Vintage Witch

1950's Vintage Hair
Achieving the Authentic Look

Most of the time, when you see a YouTube tutorial for vintage hair, it may come across as being 'modern' or not 'genuine'. This is because many take the easy road and use today's hair straighteners and curling irons to get the look without considering how fake it may look. Ever seen those tutorials? I'm not saying they are totally bogus, just off-base for the authenticity I am always looking for.

So, to get the old glamour rarely seen in today's society, mimic what they did 60 years ago!

Ever heard of pin-curling? This is an age-old technique that gave the ladies of the 1950's their beautiful wavy curls, without the use of hair-damaging heat. It is not easily explained, so the link below will give a good tutorial from VividMakeup on pin-curling 101. I adore her tutorials, and I recommend watching her other vintage hair/makeup videos as well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRY5Q2_IMqs

(It also includes a part two by the way.)

So, as you can see in the link, she is very good at explaining the techniques about pin-curling. In fact, if you want to go all out, look up some setting patterns on the Internet and see what you can find! I just bought a book off amazon.com which is loaded with old setting patterns from the 1950s.

Getting this look is not easily done by today's methods, but you will easily find yourself getting the hang of it if you try the old ways of 60 years ago.

Nowadays, you just don't find the glamour and stance in today's actresses, much less the purpose. Why is Kim Kardashian famous anyway?

She is beautiful, and pretty gutsy to stand up to constant pressure from the press, but to get my point of rare glamour in today's world, compare Kim to Grace Kelly, below.

She is even in pearls! Classy or what? Getting this look was achieved by pin curls, liquid eyeliner, flawless foundation, and red, red lips. It's just timeless. Of course there is a tutorial on how to achieve the type of makeup look we are going for on VividMakeup's YouTube channel, I suggest checking it out.

But we are still on hair. If you didn't watch the tutorial, or got bored, I can list the basics right here:

- Slightly damp hair
- Hairspray, extra-hold
- Double or single prong clips (flat, no bumps)
- Spare time
- Medium haircut
- Wire bristle brush
- Regular hairpins

Step 1: Wet hair from shower/bath whatever. Brush out, best results with medium length hair (just below the shoulders).
Step 2: Curl your hair with your fingers into a neat curl (decide if reverse or forward) and pin down with prong clips. Should make neat rosebud curl on head.
Step 3: Leave in for at least 5 hours, or overnight for better results. Use a hairnet to hold the hair to the head.
Step 4: Take out, the curls will be springy and bouncy. Brush in direction desired, and don't be afraid to brush them out, they will not lose their shape!
Step 5: Pin hair up in an up do if desired, or just play around with different shapes. It's quite fun!

So, just some tips on how to do your hair, and general look for 1950s vintage. Hopefully this was a basic starter explanation on pin-curling, and check out some photos from the 1950s of women in their pin curls.