When I about 16 years old I started playing around with vintage hairstyles. I would watch old movies and scour my local vintage shop for old magazines and study their intricate hairstyles. I started to understand and admire the esthetic and shape of the vintage styles and I wanted it!!!

I eventually cut my bangs into “Bettie Bangs” and started twisting my hair and creating poodle hairstyles. I bought snoods and started making my own hair flowers. The only problem was, I naturally have incredibly curly and thick hair and the styles that I was in love with were all lovely waves or soft curls. And the idea of running a brush through my hair sent shivers down my spine. A brush though my crazy, curly locks typically resulted in a huge frizzy mane that even Mufasa would be jealous of.

Here is my natural curl

Nowhere in the vintage magazines did it ever talk about how to style naturally curly hair. I just assumed that no one had curly hair back then. Then came the Internet. Once photo and video tutorials were commonplace and vintage blogs started popping up I once again turned to educate myself. Yet, I still couldn’t find anything specific to naturally curly hair. I found some great info on styling your hair when it’s curly, but nothing about how to achieve the coveted vintage styles by taming my natural curl. So I started to experiment.

I learned from having Bettie Bangs that it was imperative to “relax” the curl in order to manipulate it and bend it to my will. So I started to experiment to see how I could temporarily relax my curl and create the soft waves I was so desperate for. I never wanted to use chemical relaxers and while I do use a straightening iron occasionally (mostly on my fringe), fully straightening my hair never worked to create the style I was after. If I straightened my hair it wouldn’t hold a curl for more than 30 minutes.

My hope for this post is to provide some guidance to anyone who is struggling with vintage hairstyles and their naturally curly hair. There will be some general information as well, so If you don’t have naturally curly hair, some of this information might still be helpful for you.

I’ll list some of my favorite products and tools here. I will create another post for my various wet sets and then I will start a few tutorials for my styles.

Because my hair tends to be dry, I try not to use too many heat styling products. I wash and set my hair once a week. I can sometimes draw it out to 10 days, if I’ve not heavily styled it every day.

CLEANSE, CONDITION & SET

WASH: I have been struggling since moving to Hawaii to find the perfect shampoo and conditioner. The water here is much harder and with the humidity and wind, my hair is really taking a beating. I’ve gone back and forth between two brands and I like them both for different reasons.

The first is the Olaplex system. This is a collection of products that help to re-build the the broken bonds in every type of hair providing real, structural repair that works from within, leaving hair stronger than ever. It’s paraben-free, vegan, sulfate-free and phthalate-free.

N° 3 Hair Perfector is an at-home treatment, not a conditioner, that reduces breakage and visibly strengthens hair, improving its look and feel. It will restore your hair’s healthy appearance and texture by repairing damage and protecting hair structure.

N°4 Shampoo repairs and protects hair from everyday stresses — including damaged hair, split ends, and frizz — by re-linking broken bonds. Leaves hair easier to manage, shinier and healthier with each use. N°4 is color-safe and proven to reduce breakage and strengthen all types of hair.

N° 5 Conditioner leaves hair easier to manage, shinier and healthier with each use. Protects and repairs damaged hair, split ends, and frizz by re-linking broken bonds. It is color-safe and will strengthen and leave your hair stronger than ever.

As I am Coconut Co-Wash and Leave-in Conditioner. If you prefer a co-wash system, these products are fantastic. The cleansing conditioner cleans and hydrates my hair and the leave-in conditioner adds moisture without weighing down my hair.

TOWEL: It took me a while to figure this one out. It is really important to have the right type of towel to dry curly hair. A microfiber towel is the best or you can use an old t-shirt and remember, never rub your hair dry as this will separate the curl and create frizz. I use a Turbie Twist Microfiber Hair Towel right out of the shower. I twist up all of my hair into this turban and secure it with the fastener in the back. I keep it in this towel for 15-20 minutes to whisk away the excess water.

SETTING LOTION: I’ve tried so many setting lotions and found that straightening balms tended to work better for me. However I was noticing that my scalp was getting dry and flaky so I was once again on the search for something new. Over the last year or so I’ve been making my own flax seed setting lotion. It has done wonders for my hair. I have less flaking, it holds my sets really well and hair looks really shiny.

See my recipe below. This recipe makes enough for me for 2 wet sets and will last 2 weeks in the fridge. I just spray it on each section of hair then I can start to roll my hair into my sponge rollers. I have a few patterns I use regularly depending on the desired outcome. I will do a separate post on my various sets, but you can see my regular wet set here.

Learn how to make your own Flax Seed Setting Lotion

STYLING PRODUCTS

HAIR OIL: Sadly my favorite hair oil is no longer being manufactured (Precious Oil Versatile Caring Oil from Pureology). I’ve been using the Olaplex #7 Bonding Oil recently and I really like it. It adds shine and smooths flyaways. It also replenishes the protective lipid layer to enhance color vibrancy. This was very important to me when I colored my hair red, as red tends to fade quickly. But it works well even with my dark brown color now. I use this oil after my hair has dried, before I style it. I use this oil just about every day to add shine and create smooth styles.

HAIRCREAM: On vacation a few years ago, I forgot some of my styling products so I used my husband’s Brylcreem for a bit of hold and I fell in love. It’s a light creamy product that has a light hold, and give your hair shine. As my hair is dryer naturally, I can handle this kind of product. But I would imagine that if you have thin hair or if it tends toward oiliness, this would not be a good product for you. I use a very small amount and distribute it evenly through my hair. It does have a light “men’s hair product” smell, but I don’t mind it at all and it dissipates very quickly.

HAIRSPRAY: I love Elnett Unscented Strong Hold. This is truly THE BEST hairspray for anyone who doesn’t wash their hair everyday. It’s not a super strong hold, but it’s great for most hairstyles, and the fact that it’s unscented in a bonus as I am very sensitive to smells. I never understood why hairspray should be scented anyway. But what makes it so amazing is that it really does “disappear with a stroke of a brush” as indicated on the bottle. Which means that it doesn’t create a ton of build up on your hair so I can style my hair for several days not feel like my hair is gross.

Another favorite of mine is Kenra #13 Perfect Medium Hairspray. This is another hairspray that bushes out nicely and doesn’t leave build-up or residue.

POMADE: Pomade is essential to sculpt and hold vintage styles. I usually only use pomade when sculpting victory rolls or small pin curls. I don’t like to use it on all of my hair unless I’m doing a very sleek look. I have tried many different pomades and finally came across one that I adore. It’s from a small handmade company on Etsy called LBCC Historical. I use both the Scented Orange Blossom and Scented Clove. I love the feel and texture of these and the smell is absolutely divine.

Watch my video on how I deal with Frizzy Hair

STYLING TOOLS

BRUSHES: Another “can’t live without” item is my Denman brush. As I mentioned before, I never really used a brush on my curly hair and certainly never really cared what kind of brush I used. But when the Denman brush was highly recommended I thought I would try it. And it really changed my mind and my styling process. This brush really helps to sculpt my curls and waves, it’s comfortable in my hand and massages my scalp. I brush my hair each night before bed, otherwise it tangles. This also helps to brush out some of the product that I use and helps distribute some of the natural oils.

I also have the Denman boar bristle brush, which I use for taming some flyaways and doing more sleek styles.

COMBS: Two essentials are a wide-tooth comb and a rat-tail comb. The wide-tooth comb is perfect for combing the through wet hair and also combing out my set right after I take out my sponge rollers. For most naturally curly haired girls, the wide-tooth comb is the closest thing we get to a brush.

The rat-tail comb is your basic comb for everything from parting your hair for wet sets, side or middle part to backcombing for extra volume. I also use this comb to straighten my hair as I wrap each strand around the sponge roller.

CLIPS: Duck-bill clips and pin curl clips are used to help separate the hair, secure a pin curl or sculpt a wave. I also have a few wave clips, which can be helpful for creating a more defined finger wave.

HAIR SIDE COMBS: I have several sizes of hair combs, and I prefer the brand Grip-Tuth. These keep your hair in place because the teeth touch each other, leaving no room for hair to slide out. I use these regularly to hold the sides of my hair up or back. These create a nice soft look. I use them when I do my twist hair styles (as pictured above) as they really grip and hold your hair in place.

RAT ROLL: I will have to dedicate an entire post to the infamous rat roll. I make my own rat roll with hair that I collect from my hairbrush. I keep the hair in my beautiful hair receiver that sits on my vanity. I do have a few synthetic rolls that I use for a larger back roll. But I prefer to make/use my own.

HAIR PINS: Of course every woman’s vintage hair routine would not be complete without bobby pins. I use two different sizes – medium and small – and I make sure that they are never seen. It’s a big no-no to have your bobby pins showing. It does take some practice to learn where to place the bobby pin and hide it, but it can, and should be done.

The medium size pins are great for just about everything, but the small pins I reserve for small pin curls or any curl or wave around my face. They are much easier to conceal.

I also use traditional hair pins to secure rat rolls and french twists. They aren’t tight like a bobby pin but they do hold larger amounts of hair pretty well.

Well, I think that’s about all my main products and tools. Check out my favorites page all of the products and tools that I use regularly. I hope this was helpful for you. And just remember that practice really does make perfect. My best advise is to really get to know your hair, and learn what its strengths and weakness are. Be kind to yourself when learning, and most of all, have fun with your styles.

I look forward to answering your questions. I’d also love to hear from you, which hairstyle you’d like to see a tutorial of.

Watch my  full Hair Tutorial Playlist on YouTube

Love,