How to Do a 50's Hairdo

The 1950s were an era of innocence in the United States. Eager to put the war years behind, Americans began to focus on maintaining a happy home and domestic bliss. During this time, women's hairstyles got shorter and hairspray started be used much more frequently to hold the curls and pin curls that became popular. Although the ponytail is the easiest 1950s hairstyle, the backcomb hairstyle is a bit more difficult and just as authentic.

Things You'll Need

• Soft foam rollers (longer the better)
• Bobby pins
• Curling iron (optional)
• Hairspray
• Rubber bands
• Barrette (optional)

Instructions

The 50's Bad Girl Hair

1. Make sure your hair is completely dry.

2. Part your hair horizontally at the crown, placing the lower section in a low ponytail and holding the upper section.

3. Take a foam roller and place one at the top of the front section of hair. Start rolling it toward your head. Your rollers can be large foam rollers or foam rollers attached to plastic clips, but you should remove the clip and just use the roller.

4. Continue rolling until it is on top of your head. If the roller is long enough try to curve it under your hair toward the back of your head a little bit. Secure with bobby pins, keeping the roller in your hair to keep your style's shape.

5. Curl the back of your hair with a curling iron, sectioning it off and rolling each curl up one by one and then spray with a little bit of hairspray. You could also gather the rest of your hair in a ponytail and secure with a rubber band. Twist the hair completely in a counter-clockwise motion, then twist the twist into a bun also using a counter-clockwise motion. Secure with bobby pins.

6. Spray your hair with hairspray, smoothing your hair over the roller.

Simple Pin Curls

1. Part your hair to one side and brush it through so that it is free of knots and tangles.

2. Spritz some hairspray or work a small amount (less than a nickel size) of hair gel into your hair. Don't weigh it down, put in only a minimal amount, enough so your curls will hold.

3. Start by taking a very small section of hair (about a quarter of an inch) and twist it in a counter-clockwise fashion until it is completely twisted. Twist the hair into a mini-bun by twisting the twist you just made counter clockwise. It may help to place your finger at the root and then twist the hair around it. The mini-buns don't need to be perfectly round, just twisted enough that the hair will come out curled later.

4. Take a bobby pin (or two) and place it through the mini-bun. Repeat until your whole head is covered with these mini-buns. This takes a huge amount of patience, so make sure you take adequate breaks when your arms get tired.

5. Leave the mini-buns in for several hours, preferably overnight. Take them out and give your hair a quick spray with hairspray all over to make sure it holds. Place a barrette in your hair on one side, if desired.

References

• 1950s Hair, the Roll
• 1950's Hairstyles
• The Retro Housewife

Resources

• Fashions of the Fifties