Can anyone out there help a young girl who doesn't know what to do with her hair??

[StrayKitten]

Hi everyone, this is my first real post here and I am very new to "the vintage look". I've looked around the forum lots and all you ladies look so effortlessly beautiful, I can't help but be jealous.

I've never been able to do anything to my hair other than a ponytail, and not even that well. It's very thin, which frustrates me to no end and no matter what I do, it never looks the way I want it.

(To clarify, the vintage look I'm looking for is 40's-50's era stuff, cute pin-up looks. Classic, or not so classic neo-rockabilly stuff.)

Here is a current picture, taken minutes ago.

It normally looks more flat than this, but I attempted using mousse today. The haircut is new, just a few days old.

What I'm asking for is any advice you can offer me. Beginner's techniques, tips about equipment, products, anything. The most basic, square-one stuff. Even videos I find on Youtube that describe things as "beginner's" look too difficult for me Please please please, anything will help me. I need some feminine advice that I can't get anywhere else! I'm terribly clueless, and I hope some of you are willing to pass on your wisdom. Thank you!

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

You could start with a really basic roller set either wet set or even a hot roller and I would just roll all rollers under instead of trying any fancy setting pattern. If doing a wet set us a little gel or a setting lotion after you have washed your hair and start rolling it under in small sections. If using hot rollers you could put some mouse into dry hair and roll under. In both cases but especially if you do the wet set brush your curls against your hand will help get them under control and going the direction you desire.

Welcome to the lounge stray kitten I am sure you will finds loads of helpful advice and helpful ladies here I have

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I have thin hair, too. Pin curls will make it thicker and more managable. I used to think I could never do anything with my hair, either, but the pincurl is a saviour. You can do rolls on pincurled hair. If you attempt any hairstyle without them it will either slide out or look really bad.

 

[ZombieGirl]

Also try to remember that the vintage look is rarely "effortless". These gals put a lot of time, effort, and practice into most of their looks. I'm still a beginner and learning and I know from experience that it can get frustrating when you work hard at something and it doesn't turn out. So don't get discouraged and practice, practice, practice! Have fun and welcome to the Lounge... You've come to the right place!!!

 

[Miss sofia]

I couldn't have put it better either Amy Jeanne/Zombie Girl!

I have really fine hair too and the pincurl is my saviour, but as the ladies said, it's not effortless and it requires alot of practice. I still have set failures and bad hair years! Just take some time out and have a go. Sponge rollers are good too, i do like a roller set and i find it easier to chuck them in than doing pincurls. (I find end papers a big help with rollers to give a neat finish, as the ends of my hair always seem to want to stick out, or use loo-roll or cigarette papers.

Perhaps you could just start perhaps with some accessories too, try pinning your back at the sides perhaps and adding a hair flower or a cute scarf, there are some great and easy tutorials for bandanas and rosie style headbands on the net.

You have a very pretty face btw, i look forward to seeing some of your efforts. Oh and a very warm welcome to the lounge Miss.

 

[virgi]

If you want to give your hair more fullness, fake hair is the way to go. You purchase the hair made for weaving, and then cut it and sew on hair clips, you can then attach this in between your hair to give it more fullness. It only looks fake when you are trying to add length and not body. Always use 100% human hair. You need to go in person to match your color.

 

[LoserVonTeese]

it helps to to sleep in rollers! too and in the morning your hair should be bouncy and wonderfull. i use the magnetic rollers i love them! it hleps to to apply pomade which hleps combat hair frizzies. i also use a sleeping cap to help keep my rollers in place and its most comfortable to sleep in.

 

[StrayKitten]

Wow thanks everyone! That was so quick and helpful I had an idea that curls might be the way to go, and I even almost bought a curling iron today but decided to wait and shop around a bit. I just looked up pin curls and I think all that bobby-pinning would be too much for me, but those hot curler things with the sponges might be worth trying.

I think what I really need to do is just sit down one day or night when I have nothing to do, and experiment. I would love to post pictures of my attempts for you guys, (successful or not lol) if you're interested. This could be very fun!

Thank you all so much, for helping a stranger and for your kind words as well

 

[Frenchy56]

I just looked up pin curls and I think all that bobby-pinning would be too much for me, but those hot curler things with the sponges might be worth trying.

Just my two cents: I wouldn't really bother with a curling iron; I think it's very hard to get an accurate vintage look with one, plus on me the curls I get with one fall out very quickly.

I have never tried hot rollers, but I know lots of ladies here recommend them- I think they might be the best thing to start with as they are quick and don't need to be slept in.

When you get brave enough to try an overnight wetset, I would 100% recommend the sponge rollers if you are a beginner. They are soft foam so squash easily into the pillow. Also, the clasp holds them in place so they are secure and easy to fix. I would also recommend endpapers- tiny bits of tissue that you fold round the end of your hair to keep all the ends neat - just to get the best results with wetsets, but I realise that might be a bit too much right now! (you can use loo roll or tissues btw )

 

[Miss sofia]

I agree, curling irons are a real chore for me, although they are good for curling your fringe/bangs, which is what i use them for, or repairing the odd curl which hasn't set right.

As you said, i think you need to have a day off to stay home and practice. Perhaps try a few pincurls in the front, just to get the hang of it and maybe use the sponge rollers in the back. I swear by the end papers as i think i mentioned before, as did Miss Frenchy.

Also, have fun with it!!! I know it may be daunting, but it will all come good in the end with some time and effort and who knows you may have an aptitude for hairstyling and quickly put us all to shame!

 

[Romamor4]

Welcome, StrayKitten! You have similiar hair to mine, very fine and thin. I've always loathed my hair and wanted a beautiful set of curls like the gorgeous women of the thirties and fourties.

I would agree with the rest that a curling iron isn't the best way to go. It's useful for touch ups or to help on failed sets, but otherwise it won't achieve a very vintage look. I myself started out with hot rollers and progressed from there. I'm still working on perfecting a good set for myself. Some days it turns out wonderful and other days when I try to recreate that one wonderful set, it just doesn't look the same. But, as the other ladies said, if you keep working at it, it'll get easier and easier and you'll be able to find ways to make it work for you. It's definitely a lot of work, but for us gals with fine thin hair, I think it is TOTALLY worth it. My hair has completely transformed since I started doing this three months ago and I am not turning back!

 

[RodeoRose]

I agree with the others that a good pin curl set will do wonders!

However, when you're in a hurry, your hair's a great length for a little flip! Just tease the top a little, use your curling iron to flip out the bottom, and you're all set. Think Jackie Kennedy, Doris Day or Peggy Olsen. More early 60s/rockabilly, but very cute when you don't have time for a set .

 

[MissLaurieMarie]

Hello StrayKitten from a fellow Albertan (I actually did a little happy dance when I saw that you're from Calgary)!
My hair was about your length when I started doing my hair in rollers, and I found that I really liked how they looked. If you happen to buy the Goody ones (I got mine at Wal-mart for about $6), try using the green ones on the top/longest layer, then yellow and blue ones as the layers get shorter to get a better wave - the pink ones are too fat to wind ear-length hair around them.
Honestly, the best method I found was just mucking around with hair until it looked good! Can't wait to see some photos of your attempts.

PS I love your specs - where did you get them?

 

[Kirstenkat]

Hey Straykitten! I'm by no means an expert at vintage hair, I highly recommend LisaFreemontStreet's channel on youtube, she posts tons of helpful vintage hairstyle tutorials, which is how I really figured "the look" out. A set of rollers is a great bet, and your curling iron is actually good for any stray hairs you miss for touch ups. For a quick on the go look, I put my hair in rollers then take a small front piece of hair on each side of my head, twist it a few times, then pin it back with two bobby pins.
Pincurls definitely take practice and need to be set before bed, but they're worth practicing

 

[StrayKitten]

This is so great, I think I have everything I need to start out! Now it's just a matter of getting the things I need and practising a whole bunch. I will update with my progress when there is some.

Much thanks to all of you again <3

 

[dmoran227]

The ladies have given you such great advice wet sets are the way to go and practice practice and muck around! I'd like to add have you considered bangs? You know think Louise Brooks or Anna Mae Wong(what a beauty there! I'm sure a quick google on her will provide tons of great photos). If you're planning on the length longer, like a Betty Page? You could still perfect your curl sets but for those days/nights when you're just do tired, or at the beach, or driving with the top down and don't want to fuss, play up what you got! The perfect hair for sleek slinky styles. Still very vintage appro, and minimal effort for you. Of course bangs aren't required it just seems to me when looking at vintage images the ladies who wore their hair straight most of the time had bangs.
Have fun and you are a very lovely girl!

 

[m_luvsartdeco]

Everyone has given such great advice already I don't know if I can contribute much...but I will share this girls youtube site in hopes that this could be helpful. There are so many different vintage looks and I don't know what era you are leaning towards. This girls site has several tutorial videos that are pretty easy. Good luck and welcome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_5pOzoHkpk

 

[Penny Dreadful]

I agree with everything said here. It CAN be easy (not terribly often though), but that's only after a lot of trial and error and practice. Decide on a look you want, and play with it for a few weeks until you get it down and it becomes more or less routine. Then you can move on to another one. Virtually all of them start with curls so that's a big focus. I've always loved pillow rollers because they're cushy to sleep on and don't dent like sponge rollers do. Hot rollers are also great for looser sets in a pinch, or fixing up a wet set that didn't quite turn out. At first getting some was just a passing thought, but now that I have them and knowing how many times they have saved me from bad hair days I don't know how I ever lived without them. And I also find that end papers are a MUST. It can be very difficult to get all the ends of your hair into a curl, and without them they can push against the rest of the hair and crinkle horribly.
Lisa Freemont Street is my hair guru. Some of her videos may seem slightly advanced but she has plenty of great ones for absolute beginners too and once you start watching and following it becomes (almost) a snap. I've also noticed how just a couple different techniques can be used in SO many ways to make completely different looks. It's like if you can do a roll you can do anything. She's brilliant.
But speaking of hair difficulties, I'm looking for some advice as well. Since I've cut my hair shorter again I've been really wanting to try pin curls, so I bought some pin curl clips on eBay the other night but couldn't wait to try them last night. I found it EXTREMELY difficult to get all the ends into the curl without sticking out and even unraveling the whole thing. I resorted to using end papers and it helped but I'm not sure it was best for the look. This morning I found the result to be sort of 50/50. My hair was very thick, but a bit crimped from the denting of the bobby pins, and the curls were not tight at all. Some of them at the back were a very odd half straight/half randomly kinked shape. I polished the look with my hot rollers as usual so it looked quite cute after that, and right now I'm excited that for the first time EVER my curls have not fallen *at all*. So at least I have that going for me.
Can any of you ladies help me with this?

 

[TheRedSquare]

I am also new to vintage inspired hair styling so I am far from an expert, but I'd like to recommend these curlers.

http://www.amazon.com/Exceptional-Products-Wrap-Snap-Rollers/dp/B000UJ246Y

They are really easy to put in, very comfortable to sleep in and I always get great results. They interlock together so they help add volume to the base of your hair. I have a hard time with sponge rollers because I always end up with dents. Give them a try! They are the only way I can come close to achieving vintage hair styles.

 

[C-dot]

They are really easy to put in, very comfortable to sleep in and I always get great results. They interlock together so they help add volume to the base of your hair. I have a hard time with sponge rollers because I always end up with dents. Give them a try! They are the only way I can come close to achieving vintage hair styles.

Was your avatar style done with those? I have never been able to get a decent set out of them. Nice job!

It took me a long time to master vintage hairstyles (I still have difficulty with some.) Rollers/pin curls and the right haircut are the only way to swing it. Unless you're doing a complicated style, you don't have to worry too much about the direction, because you can comb the curls into doing what you want them to. I recommend trial and error, and time. Eventually you'll find what works best for you and it will become second nature.
(In case of dents, I keep a flatiron handy and just re-do the curl.)