How to Create a Gibson Girl Hairstyle

Everything old becomes new again at some point. That is true with hairstyles as well. Although the Gibson Girl hairstyle isn’t a mainstream style that every woman would wear today, its unique femininity continues to make it a popular choice among many women with shoulder length hair or longer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hair safe elastic band
• Hair pins
• Hair combs
• Hairspray

How to Create a Gibson Girl Hairstyle

1. Gather shoulder length or longer the hair into a loose ponytail close to the top of the head’s crown and secure it with an elastic band that is safe for use in the hair.

2. Loosen the hair around the ponytail even further to make certain that it does not lie flat against the head. It should have a slight “poof” to it as though a roll of cotton or foam were placed between the hair and the scalp.

3. Pull a few strands of hair out of the hair band. The strands should surround the face at the forehead, each side of the head, and at the nape of the neck.

4. Dampen the hair strands from Step 3 above and pin curl them. Let them dry thoroughly.

5. Grasp the ponytail part of the hair and softly knot it. For hair that is about shoulder length, the best way to accomplish this is to evenly spread the hair around the hair band in a loose looking bun. Secure the hair with hair pins. Those with longer hair may be able to make an actual hair knot by spiraling the hair around the hair band loosely and securing the ends with hair pins.

6. Secure any remaining short hair or loose ends with hair pins or hair combs.

7. Spray the pin curls with hairspray before removing them. The resulting curls should spiral loosely around the face at the forehead, the sides, and the nape of the neck.

8. Lock the hairstyle into place with hairspray.

Tips & Warnings

• This hairstyle works best on hair that hasn't been freshly washed.
• Use styling foam, gel, and or spray to provide more volume to the overall style.
• Add flowers or jewels to the hair for a stunning night time hairdo.
• Never use a common rubber band to hold a ponytail.
• Never pull the hair too tightly or it may stretch or break.

[wigmanphil]

on 1/25/2010 I am a professional theatrical hairdresser, who creates period and historical hairstyles for a living.This is really not a gibson girl style per se. It is a girl with a bun. The Gibson (see Charles Dana Gibson's cartoons) is characterized by the top knot, which is present, but is also very full in the back, loose looking and much fuller. Rats or teasing the hair was often used to create this. There were also many variations utilizing twisting sections of hair to create soft waves etc. A simple pulled back version like this (thought it would have been 2-3 inches fuller all around) was typically worn more by the lower working class who couldnt afford regular visits to the hairdresser, or a servat to dress thier hair. Look aroun online more, there are actually a few sites with sections from hairdressers textbooks of the time that show how to really create this style, though they are mor...