How to Create Wavy Hair from the 1940s

Women's hairstyles of the 1940s ranged from pompadours to long and wavy hair to ringlets for little girls. Very long hair was pinned up or left down with large curls that rolled forward--the Veronica Lake look. Shoulder-length hair was swept up and rolled or curled around a rat or mesh roller, then pinned inside a wave. Almost every style begins with pin curls. Learn how to create wavy hair from the 1940s.

Things You'll Need

• Bobby pins Hair spray Setting lotion Comb

Instructions

1. Wash your hair and leave it damp but not wet. Spray on or work in setting lotion.

2. Part your hair on both sides and across the back of the crown of your head. Make straight rows of pin curls in this section, front to back, with the curls in each row facing the opposite way from the curls in the next row.

3. Create pin curls by taking even sections of hair and rolling them into a coil without twisting them. Use a bobby pin to hold the coil in place.

4. Put pin curls in the rest of your hair, working in rows from top to bottom and around your head.

5. Let your hair dry thoroughly.

6. Remove the pins and shake out your hair. Apply a gentle-hold hair spray.

7. 

   Brush your hair and style it by either rolling the ends under and pinning them in place with a few hair pins, or by pulling it up and away from your face, pinning it in place and brushing the rolls forward. For a quick hairdo, use a head band or ribbon to hold your hair back or use a snood or hairnet.

Tips & Warnings

• Use larger pin curls for bigger waves, and smaller ones for tighter curls. Vary your hairstyles by changing the part when you roll your hair. Don't let the hair pins show. Don't overdo the hairspray. Hairdos in the 1940s were soft.

Resources

• Photos of 1940s Hair Styles with Setting Instructions
• Gallery of 1940s Hair Styles
• Retro Hairstyles Including a Section on the 1940s