How to Do a 1960s Updo

The beehive was a natural progression from the bouffant hairstyles of the 1950s.

One of the hairstyles most often associated with the 1960s is the beehive. Born out of the decade's trend toward gravity-defying "big hair," this female updo is characterized by a distinctive high dome of hair -- resembling a beehive -- on top of the head. The beehive is sometimes called a B-52 in reference to the similarly bulbous nose of the B-52 Stratofortress bomber. The look is achieved by backcombing the hair to create lots of lift at the roots.

Things You'll Need

• Tail comb
• 2 large clips
• Hairspray
• Hair pins

Instructions

1. Create a side part in your hair using a tail comb. Brush or comb the hair to remove any tangles.

2. Create an ear-to-ear part, running over the top of the head, to divide the hair into two sections.

3. Secure the front section out of the way with two large clips, one on either side of the part.

4. Backcomb the hair in the back section. Hold one-inch pieces of hair loosely between your fingers and comb against the direction of hair growth, working from the ends toward the roots.

5. Smooth the backcombed hair -- without loosing the volume and lift -- and layer together to create a single panel of hair.

6. Spritz the hair with hairspray to fix the lift created by the backcombing.

7. Style the back panel into a French twist (or French roll), with the fold on the same side as the front part and plenty of height at the crown.

8. Tuck in the ends toward the crown and secure the twist in place by pinning along the vertical fold.

9. Unclip the front section of hair. Backcomb all the hair, except the strands around the front hairline, using the technique described in step 4.

10. Smooth the hair to create two separate panels, one on either side of the parting. Spritz with hairspray to maintain the lift.

11. Sweep the smaller panel of hair (on the same side as the parting) around the side of the head and incorporate the ends into the French twist. Secure with pins.

12. Sweep the other, larger panel back toward the crown and fold it over the top of the French twist. Fold the hair over your hand to give more height to your bouffant shape.

13. Secure the ends of the hair out of sight in the fold of the French twist.

14. Mist the finished style with hairspray.

Tips & Warnings

• A beehive is easier to achieve on hair that hasn't been washed for a day or two, because clean hair can be difficult to backcomb effectively. If your hair is newly washed, apply a volumizing product to the damp hair and lift the roots with a brush as you blow dry to create extra body. Spritz dry hair with a texturizing spray to create a matte finish that will be easier to work with.

• If you have bangs, you can incorporate them into your beehive or leave them down and start backcombing the hair farther back on the head.

References

• Hair Boutique; Beehive Hair Buzzes Back; Karen Marie Shelton; May 2011
• Bella Online; The Traditional Beehive Hairstyle; Lynne Chapman; 2011
• Hair Finder; How to Backcomb or Tease Hair; Stacy