1950’s, 60’s and 70’s Hairstyles

With last weeks volumised blow-dry in mind, there are many styles that can come from that starting method when building a hairstyle. We can add more volume to create a 60’s inspired beauty look. There aren’t really any hairstyles that come into fashion that hasn’t been seen before. There are revivals of certain eras or trends that influence what we see on the catwalk or in the streets.  It was interesting when we talked about the 50’s and where we can see influences today, Miley Cyrus has a 50’s inspired hairstyle, but what was so fascinating is that she has a very cropped look with volume and length on top which was very much like popular hairstyles for Teddy boys in the 50’s.

Its really important to understand where the trends come from, in order to recreate the look or take inspiration from it.

1960’S Inspired Hairstyle

We were told to look at some images from one of the three eras, as volume isn’t my strong point I picked two images from the 60’s with max volume. I can see in the first of the images the hair looks like it is pinned up to achieve a higher look, but I really like the way the fringe falls to the left with volume, I also really like the soft curls at the ends of the hair.  The second Image looks like a step before the first image almost, i'd like to create something like this, I love the flicks and would probably achieve that with a medium sized thermal round brush, curling the hair up as I blow dried from underneath. 

When creating a hairstyle like this, it’s really best to blow-dry the hair into the style and then build upon it with added styling and backcombing to get a secure structure.  Or if for some reason you are doing to style on dry hair, it is best if the hair is not freshly washed, as the cuticle has been smoothed down and all the oil has been removed from the scalp, its hard to work with. The best hair to work on is the second day after being washed. If the hair is too clean, dry shampoo can be used to create a tacky texture, this also helps the heat to really grab onto the hair.

The best tools to use are either curling tongs or heated rollers. The size will determine how much volume you will get, use a bigger barrel curler or roller for more volume. 

Don't use hairspray as a styling product; it should be used as a finishing product. When heat is applied to hairspray it turns to crisp and the style can collapse on itself due to the hairspray weighing the hair. A good styling product for this hairstyle would be root-lifting powder that is sprinkled on the roots and teased in.

60's Hairstyle Practise 

Here is my before picture, Zaina has very long, thick hair. It is great to practise on, as I do not have much experience styling long hair. Luckily her hair was not freshly washed so it was much easier to manage. I decided to use the large barrel tong to create as much height as I could.

I let the barrel cool down for a while, I thought about speeding up the process with a cold blast with a hair dryer but it would have blown the style out maybe.

Here is the end result. I am happy with the shape but feel I could have achieved more height with the look being focused on volume. While I waited for the barrel curls to cool I added a few curls to the ends of the hair to give a more bouncy look.