50s Style Pinup Hairstyles

The 1950s pin-up hairstyles used bows and flowers to accent curls.

The pin-up girls of the 1950s were called rockabilly girls. One such pin-up star during this time was Bettie Paige who frequently styled her hair in classic curls. The different hairstyles of 1950s pin-up girls allowed them to show off volume and shine as well as add accents like flowers and bows. The looks were classy as well as cute. Today, with curling irons and serums, these classic hairstyles require less work while still achieving that authentic 1950s pin-up girl look.

Short Bangs

The pin-up girls of the 1950s had very short, curled bangs. They achieved this look by cutting bangs on the eyebrow. Letting the hair air dry until slightly damp, you add a serum to smooth the hair then use a barrel brush to curl the bangs underneath. Adding heat with a hairdryer, continue curling the bangs under with the barrel brush. Create a tighter curl with a smaller barrel brush and firmly hold the hair with the bristles. Rollers also work for adding a curl to the bangs. Once hair is dry, curl the hair around the roller and pin in place, waiting a half hour to an hour before removal.

The Flower Part

Along with curls, pin-up girls in the 50s also liked to part their hair to one side, then pin a large flower such as a hibiscus to the flat part of their hair. First, you part the hair to the side, then you add a serum to the hair to achieve a smoothed down look. In the 50s, women used to roll hair in curlers overnight. Now you can use curlers or a curling iron, creating curls to one side. With bobby pins, you push the hair flat on the other side, then pin the flower on the flat side.

High Rise Pony Tail

With a curled bang, the pony tail of the rockabilly pin-up girl sat high at the back of their head, fastened with a bow or flower. The pony tail was often one long curl or a bunch of soft loose curls. Today you can add shine with a bit of gloss to smooth down the fly-aways and make your hair sparkle. Use curlers to curl the pony tail or curl it with a large curling iron.

The Swirl

Another look for the 1950s pin-up girl was the swirl. After curling hair entirely, the hair was sectioned off at the top, taking the top section at the forehead and twirling it around in a swirl curl, then pinning to the very top of the crown. Next, girls pinned the other sections on the sides to the back, letting the curls fall in the back, or they pined to one side and added a flower to the opposite side.

Tags: 1950s pin-up, pin-up girls, barrel brush, pin-up girl, pony tail, side then, 1950s pin-up girl