Reader Amanda recently asked us how to get the hairstyle pictured at right, from my post on the right products for retro, pin-up girl hair. Coincidentally, the 2nd edition of Lauren Rennells’ “Vintage Hairstyling; Retro Style With Step-by-Step Techniques” recently arrived at my doorstep. So I thought this would be a great time to revisit the tome and this asymmetric style, inspired by actress Jane Russel, in particular.

For this style, you’ll need water, shaping lotion, single prong clips, sponge rollers and end wraps, a rattail comb, styling comb, pocket brush, bobby pins, barettes, hairspray, pomade and duckbill clips. Whew! Vintage hair requires a lot of tools. If you don’t have all these, I’ll try to mention some possible work-arounds along the way.

First, prep your hair for a “wet set” by making sure your hair is completely wet and working a shaping lotion like Indola 4+4 Creative Lotion through your entire head to make the hair more pliable. Separate hair into two main sections – a 3″ x 3″ square centered on top of the head, and then all the rest of your hair on the bottom.

Set the top section of your hair into stand-up pin curls that roll clockwise to the left side of the head. The main point of a stand-up pin curl is to set it sitting upright, not flat against your head. The book offers really detailed instructions for all types of pin curls if you’re not familiar with the style.

Set the rest of your hair in small sponge rollers or velcro rollers so that they roll down towards the floor. Let air dry or dry under a hooded hair dryer. Unroll hair once dry starting at the bottom and working your way up. Use L’Oreal Professionnel Tecni.art Fix Design Spray and pomade, like this one from Joico, to help control fly-aways and smooth hair.

Comb the curls with a large-tooth styling comb to create a curl fluff. Smooth the sides down and clip down with barettes so the curls fluff low around the ears. Release the pin curls up top and brush them out.

Using the pomade on your fingers, spread out the curls and arrange so they come forward and to the left side. The curls should bunch up around each other on the side of the forehead. Use bobby pins to secure the style and finalize the silhouette. Hairspray for hold.

Again, step-by-step instructions and photos can be found in Rennells’ book for this and a plethora of other styles, but I hope this helps you out Amanda!