1940s Bang/Fringe Wave (Judy Garland Inspired)

Figured i'd turn this post into a bit of a hair tutorial.  One of my favorite movies is Babes on Broadway (1940) with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Judy Garland's hair has always been such an inspiration for me, and if you know your pin curling, the styles really aren't that hard to figure out.  When i first got into vintage, i hardly ever did pin curls because they were just too hard for me at the time.  Now that i have more experience with them, i do them almost every time i set my hair, which is all the time.  
Here is just a side note, if you aren't really into pin curls, try them, but dont give up.  There is a special trick to them that can never be explained.  Each one of us does them just a little bit differently due to our hair thickness or type, and how well it holds curl... like i said, i cant really be explained.  A flick of the wrist here, a twisting of the entire arm there, it really is an art, but it seems to be so much more authentic than rollers when doing specific looks.

IF YOU DONT HAVE BANGS:  go ahead and try this.  I saw a movie once where  a lady didn't have a fringe, but pinned her hair right behind the wave, letting the rest fall to the side  so that it was nice and fluffy around her face.   It is possible, i just haven't tried it because i have bangs.

You can also do this with a Bettie bangs length!

The following set is a section off the top of  about 11/2 to 2 inches thick and 4 to 5 inches across the forehead.
please remember that whichever side you part your hair on, the pin curls need to be stemming AWAY from the part.  The back is probably just forward pin curls with a reverse row  in the middle.  Whatever you like is fine.

you can also place your finger right in the middle of the wave, place a pin right under your finger  and allow the ends of hair to curl around and hide the pin, making a cute wave/curl.  (shown is Judy Garland in Strike Up the Band and one of the actresses [left] in an Abbott and Costello movie)





Deanna Durbin with a killer pin curl set and fringe wave



So that you can get many views of the style, a little inspiration and a snapshot of the movie,
here is a video from youtube of someones favorite moments  from Babes on Broadway.

~Beth

 

Pin Curl Sets and Lauren Bacall Hair!

I've been setting my hair in pin curls for the last four nights.  I get on stuck on doing different styles and methods over and over until i get it perfect, and then it looses its mystery now that i know how to do it and i move on to something different.  I do have to  admit though, that for about the 3 months after i got addicted to vintage, i hated the pin curl.  Yes, that's right.  It was hard and frustrating.  Now i love it.  i got practice by doing the little strands at the nape of my neck to get a longer lasting, sturdier curl back there and also when i got it cut, they were too short to curl tightly around any rollers.  So here i am, officially a pin curl addict!
I came across some AWESOME setting patterns on the web yesterday.  I was on the computer almost all day, (just addicted really) and I have narrowed it down to my favorite diagrams.

~This authentic Lauren Bacall setting pattern is from a blog, but i cannot find it! Please contact me if you have any information so i can rightfully link to it.
I really like this.  Very fast, simple, smooth and easy!  Oh yes, and so old Hollywood!















~ This is also an set pattern from the 40s.  I like this one (i did it last night) because it says that it looks good on girls with long faces (like me).  It made my eye length modern bangs look like an honest to goodness retro fringe, although i prefer to do it with a flat iron because my pin curls were not consistent in size.  I also ALWAYS add more curls to the back because i have pretty thick hair and i just like some more in the back.  And you cannot from the picture, but there are two wonderful pin curl waves. (one on each side because the two top rows on side curl forward and bottom row aims away from face.  I sport them right now as i type!)

~This Glamorous style is much like the picture below.  I cant wait to try it!  I just LOVE pin curl waves.  It will take a little work and a little gel to get my bangs to stay back but i think i can pull it off!

I do not know who this is but as soon as my hair grows out a little, i am so doing this!

Isn't she just divine? and glamorous? and, oh heavens, just beautiful?

Also, be sure to check out this awesome fringe/ bang wave by CLICKING HERE to go to Snoodlebug, a vintage blog with lots of inspiration.

Lisa shows how to go from this:

To this!:

Lisa of Snoodlebug Vintage

Isn't it wonderful? I tried this the other day and i am doing it again!

what about you? Done any super sets lately?

Book: Creative Hairshaping and Hairstyling You Can Do

Creative Hairshaping & Hairstyling: cutting, rolling, curling and waving instructions for 1940s hairstyles  
    
I am adding this book to my large stack of favorite books, originally published in 1948, (reprinted in 2008) this little book is full of helpful techniques.
It was written as a textbook for beauty students, 3 books in one and so the first part is about haircuts.  Most of these are for if you're going to get a permanent wave so I wouldn't recommend them unless you are getting a permanent wave or you're going to do your hair the same way every day.
Then it talks how to make pin curls, sculpture curls, basic waves, pompadours, how to style bangs and so much more.  It includes the best styles for different head/face shapes and tips for how to section hair and help full little things like that.
However, all of the illustrations are drawings.  This was fine for me because the drawings are life-like and highlight the sections of hair it talks about.  But i know some people cant understand just plain drawing instead of pictures, but its really not a problem.
Keep in mind that this was a book for hairstyling students, so some things have to do with permanent waving or other beauty shop things, but instead of permanently setting my hair, i just do an overnight damp set which works fine.
Also, this is not a book of different hairstyles like victory rolls, a pageboy, etc. But of different rolls and  pin curl and bang setting patterns.
Over all i was very pleased with this book about waving and pincurlish basic.
And no, this is not a sponsored post, but just a example of what i love and like and call my own! :)
As with all books i recommend, pleas check at your local library for it before purchasing, just to make sure you like it before you buy it.
So long!

Veronica Lake

  Veronica Lake, an actress who was very popular in the 1940s, signature style used was what is commonly called the Peek-A-Boo bang.  She had little or no layers in her mostly long hairstyle (as far as we can tell), making her style unique.  After looking at popular pictures of Veronica Lake, i noticed the straight part, hair that was mostly flat on her head then feathered out into a wave, and of course, the famous eye covering bang. This is the result of Water Waving (or Water Styling, Wet Styling, etc.).  This means you do it wet wet/damp hair, most usually after a shower.

   This look is very easy if you have grown out layers, no layers at all, no bangs or just longer hair in general.  I then found a video on YouTube (by Lisa Freemont Street, one of my favorites) that explains this technique using easy, old-fashioned methods that are not hard or damaging to you're hair.  In fact, all you have to do is some large pin or rag curls at the bottom ( I've seen some use foam rollers), usually to your chin, let it set or go to sleep, then brush them out in the morning and make a VERY EASY, FAST peekaboo type wave.  It goes like this...

NOTE: You CAN do this style if you have layers or bangs as Lisa shows us here, but if helps if you don't.

  This technique is a basis for lots of different vintage styles, especially if you don't have bangs(like me) and need some 'around-the-face' volume.  
   To beautiful Veronica!