How to Create Vintage Hairstyles for Curly Hair

Curly hair can be manipulated into chic vintage styles.

Curly hair is the best hair type for creating hairstyles from the 1930s and 1940s. During those decades, women spent many hours wet-setting their hair in curlers in order to later manipulate those curls into waves and conservative pinned-up looks. Fashionistas with curly hair can skip a lot of steps to achieve the same looks. Moreover, the looks will last longer because the natural hair pattern is already in curl formation. Common vintage styles built on a head of curls are finger waves and brush curls.

Things You'll Need

• Detangling spray
• Rat-tail comb
• Setting lotion
• Wave clips
• Hair dryer
• Brush
• Silicone hair serum (optional)
• Curlers (optional)

Instructions

Define Your Waves

1. 

   This wax figurine of Josephine Baker features her famous finger-wave hairstyle.

   Spray your hair liberally with detangling spray. Knots in your curly hair will cause your hair to snag during the combing and waving process. Use the tail end of a rat-tail comb to part your hair either down the middle or on one side.

2. Saturate your hair with setting lotion. Layer it on thick to completely control the movement of your hair and any cowlicks. Comb your hair down to lay as flat against the scalp as possible. You will notice your curls forming a wave pattern like they do when wet.

3. Prepare to define your wave pattern for a finger-wave style. Choose a side to start with and a section for your first wave. Use your nondominant hand to hold the hair down in front of this section. This will prevent you from incorporating too much hair into the wave.

4. Apply a wave clip behind the hair you are holding down. The wave clip will create ridges in your waves, and you avoid having to do the difficult manual finger-wave technique required for manipulating straight hair.

5. Repeat steps three and four until your entire head is covered with waves. Use a dryer to set your waves.

Create Brush Curls

1. 

   Brush curls require little more than a hairbrush and controlling products.

   Follow the natural course of your hair to create beautiful brush curls. Spray your hair with detangling spray to prevent your hair from tangling or breaking off in your brush.

2. Apply setting lotion to the top of your head only. Brush your hair back. Your curly hair will wave up along the top of your head.

3. Apply finger-wave clips in a horizontal pattern across the waves at the top of your head. The clips' jaw openings will create ridges in your waves and the clips' curved ends will follow the patterns of your waves.

4. Decide how much of your hair you want in waves. You might wear waves down to a little past your ears or down to the nape of your neck.

5. Use your hair brush to fluff up the curls on the ends of your hair. If you live in a particularly humid environment that causes your curls to frizz, apply a silicone serum to your curls and set them temporarily on curlers for definition.

References

• Hairfinder: 1930s Hairstyles
• ReVamp; 1930s; Making Finger Waves

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish