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21" long hair straight hair how do i get it to look 1940's 50's.

Cheesecakecutie

Familiar Face
Messages
96
Location
Jolly England
I have really long hair that is poker straight, it barely curls even with rollers it falls out within hours. I use setting lotion, and have had ago at pin curls but it frizzes terribly especially at the ends.....what am i doing wrong. I love the full 5o's fringe like the one in the sticky on hair but how short long does it have to be ? my fringe is 4" long at the moment! Help and advice greatly received [huh]
 

jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
A cold (wet) set is the way to go with long, hard to curl hair. If your pin curl sets are frizzing, you need to take larger sections to prevent the curls from forming too tightly. I also suggest trying rag curlers, which can be a bit easier to control, or sponge rollers, which can also be easier to master when first learning how to control cold sets.

Take a look through this thread for instructions and other tips:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=4216&highlight=hair
 

Tough Cookie

One of the Regulars
Messages
147
Location
Los Angeles
I understand that frizzing also happens when the ends aren't smooth and completely tucked in whatever is being used to curl (iron, rollers, etc.).
 

SarahLouise

Practically Family
Messages
521
Location
London, UK
I have long poker straight hair too and have pretty much given up on using hot methods. Whenever I have tried hot rollers the curls drop out after 1 hour. The best results I have are from setting damp hair with sponge rollers, pin curls or pillow curlers (which I had to order from the US). When I don't have much time to set my hair the night before I use about 8 pillow curlers using large sections of hair which produces a nice wavy effect. Due to the length and the fact that my hair is fine I cannot achieve certain hairstyles so I normally end up with waves rather than curls. A good tip I picked up was to make sure the tips are wet when making your curls. When I first tried pin curls all I got was frizz, like yourself, but wetting the ends helped a lot and I do not get frizz anymore. Simple but it works!
 

jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
I understand that frizzing also happens when the ends aren't smooth and completely tucked in whatever is being used to curl (iron, rollers, etc.).

This would mostly affect the ends; however, if you have trouble keeping the sections neat (layers often make it hard to neatly pin curl the hair), wrapping papers (the kind used for perming) can really help.
 

Cheesecakecutie

Familiar Face
Messages
96
Location
Jolly England
AHHHHH. well i went to bed last night with my head done in rags, I used large sections of hair and got ringlets which i tried to comb out. The effect was a good first try but not what i would call a 1940's hair do...but once i had fiddled with it it looked ok ish (tonged ends under and put sides up and pinned the back into a roll kinda thing). I am after that wave effect. So Sarah B can you remember where you ordered the pillow curlers from?? I went to a hairdresser supply shop and they had never heard of sponge rollers....so will have to search for them. Will try wetting the ends and if that doesn't work shall get some papers...fab idea. I got one of those hood dryers do you recommend those ??? And finally what is the best thing to use to comb the curls ?? is there a special technique ??
 

jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
I use a small round brush when brushing out my sets. I like my hair to be softly curled and very fluffy, a la Betty Grable, and this type of brush works best for me. I actually brush the set out quite vigorously, and usually flip my head upside down at first, and then flip it back to push the curls into place.

I personally have had no luck with pillow curlers; they don't wrap as tightly as sponge rollers or rag curlers do and simply don't curl my hair [huh]
 

ohairas

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,000
Location
Missouri
Of course the longer the hair the harder it will be to curl. But if your hair is extremely hard to curl it won't much matter if you do cut some length.

The hooded dryer should come in really handy. You may want to opt for a set of steam rollers, these are great as they go in dry hair. Sit under the dryer for about 10 min. and they are great!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Caruso-Molecula...4QQihZ012QQcategoryZ36407QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You can twist and wrap each strand as you go for a spiral effect, or roll like normal for full, bouncier curl. Again, the perm papers come in handy for that.
You could also put these in and sleep in them, should be real good and curly the next morning.

Surely you could find the regular sponge rollers somewhere, here are some
http://cgi.ebay.com/Large-Foam-Spon...ryZ36407QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You could put the end paper on the tips of your hair, mist, then mist up the strand and roll if you don't want to start with totally wet hair. Sleep on them and it should be very curly. I know all of the cheerleaders use these for their sets and they stay *really* bouncy.... good for little girl pageants too.

The shorter and more close together the bristles are on your brush, the more full and fuffy your curls will get... and the more you brush it the weaker/smoother the curl gets. Hope that helps. Sometimes I don't brush mine at all after taking the rollers out, just flip my head and shake my fingers thru a bit.
Trial and error. You'll get it!

Just be sure not to overy dry, as static will zap your curl. Best wishes!

Nikki
 

CanadaDoll

Practically Family
Messages
961
Location
Canada
My hair is nearly to my waist and layered, it's also very straight. I tried the Goody pillow rollers, they are square foam, covered in a gauzy material, with a wire through the center, they are the first things that have ever curled my hair! (other than a professional:D ) They are also very comfortable to sleep in!

I'm playing with different section sizes and parts to see what works best for a 40s style.:)

Hope it helps!
 

MissHuff

A-List Customer
Messages
330
Location
Providence, Rhode Island
ohairas said:
You could put the end paper on the tips of your hair, mist, then mist up the strand and roll if you don't want to start with totally wet hair. Sleep on them and it should be very curly. I know all of the cheerleaders use these for their sets and they stay *really* bouncy.... good for little girl pageants too.
Nikki

lol Nikki I remember the days when I used to dread putting my hair in sponge rollers for cheerleading competitions. By the end of my cheerleading career we opted for the shirley temple hair pieces that you could just pin in the morning of the competition. Perfect uniform hair haha. My mother thinks it's funny that I now spend my nights pincurling and rolling my hair.

Cheesecakecutie :)offtopic: very cute name btw lol) I have the same hair and I have tried every single way to curl my hair. Sometimes It just ends up being a trial and error kind of thing for us long straight haired gals! For brushing out the curls a bit though, it depends on how I want it to look. For loose curls I tend to just brush 'em out with my fingers to keep some of the curly definition. The biggest thing with keeping your curls for a longer period of time is to use a lot of product. Not much for the soft natural curls sometimes but hey they're not natural.

The irony of it all. Straight haired gals do whatever they can to get curls while all curly haired gals want is "easy" straight hair. lol
 

Cheesecakecutie

Familiar Face
Messages
96
Location
Jolly England
Well thanks gals i shall give it all a wirl...and get some pillow curlers... These are some of the looks i am trying to create
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..any advice...Do any of you achieve this kinda look ??
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jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
4109415579728o67ff79jo6.jpg


This is the style that my hair is cut in; I set it using foam rollers rolled under and towards my face. I usually do six rollers on each side, and four in the back, brushed out well when dry and fluffed into place. As my hair is also straight and coarse, I swear by Aussie Instant Freeze hair spray--it is the only product that will hold even a hot set all day long (even at the end of a night on the dance floor ;))

The top two styles are set in the same basic way (with the exception that one is set more forward, and the other brushed back slightly at the crown and then set); the style that Bernie wears is simply brushed out more, using fewer/larger rollers.
 

ohairas

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,000
Location
Missouri
I would say those top 2 gals have a collar bone length cut or just below, with a few layers along the bottom and long face framing.

The longer and more one length your hair is it will hang more spiraly.

Some of you may need some razoring to fluff up your ends if your hair is very slick.

Nikki
 

Pandora Pitstop

New in Town
Messages
35
Location
London, England
Have you considered plastic? By that I mean a wig or hair piece (fall) that is already curled and won't drop out even in damp weather. I have a suitcase full of them in all shapes, lengths and styles. I also have long poker straight hair and found that you can put it up (or back) in a bun and pin a fall on to it, over it or under it and hey-presto vintage hair in a fraction of the time.
 

Miss Sis

One Too Many
Messages
1,888
Location
Hampshire, England Via the Antipodes.
Cheesecakecutie said:
I went to a hairdresser supply shop and they had never heard of sponge rollers....so will have to search for them. I got one of those hood dryers do you recommend those ???

Go directly to the largest Superdrug in your area and look where they have all the hairnets, etc. They have two sizes in my one, larger purple and smaller pink ones. I wet set with setting lotion and tend to sit under my hood dryer for a couple of short sessions, then sleep with them in.

I go for a really curly 30s style most of the time (NOT everyday, I hasten to add) but using the larger ones over most of the head and small ones just at the back gives a more 40s style and tends to keep the curl in for at least a day, and I have very fine, straight hair.
 

epr25

Practically Family
Messages
622
Location
fort wayne indiana
I would suggest using end papers for curling with rolers. They are a god send and make it sooooo much easier. They should have them by the rollers at your drug store. All they are is a very light tissue paper cut in the size right for hair. You actually could make your own with wraping tissue. Becarful with the colored stuff though it will fade color onto your hair if it's light. But I have done this several times when I ran out. Just cut a square about 2" x 3", fold in half and cover the ends of your hair. This will cut down on fishook ends and cut your rolling time down too.
 

Eleanor Marie

One of the Regulars
Messages
121
Location
Lincolnshire, UK
Trying

Cheesecakecutie said:
Well thanks gals i shall give it all a whirl...and get some pillow curlers... These are some of the looks i am trying to create[..any advice...Do any of you achieve this kinda look ??
magicinvitefrntpgss7107xa6.jpg

What do you think about this effort to try to achieve the above? My hair doesn't curl properly either and I had to resort to straighteners today and it's only shoulder length at the mo..sigh..
P2180005.jpg
 

Cheesecakecutie

Familiar Face
Messages
96
Location
Jolly England
Thats really cute...i can't do black hair i look like a goth, but it looks darn gorgeous on you honey bee....i want to curl my fringe but think i need to grow it longer to get it to curl under....Am confused...would you use a hot brush or rollers...have tried and it looks a complete mess......eeeeeeeklol
 

Eleanor Marie

One of the Regulars
Messages
121
Location
Lincolnshire, UK
thanks

Cheesecakecutie said:
Thats really cute...i can't do black hair i look like a goth, but it looks darn gorgeous on you honey bee....i want to curl my fringe but think i need to grow it longer to get it to curl under....Am confused...would you use a hot brush or rollers...have tried and it looks a complete mess......eeeeeeeklol

Thanks - my hair is dark brown ( not natural though!) Takes time to grow it to the right length.:mad:
I use curling tongs and straighteners to do the fringe - curl underneath then straighten top layer. The back I have to resort to straightening at the mo as it is not all the same length yet.
 

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