How to Style Hair Like the 20s

Silent film star, Louise Brooks introduced the famous “bob” hairstyle and women ran to their hairdressers in droves to chop off their locks. Up until that time, women’s hairstyles had been long, and time consuming. With the popularity of the bob also came great controversy, because women felt completely freed by the short style, which led to the looks of the infamous flapper; long beads, shorter dresses, rolled down stockings and rouged knees. Today the bob and “finger wave," another popular look of the day, are often recreated for Halloween costumes. So if you’ve got that Halloween party coming up, why not dress as a flapper? Although the hairstyles of the day look complicated, you can master them in a few steps and a little practice.

Things You'll Need

• Haircutting shears
• Hair gel
• Hairspray
• Setting lotion
• Fine tooth comb
• Large hair clips
• Scarf

Instructions

1. Try the bob, by starting with the cut. Wash your hair first. With your hair still wet, cut it bluntly straight across, online with the bottom of your ears. Cut the bangs bluntly as well, in a straight line just above your eyebrows.

2. Towel dry and comb the hair smooth. Apply a small amount of mousse or anti-frizz product throughout. Blow-dry the hair, wrapping it in 2-inch sections around a round brush and pulling it taut, from root to tip. Curl the ends under with the round brush.

3. Dab a small amount of gel in your palm, and rub your hands together. Apply the gel to the hair just in front of the ears on each side, pulling the ends to a small point, facing forward. Brush the rest of your hair completely smooth, then add a little shine serum and hairspray. You have stepped back in time with Louise Brooks' bob.

4. Try the finger wave. Start with wet hair. Apply a liberal amount of setting lotion throughout. Part the hair on the side and comb smooth. Start the first wave, by combing a 2-inch section down from the part, using a fine tooth comb. Flip the comb up so that the teeth are facing upwards and push the hair up slightly to loosen the wave. Using the comb, pull the entire wave forward. Slowly remove the comb and hold the wave in place with a long clip.

5. Repeat Step 4 for the second wave with the exception of pulling the wave forward. This time pull the wave back, before removing the comb. Continue waving all the way down your head, alternating the waves leaning forward, and back, securing each wave with a clip.

6. Wrap a scarf around your entire head. Sleep with the clips still in place overnight. In the morning, take off the scarf, remove the clips and examine the result. Your hair should be dry. If a few stray hairs pop up, smooth them down with your hand and spray your entire head with hairpray. Now, all you need is a flapper dress and a long string of pearls to hit the Halloween party circuit.

Tips & Warnings

• The finger wave works best on short hair, but if you have shoulder length, or long hair, pin curl the bottom half of your hair up overnight. In the morning take out the pincurls. Pin it up again loosely. A slightly messy look, pinned around the nape of your neck is ideal.

• Don't worry if your hair looks a little crispy from the setting lotion. That's part of the look.

Resources

• Finger waves, pin curls and barrel curls
• Louise Brooks