April Tutorial - 1940s Hairstyle with Scarf, Three Ways

After a week's delay because of a crazy schedule (this week hasn't been much better so far!) I finally got the pictures taken for the April tutorial. I'm super excited to share it with you because ever since I wrote the post on variety of 1940s hairstyles I have been doing more experimenting on myself. Call it practicing what you preach.

Lately I've been inspired by this photo.

 

A scarf is a wonderful retro hair accessory, and perfect for costume-worthy hairstyles. Plus they add such versatility and a nice dash of color! I'd like to show you three ways you can use a scarf to create different 1940s looks.

 

I realize that my hair is short and that is an assistance to creating vintage hairstyles, but at least parts of this hairstyle could be duplicated by ladies with longer hair, and hopefully it will be inspiring.

By the way, I'm extremely basic when it comes to hair supplies...shampoo and conditioner, sponge rollers, hairspray, brush and comb. To prepare for this hairstyle, I just took out my sponge curlers and did a very quick brush-through just to distribute the curls a bit. I did not brush the few curls on the top of my head on either side of the part.

 

Prep

The first step is to separate your front hair above each ear. You want a nice big section if possible but not too far back. I clipped the rest back for now, to keep it out of the way.

 

Then take the scarf and place it over your head, where the hair was separated. My scarf was about 1 1/2 yds long. I knotted it under my back hair to keep it in place for now.

 

There is a variety of ways to do the front hair. In the inspiration photo above, the lady wears two smooth rolls. That works, but I like to add a little more this time for myself. If you experiment, you can discover what you prefer. 

 

Right Front

 Starting on the right side of the head, take the separated front section and comb it through. If you want to have a few pin curls, do not comb them through (I kept a strand at the top in ringlet form for the pin curls). 

 

To make my roll, I just wind the hair around two fingers and twist it against my head. Make sure the roll is over the head scarf. 

 

Secure with bobby pins. You want as few pins as possible to make the hair secure, and they should be as invisible as possible.

 

Finished roll.

 

To add pin curls, I separated the ringlet strand that I saved out just under my part, and wrapped half of the strand at a time around my fingers to roll it up against my head.

Pin. The roll should keep these secure with just one bobby pin, if you can thrust the bobby pin through the pin curl into the roll.

 

First side done:

 

 

Left Front

For side number two, again I left the curls at the top and took only the side or longer portion of the separated section. Comb it out and make a roll like the first roll.

Try to make them even, if possible (mine rarely are! :-) Finished roll. 

 

 

Hairspray and smooth both roll and curls. Frizz is a no-no for 1940s hairstyles! 

 

 

I like the ringlet look on the top here, and it's certainly period correct. You could just pin the ringlets in place if you want and not comb them at all. This time though I wanted more of a wave, so I combed that section through and twisted the ends under.

Pin and hairspray.

  

Finished front. The scarf is quite secure because it is held on both sides by the rolls.

 

Back Hair

Now brush out the back hair. (If you have longer hair, a low bun would be a great way to deal with the back hair.) Don't brush it too much because you want defined curls, rather than waves.

 

Once you're satisfied with the brushing job, hairspray the top and smooth it down. You want it to be very smooth and the strands laying properly above the curls.

 

Scarf Look #1

Now the fun part comes, with the scarf! Of course the easiest thing to do is to knot it over one shoulder and let your hair hang over it. You'll see this a lot for casual costumes in the 1940s; often with a riding outfit or something similar. 

 

Scarf Look #2

Or you can take the ends and cross them underneath your back hair...

  

...and tie the ends in a bow on top, making a ponytail. Don't make it too tight - you want a wide, loose ponytail, not a stranglehold. This is a great hairstyle for summer since it keeps your hair off your neck!

 

Scarf Look #3

The third way to use the scarf ends is this time cross the ends on top of your hair...

 

...bring them underneath, loosely knotting them once...

 

...and tie underneath. Let the ends hang like this...

 

...or tie it in a bow under your hair.

 

A super cute way to keep your hair out of the way for a busy or warm day!

 

Of course, you can always nestle a flower clip where the scarf crosses. Just for fun.

 

 

Just a note about authenticity, if you do wear a scarf in your hair that should usually take the place of a hat unless it's a sun-hat worn with a casual outfit. But it's perfect for house, beach, or picnic wear!

 

I hope you enjoyed this vintage hairstyling tutorial. Thanks for stopping by this month!

~Kristen - Verity Vintage Studio

 

Look for my new tutorials posted sometime during the first full week of every month. Hairstyles, crafts, repurposing, project journals, do-it-yourself vintage or alterations, etc.

 

Comments

[Gina White]

Oh my heavens you are so adorable! I LOVE this style and think I will give it a try for my "every day" hair styles! The hair is getting long and I am in need of cute/sweet styles and I think this may fit the bill! Thank you for the tutorial!
Blessings!
Gina

[Kristen Stoltzfus Clay]

I'm so glad you like it, Gina, and that it's helpful for you. I'd love to see a picture if you try it! I think you'd look great in a hairstyle like this!

[carol]

Scarf look number 3 would look splendid on me methinks!