vintage hair: surprisingly mom-friendly

Well, if the response to my last post is any indication, lots of you like vintage hairstyles, and just vintage styles in general. I had a few people ask me about specifics, so figured I'll try a post with some answers.

But first, a warning: I'm about to post some first-thing-in-the-morning-shots so you can see my pin curls in action. I took Oceanpeg's advice and held my camera in front of my face to save you from crazy eyes, but the pictures still might be a little frightening due to their bright-and-early nature. Proceed with caution.

Still with me? Okay, here goes:

In all of this vintage hair experimenting, I've been surprised to find that it's actually been manageable to have pretty hair on most days. The trick is that most of the work is done at night. I wash my hair at night (or just wet it), put it in pin curls, let it dry while I sleep and then brush it out in the morning and pin it up however I feel inclined.

Which means that as I get more practice, it's a whole lot faster than my former morning routine of showering, drying my hair, and trying to do something cute. 'Cause truthfully, I've got all of about 10 minutes (or less) in the mornings to get as ready for the day as I can before the munchkins start demanding breakfast and/or destroying things/each other.

Maybe this is nothing new to you, but a nighttime shower and hairstyling session has been an epiphany for me.

Anyways, here's what the pin curls look like when I roll out of bed first thing in the morning:

I wrap it all in a scarf to protect it while I sleep. (cotton bandannas work best for me; silky scarves slip off while I sleep)

Here's what it looks like minus the scarf. Sexy, no?

I wanted to get pictures of the curls before they're brushed out and my finished style today, but alas, my 10 minutes were up and the munchkins were beginning to revolt.

I make the curls on the top stand on their sides so's to give me a little volume up there, and the rest of them just lay flat next to my scalp. Bobby pins can be used but I really prefer alligator clips-- I think they're faster to put in and they hold better. You can get a box of 100 at Sally Beauty Supply for about $5. If you've ever slept with your hair in sponge rollers, these have about the same discomfort factor.

I usually end up doing pin curls every other night. I find that I've got enough curl left over the next day to make it easy and fast to stick it up in some victory rolls or dry pin curls.

If the idea of sleeping in pin curls is totally unappealing to you, you can do most of the styles pictured in my previous post with hot rollers, but the curl won't last as long and it's a little harder to get that wave action so popular in 30s hair.

There are lots of great tutorials on YouTube for vintage hair, especially the ones from Strawberry Koi Vintage and Elegantly Amused.

Have fun!