein.

A quick read on fashion and makeup during the 1920′s:

Before the ’20′s, women wore cosmetics, but nice women hid their rouge pots and powder puffs away from fathers and husbands, who heartily disapproved. Discretion was imperative. But when the ’20′s hit, young women went for makeup in a big way.

Makeup was in its rawest form, because the market was just beginning to grow. Early mascara was a cake of wax that was melted and applied in a gluey mass to the lashes with an orange stick. The trend in lipstick was the reddest red—no other color options were available—and smudgeproof lipstick was mandatory for would-be vamps who wanted to neck without leaving a trail.

Eyebrows were painfully thin; in a fad, women plucked out the entire eyebrow and penciled it back on higher than it had been in the first place. Eye makeup consisted of kohl, which might be made of ingredients as strange as soot, lead and goose grease. Kohl went all the way around the eyes, turning the whole orbital area into a deep-stained smudge reminiscent of vampires. For a dramatic touch, some ‘vamps’ drew a line of kohl from the corner of the eye outward, simulating a slightly Asiatic look that was deemed sexy and bad. (Even today, imported kohl may contain lead: substitute black eyeliner instead). Powder (usually rice powder) was vital to the Flapper look: skin looked white to the point of near-death; one author called it, “the pallor usually associated with innate vice”. Themes in makeup as in dresses were based on the Orient.

The lips were the most important part of the face for any woman who wanted to make an impression with her 1920s makeup. Bright red was the only color and smudge-proof lipstick was in. Cherry-flavored lipstick was also popular. Applied to the upper lip, lipstick rose above the actual lip line in a “cupid’s bow.” The bottom lip was slightly overstated. The width was minimized by stopping short of the natural crease in the lips.

Along with other ‘unfeminine’ behaviors, Flappers didn’t hide their makeup any more than they did their legs; lipstick was applied at the dinner table and powder compacts made public appearances at parties and speakeasies. Portable makeup containers—compacts and lipstick tubes made of precious metals and encrusted with jewels—became ideal accessories when cosmetics left the boudoir for the banquette.

Article care of Free Beauty.

By Iris.

A few words about hair in during the 20s:

The Flapper era began with the look called “comme le garcon” (or, “like the boy”), straightening and shortening skirts and dresses, slimming figures and—most shocking of all—cutting the hair of the nation’s fashionable young women. Short hair was a big deal: nice girls kept their hair long, as a metaphor for maidenhood. For a woman to chop her hair short was to practically admit she was no longer a virgin. But women went more than a step further than a boyish haircut and tendency to party; they began smoking in public—something no “lady” did. They outfit themselves with silk robes embroidered with vintage inspired floral motifs. They discarded the restrictive girdles and corsets and bound their breasts flat to achieve an even more “masculine” appearance in their costumes. And they wore lots and lots of makeup.

The bobbed haircut made the nineteen twenties Flapper movement what it was, and sent many young women to their rooms in disgrace “until it grows back!”. The Bob hairstyle was a blunt cut worn halfway between cheekbone and chin. Bangs could be worn cut straight across or swept to one side. Like the made up face, hair didn’t look “natural”; it was slicked down, glistening with brilliantine. The Shingle, which followed the Bob, cut the hair at the nape in a V-shape, exposing the neck. Shingles were accompanied by marcelled finger waves or spit curls at the temples. The most drastic version of the Flapper hairdo was the Eton crop, cut very short and close to the head, with a curl plastered tightly above either ear.

Excerpts from Free Beauty.