We learned how to get the retro, pin-up girl makeup look earlier this week from Helen, so I thought you might like a few tips on how to get the hair to complete the look! I’m a big retro, ’50s-’60s Mad Men fashion and beauty fan – on good days I do my makeup at my grandmother’s vintage vanity! So I plan to report lots more retro hair tips in the coming weeks, and want you to know I’m getting a lot of my information from a fabulous book called Vintage Hair Styling: Retro Styles with Modern Techniques.

Hair styling has changed a lot in the past 50 or so years. I think the biggest difference is that regardless of hair texture or type, when we’re really “doing” our hair, most of us nowadays wash and blow it dry. Back in the day, most styles started wet, with pin curls or finger waves and curls. Partially because at-home blow dryers were cumbersome and expensive, and partially because curls set from wet hair last days longer and women washed their hair less.

So, the first product on our list is easy: water. Wet hair sets create stronger, longer-lasting styles that withstand styling. So wet your head and grab a spray bottle to keep it that way.

Next up, thermal spray. Like Redken’s Guido told us yesterday, protecting your hair from heated appliances like curling irons is tres important. Plus it helps hold curls created with hot rollers and curling irons. Try Matrix Biolage Thermal-Active Setting Spray.

A setting or shaping lotion, like Indola 4+4 Creative Lotion, isn’t something that most modern girls have in their arsenal. But it’s necessary for vintage styles like finger waves and pin curls, which are vital to most of the styles seen above.

Pomades are mostly known for use on chunkier, edgier styles nowadays, but were used a lot on long, feminine styles in the mid-20th century. American Crew Pomade is a good one to try, as it will add shine, help control curls and help with shaping the hair.

Other products you might need that you’re more likely to have around the house are hair pins and bobby pins, a variety of clips like duckbill clips, double prong clips and single prong clips and of course hair combs and barrettes.

Keep checking back for more on vintage hair styling techniques!

Tags: Mad Men beauty, retro beaut, retro hair, retro hair styles, vintage beauty, vintage hair styles, vintage hairstyling

This entry was posted on Friday, March 13th, 2009 at 4:09 pm and is filed under Beauty, Beauty Products, Beauty Tips, Featured, Get Gorgeous!, Hair Care, Hair Products. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.