There is no better way to radiate classical style than to emulate some of the most gorgeous women of the twentieth century. The 1950s was known for its traditional yet fierce looks.
The other great thing about the coiffures of the 50s is that they were low-tech. If your hair is crying out for a break from heat styling, you need to try out some new styling methods.
If you arm yourself with a few tricks, you aren’t stuck with a lifetime of ponytails just because you want to give up your straight iron. You can do just about anything with curlers and bobby pins!
Another bonus? If you are really serious and can sleep in curlers or bobby pins, you can wake up with amazing hair too!
If you are bored with all of the latest hair trends, why not look to the past for inspiration? The 50s definitely had its share of style icons who are just as on trend today as they were sixty years ago.
There isn’t one quintessential 1950s hairstyle so play around with them until you find something that works with your hair. Play up the vintage vibe or give it a modern twist!
Women of the 1950s weren’t quite as product-happy as we are today. If you want to get their style, you won’t need an arsenal of products. The average woman of the 50s was just using setting lotion, bobby pins, curlers, and hairspray. During their time, even a blow dryer was a bit of a luxury.
These were the key hair styling items during their time but you can speed up the process a bit with a curling iron or blow dryer. If you are looking to simplify your routine or minimize heat damage, try a few of their old fashion techniques.
Some of them are a bit hairspray heavy and do require some planning ahead, but it’s a great way to give your hair a break if you’ve been using your straight iron a bit too much lately.
Grace Kelly: The Princess of All Classic Beauties
Grace Kelly has always been one of America’s greatest style icons. The Hollywood scarlet-cum-Princess of Monaco was always perfectly polished and glowing. To get her elegant and timeless style, stick with the basics. Keep your clothes and makeup simple but chic. Think pale colors, crisp cottons, pencil skirts, and feminine jackets.
Grace Kelly was definitive proof that less is more. Look through some old pictures of her in her heyday for inspiration. Also, check out January Jones’s style in Mad Men. Her stylists have definitely been taking some cues from Grace.
Remember to keep it modern and limit your obviously vintage pieces. Unless you are going to a costume party (or want to look like you are on your way to one), you don’t want to look like you actually just stepped out of a time machine.
Grace Kelly’s hair was a major part of her signature style. It’s a great look to steal if you have chin to shoulder length hair. It will work on a bit longer hair but will have a slightly different effect.
Grace Kelly often wore her hair down and away from her face. To steal her style, you will want your hair to have a lot of texture. It’s easiest to pull off when your hair is a bit dirty so wait a day or two after washing your hair. You can also add some mousse to get extra texture.
You’ll want curlers to achieve this look. If you can stand it, sleep in them or speed up the process with hot curlers. Roll each piece of hair back and away from face. Measure out pieces of your hair that are about two or three finger widths wide and use medium size rollers. You don’t want to use sections of hair or curlers that are too small or you’ll have too much curl. The idea is to get a soft wave.
When you take out the curlers, add some hairspray and gently brush the curls. When all of the rollers are out, slick back the sides. Take the slicked back hair and hold it in place with crisscrossed bobby pins. It’s best to use bobby pins that match your hair color. Once you have the sides in place, cover the bobby pins with pieces of hair from the top.
Audrey Hepburn’s Timeless Style
Audrey Hepburn is another one of America’s greatest style icons. She maintained an elegant simplicity in every aspect of her style. Audrey was never a slave to the trends so her style looks modern even today. She never tried to emulate the buxom blondes of her time. She always kept the signature style that we love her for.
Audrey Hepburn was always impeccably groomed. Don’t go out with chipped nail polish or messy brows if you are going for her crisp look. The same goes for your clothes. Use simple basics and play with accessories if you want to give your outfit more oomph. Audrey was known for her black and white style so a white button-up or a little black dress is definitely in order here.
Audrey Hepburn was probably best known for her Breakfast at Tiffany’s look. Her famous updo can dress up any outfit or you can play creating a messier version for a modern cum hither style.
To copy her look, pull your hair up into four large rollers. You’ll need to use large sections of hair because you are really just trying to curl the ends. Hairspray the curlers then pull them out. If you aren’t using heat, give them about 15-30 minutes to set depending on how well your hair takes a curl.
At your ear, separate your hair into two sections. You’ll want a top half and a bottom half. Make two ponytails, one on top of the other, and tie them close together. Slick your hair back and add a bit more hairspray.
Take a hair donut (if you don’t have one check out some online tutorials on how to make one from a sock!) and pull your hair through. Secure the donut with bobby pins. You’ll get the best hold if you use the ones with the wider opening, push them down ward and hook them.
After you have the donut in place, backcomb your ponytail and add some more hairspray. Smooth your hair with a brush then swirl it around the donut to create a spiral look. Secure the hair around the donut with more bobby pins. Spray it in place. If you have a long hair extension and want to go for an ultra glam look, braid the extension and wrap it around your bun.
Vamp It Up Like Marilyn Monroe
Even after all of these years, few women are considered as sexy as Marilyn Monroe. She was, and still is, a legendary style icon. Her bleached blonde hair and scarlet red lips scream 50s glamour. If you have short hair, her look is ideal for you.
Use can copy her look with curlers or a curling iron. Curl and volume are key here so if your hair tends to fall flat you may want to use a curling iron. The shorter your hair is, the smaller your curling iron barrel should be. You can play around with the size a bit to decide what works with your hair and the curl level that you want.
When you are curling your hair, start in the front of your head. Pull a one inch wide section from directly over your eyes are curl it toward your face. After you release the curl, twirl it back up with your finger and hold it in place with a pin. Try to maintain the shape that the curling iron made.
Go through the rest of your hair and repeat these one inch sections, pinning them up as you go along. When you get to the final layer around the nape of your neck, curl it upward.
After you finish curling, you’ll want to leave the pins in your hair for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how well your hair takes to curling. After the time is up, layer the curls with a coat of hairspray. Remove all of the clips and let the curls fall.
Gently brush the curls. If you want dramatic curls, just comb them through lightly with your fingers. Take the one inch section that you first curled and backcomb it for volume then smooth it with your brush and pull it away from your face.
Modern Day Bouffant
For a sexy tousled look, try a revamped bouffant. It’s the perfect half-up, half-down look that will give you tons of volume.
After you wash your hair, spritz some volumizer at the roots and blow dry it. After it’s dry, take one inch sections of hair and roll them into large curlers. Again, if this is your first time using curlers, you might want to test them a couple of times to see how long it is taking your hair to get a good curl to it.
After you take your hair out of the curlers, separate it into two sections. You will want a front section and a back section so divide it by your ears. Leave the front section hanging around your face and begin backcombing one inch sections. Work backward until you have created a center section of backcombed hair. You will want to create about a two inch circle at your crown of backcombed hair.
Pull the front section of hair up and tease it at the crown. After you have backcombed the two sections, pull the front section of backcombed hair. You have essentially created your own Bump-It. Maintain a central part as you are covering the backcombed hair then pin it back in the middle.
Cover photo: www.inspiredbykelly.blogspot.com
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