How to Make Gibson-Girl Hairdos

There are endless varieties to the "Gibson Girl" like location of the bun and curliness.

The "Gibson Girl" is a timeless image created by Charles Dana Gibson, a popular artist of the Victorian age. Drawings of Gibson's girls were used to illustrate catalogs, magazines and books. Although Gibson drew girls and women with hair arranged in a number of ways, the one most commonly associated with his work, and name, is the romantic, loose bun. Today, people still love this feminine hairdo. You can re-create the elegant hairstyle of the "Gibson girl" easily with just a few hair styling tools and some practice.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Hot rollers or a large-barrel curling iron
• Hair spray
• Paddle brush
• Ponytail elastic
• Bobby pins
• Fine-tooth comb

1. Set your with large hot rollers or use a curling iron to create large spiral curls. Place three rollers on top, at the back and on each side of the head. Spray your entire head of curled hair lightly with hairspray.

2. Flip your head upside down, gathering the hair at the top of the crown. Hold your head up and brush the hair smooth, but don't brush out the wavy curls. Pull the ponytail elastic over the gathered hair, double the elastic but don't pull the hair too tight.

3. Wrap the ponytail around the elastic, securing it in place with bobby pin, making a poufy bun. Spray the bun with hairspray. While the hair is still damp, use the paddle brush to smooth out the hair lightly.

4. Pull out two 1-inch sections, one from each side of the head using the pointed end of a fine-tooth comb. Wrap the sections around a curling iron or small hot rollers. Remove the curling instrument and use the fingers to loosen the curls slightly before spraying them.

Tips & Warnings

• Tuck decorative combs or pins in your hair for a pretty touch.

References

• Gibson Girls: Gibson Girls
• Eras of Elegance: Historical Hairstyles
• Hair Boutique; "Gibson Girl Bun;" Carrie Thayer; March 2011