1940s Hairstyles

In the 1940s, women’s hairstyles evolved to become more practical for professional women, yet they conveyed glamour and sophistication that endures in movies of that period. Styles tended to be shorter in the War years and longer and looser in the late 1940s. “1940s Hairstyles” is a how-to guide to creating these lovely styles. There are tips and instructions for the original methods of styling the hair, as well as modern alternatives for many techniques. The instructions vary in degree of detail. They give as much detail as women got in the 1940s, as many of these instructions are taken from period publications. But those women were familiar with the basic techniques and accustomed to watching their hairdressers create these styles. Modern women will need to study the basics in Chapter 2 before moving on to the styles.

Chapter 1 provides instructions for “Basic Haircuts”. 2 cuts for short hair are described and illustrated, 2 for medium-length hair, and 2 for long hair. You don’t need a period haircut to create the styles in the book, but most styles do require a layered cut in order to make curls on the top and sides of your head. I’ve also noticed that, for someone with very thick hair like myself, there is simply too much hair for these styles if it’s not layered.

Chapter 2, “The Basics”, is the most important chapter. This is where you learn how to create the basic elements of 1940s hairstyles: pin curls, waves, hair parts, rolls, pompadours, and bangs. Pay particular attention to the section on pin curls. If 1940s hairstyles could be described with one term, it would be: pin curls. Chapter 3, “Selecting the Right Hairstyle”, provides guidance in choosing a style based on the shape of your face and any imperfections you might want to camouflage.

Chapter 4 is “Basic Styles”, divided into 2 parts: Casual Gal and Career Gal. There are some photographs of movie stars sporting some of the included styles. The instructions for each style include period illustrations and sometimes period instructions, presumably taken from old magazines. Some styles include diagrams of pin curl sets and some don’t. Remember to pay attention to the direction of the curls in the diagram (clockwise or counterclockwise). “Casual Gal” includes styles for short, medium, and long hair and for women who wear glasses -about 18 styles total. “Career Girl” presents styles for short and medium-length hair, including those suitable for women who were in the military -about 15 styles total.

Chapter 5 is dedicated to “Formal and Up-Dos”. Seven styles are pictured for various lengths of hair. Chapter 6 discusses styles that incorporate “Hair Accessories”, such as braids and braided hair pieces, ribbons and bows, snoods and hairnets, scarves and turbans, and flowers.

There is a “Problem Solver Q+A” section at the end of the book, which includes answers to commonly asked questions and a little troubleshooting. Appendix A is a list of beauty supplies you will need, with descriptions. Appendix B, “Where to Find Beauty Supplies”, gives general advice, not a list of suppliers. There is an index that lists page numbers according to what length of hair the styles are suited to.
Rating: 4 / 5

This book is the only one of its kind and contains tons of information on recreating 1940s hairstyles. However, the focus is on your basic hairstyles sort of like what you see in the movie “A League of Their Own.” There is also a lot of time spent on what I would call very unattractive, Grandma-Q-tip styles.

I hunted this book down and blew a wad of cash all in search of instructions for the perfect Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, Lana Turner hairstyle and I was very disappointed. The hairstyles of the three ladies mentioned above, which are the result of tedious pin-curl sets or pin-curl permanents, are barely touched upon in this book. You are told how to make a pin curl, a picture of Rita (which is not even the look that she is famous for) and a picture of Ava are shown and you are told it is a pin-curl set and that’s about it. I found better information just by searching on pin-curls in Google for free, than I found after wasting my money on this tiny book. It is probably worth buying at the original price, or if you are interested in creating hairstyles from the 1940s that are not the glamourous Hollywood pin-curl styles.
Rating: 3 / 5

I found this book to be just incredible in its illustration on how to work with ones own hair. Not just for the forties style but with some imagination, for creating contemporary hairstyles for those who prefer not to have that straight look. In spite of its compact size, this book is a cornucopia of all kinds of hair tips from haircutting to parting the hair so that one can work easily and change ones look instantly. It has become my bible of hair fashion for sure. I can’t wait to order the rest of this series. I love it, I love it, love it!
Rating: 5 / 5