Hair help requested - the perfect wave?

[tamchronic]

Hello, everyone! I have been a long-time lurker at this wonderful site, but never posted until now.

I've been having some hair frustrations lately, and I wonder if someone here could help me. I am well-practiced with pin curls, and I know the basics of different setting patterns. No matter how much I try, however, I cannot get my bangs/fringe area to sit exactly how I want it.

The look I'm after is what Rita Hayworth often sported, particularly in Gilda.

http://1001films.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/gilda.jpg

I need to know how on earth the front of her hair sits so perfectly. How is that height achieved? Is it just backcombed? How does it manage to sit back off her face like that -- and stay that way? Whenever I attempt to do a similar style, my hair simply flops down and forward, no matter how much hairspray I use.

Do I need to use some sort of pomade to keep it up?

Another image has me wondering how she manages to get such a perfect deep wave that comes in right at her eye:

http://www.beautifulhairstyles.com/pictures/ritahair.jpg

Has that wave been achieved with pincurls, or has it been done with finger/water waves? I cannot fathom how it is so deep and defined.

Here's another one: that amazing upside-down U-shape! How is it possible? http://cdn.vogue.es/uploads/images/..._hayworth_gilda_a7b82830_85866605_320x480.jpg

And another one, with an even more incredible wave (this style right here is essentially my perfect hairdo...sigh!) http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users...ta-hayworth-1940s--large-msg-129545163277.jpg

There are lots of Gilda-inspired tutorials out there, but I have yet to see someone truly master and reproduce the exact look she sports in the film. I can nail everything about that hairstyle except the front wave!

Any advice or opinions are greatly appreciated

 

[wahine]

I have a similar problem, but vice versa - I manage the front and struggle with the rest.
Sounds like we should get together
Unfortunately, I can't tell you how exactly to do it. I can only say that I get the best results by setting the curls in alternating directions, but with an exception: the first top middle rows should go in the same direction. Like so:

Not very much, but maybe a start.

 

[C-dot]

I do the same thing as wahine to get a wave:

It's all in how you brush it. Brush the top back, pin - brush the side forward, pin - brush the bottom back, spray, remove clips, fluff.

 

[Antje]

If your hair is really stubborn you could try to roll the pincurls on top of your head in the opposite direction of the hairgrowt, then when you comb it out you will have more volume on top

 

[Retro_GI_Jane]

The top waves are done using one row of stand up pin curls, rolled at a diagonal direction under towards the face, instead of straight back towards the crown, using very tight curls and a second row next to it, diagonal rolled back towards the crown. I have achieved the wave using sponge rollers but it takes some brushing and a good set, again with very small curls.

 

[kamikat]

You can do it with curlers very easily. It's called a pivot set. Section the top middle of your hair, from mid-brow arch to mid-brow arch and roll them in the same direction on three small to medium curlers depending on your length, away from the part so that they lie like this: \l/

 

[Grant Fan]

I put how I get my rita style wave in the hair dos post,back in early november. I would,post the direct link but I am on my fiances smart phone and dont know how to do that on here. But I have acheived the wave with pin curls, hot rollers,and using a curling iron using the technique I posted.

 

[Grant Fan]

I just looked it up for you and the posts are on pages 1026 &1028 of show us your hair dos

 

[Runa]

In hair school we learned that while the initial set is important, it is equally as important to know how to "sculpt" the curl after it is dried and brushed out. A pincurl set is very moldable. From the pictures you posted, most look like they have been sculpted into shape, there's no way they will just fall perfect like that! Practice moving and shaping the hair, it will pretty much go and stay how you mold it. Keep in mind also that backcombing doesn't necessarily have to always be on the crown, you can use a fine/medium tooth comb to gently backcomb specific curls into place as you go down. This would be especially important for bangs that just dont sit right! I used this technique a lot in the front areas where I want kinda customised curls lol!

As for the first picture, to me it looks like just well-hidden backcombing..! Nothing is worse than visible ratting !

 

[Retro_GI_Jane]

Rita had naturally thick hair so she didn't need backbrushing to achieve her height, though some ladies with fine, thin hair might. It can definitely be done by molding your final curls with mixed results at best but ladies of the era understood too that a proper setting pattern set the base for the final look they wanted to achieve.
Brittany at Va Voom Vintage posted a great video tutorial that I wish I had when I finally figured out that the curls must be set at a diagonal angle to achieve her top wave. I highly recommend it if you want to go the pin curl way otherwise Kamikat's pivot way with curlers is also spot on and will save you a lot of brushing time in the end. Here's her link: vavoomvintage.blogspot.com/2012/05/tutorial-rita-hayworth-pin-curl-waves.html

 

[tamchronic]

Goodness, thank you so much for your replies, everyone! You're all so knowledgeable and helpful, I am overjoyed! Wahine, thank you for the diagram. C-dot and Grant Fan, your hairdos are both truly wonderful! I shall try my best to achieve a similarly perfect wave. Retro_GI_Jane, that tutorial link is a great resource, thank you so much for posting it. Runa, I imagine that I shall have to use setting lotion in order to be able to sculpt the curls and get them to stay, correct? At the moment I'm just using hairspray, and my hair is so heavy that it just flops into its own pattern...

The pivot set sounds remarkably simple, kamikat, but I'm afraid you'll have to forgive my cluelessness. Do you mean that the curls are all rolled downwards towards the face?

Next time I get a chance to set my hair, I will try some of your tips. Again, thank you all so much!

 

[kamikat]

No, the curls are rolled to the side. Typically, you would use smaller curlers for this type of wave, but this manniquin has extra long hair so I can practice updos.

 

[Runa]

.. I've also noticed on some YouTube videos and tutorials that some dont wrap the curl properly, kind of winding it randomly around their finger..? It's important to wrap it uniformly/in one direction, if that makes sense, not with random twists. That's getting off topic though lol!

 

[tamchronic]

kamikat, you are wonderful! Thank you so much for the diagram, I totally understand now. I think I'll go grab some hot rollers right now and give it a spin. Fingers crossed!

Runa, you're absolutely right. I've found that rolling the curl well makes a massive difference.

 

[Grant Fan]

tamchronic please post pictures of your results I can't wait to see what your results look like.

 

[tamchronic]

Here's a quick picture I snapped of the pivot set results. Please excuse the quality! It needs some work (and some setting lotion!), but this is definitely the general idea I was after. Thank you so much, everyone! I'll keep refining this when I get a chance, and check back soon.

 

[Runa]

Runa, I imagine that I shall have to use setting lotion in order to be able to sculpt the curls and get them to stay, correct? At the moment I'm just using hairspray, and my hair is so heavy that it just flops into its own pattern...

Yes any light gel or setting lotion will help with that

 

[Antje]

Hey that looks cool already