Roller Placement for 1940s Hairstyles
Rollers and hair dryers were styling essentials of the 1940s. Heat-generating curlers were not common, making the pinned-up curl styles of the day laborious and time consuming. The time spent was evident in some of the most dramatic and elaborate designs that came to define feminine glamour. Today, women have many options to create the same styles but none saves the health of hair more than the use of traditional rollers. Does this Spark an idea?
-
Small, Tight Curls
-
Ringlets can be created with rod rollers. Goody's 1940's claw-clamp rollers were precursors to today's rod rollers that set with a similar attached curl holder. These rollers were used to create small ringlet or spiral curls and popular pin curls. They were especially useful for women who were not skilled enough to create pin curls with their fingers like professional hairdressers. Before claw-clamp rollers were placed in hair, users unhooked the metal holders and opened the rollers' jaws by gripping the claws. Hair ends were clamped shut in the roller's jaws. Hair was then twined around the roller up to the scalp. The metal holder was hooked back in place to hold hair in the shape of the curl.
Rag Rolls
-
Rag rolls were precursors to the popular French roll. The hair roll of the 1940s was usually worn at the nape of the neck. Women called the rollers they used for these elaborate curls rags. Rags were cost effective because they could be made at home by gathering scraps of cloth and securing them in a stocking. The shape of the rag determined the shape of the curl. Instead of placing small sections of hair around a small roller, all or half a head of hair would be combed back and rolled up and under the rag to conceal it. The rag would then be pinned into place to maintain the roll formation. Sometimes rag rolls were done at the front with hair swept up, over and under the rag for the same effect.
-
Finger Waves with Rollers
-
Dita von Teese's finger waves epitomize '40's glamour. Popularized by actresses Ann Rutherford, Veronica Lake and Laraine Day, finger waves were associated with high-voltage glamour. Experienced hairdressers know how difficult the style is to achieve with some gel and an index finger. Proper roller placement, however, can achieve the same finger-wave like results. You will need traditional foam or wave rollers with plastic clips. The size of the roller will determine the size of your wave. Instead of rolling your hair, place the roller behind your wet, gelled-up hair strand to create the wave indentation. Bring the clip around the front of your hair strand to secure it. Your hair will dry with defined waves.
Barrel Curls
-
Large, foam rollers can create beautiful barrel curls. Goody's Flexo-roll curlers were also a curling staple of the 1940s. They were designed to replace rags in making those huge rolls. These wire rollers were used by sliding hair through the opening, twisting hair around the roller up to the scalp, and bending the ends down to secure the roller. These created perfect rolls, but when released, they made beautiful barrel curls as well. Barrel curls can also be created on large magnetic and foam rollers.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Sean Gallup/Getty Images News/Getty Images Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images Amy Sussman/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images Medioimages/Photodisc/Valueline/Getty Images
