How to Do 50's Hairstyles

Back in the fifties, curls were in fashion when it came to hairstyles. Women would wind their hair around rollers to get the look they wanted, and some would go so far as to put harsh chemicals in their hair to perm it and create curls that lasted for months. The fifties hairstyles included the beehive, the ponytail, the poodle cut, the French plait, and the bouffant. Here’s how you can create these hairstyles of the fifties.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hair rollers
• A comb
• Bobby pins
• Hairspray
• A covered elastic band
• A scarf

1. Create the beehive, which requires a bit of skill. It's preferable to have your hair styled into a beehive by a professional but, if you'd like to attempt it yourself, start by washing your hair, then wait for it to dry. After hair is dry, set hair in rollers, rolling hair back onto each roller and securing with bobby pins. After about 20 minutes, remove rollers and pull sections of hair up and tease. Do this to entire head of hair, then smooth outer layer of hair, combing hair from the sides to the back and from the nape of the neck up and swirling it around the head, ending with a curl of hair in the top center of the head. Secure in place with bobby pins and spray with hairspray.

2. Try out the ponytail, which is a simple hairstyle to create. Pull all hair together back and to the center of head and secure it in place with a covered elastic band. In the fifties, the trend was to tie a scarf around the elastic band and allow the scarf to hang alongside the ponytail.

3. Emulate the poodle cut, which is a type of hairstyle that is very short and curly. That's why it was named after the dog breed. To get this hairstyle, have a professional cut and style your hair. Your hair may have to be permed for this one.

4. Pull your hair into the French plait. To make a French plait, gather all of your hair together at the back of the head, as if you are going to put it into a ponytail, then twist the hair to form a vertical roll, hold hair up with roll against the back of the head, and secure ends neatly under roll of hair with bobby pins. Spray with hairspray.

5. Create a bouffant, which can be achieved by setting the hair with large rollers. After taking out the rollers, you will have to tease all of your hair, then smooth out the top layer of hair so that the tease part is hidden and your hair looks rounded out or bouffant. This style will also need to be held in place with hairspray.

Tips & Warnings

• Adorning your hairstyle with attractive hair clips adds a nice touch to the beehive.

Resources

• Fashions of the Fifties-Retro Hairstyles and Makeup