Rockabilly Pin-up Hairstyles for Women How-Tos, Part 1

You have the rockabilly clothes, the rockabilly tunes, and the rockabilly attitude, but you need the rockabilly hair! In this hub, I will give you instructions and tips on how to do your hair in different women's rockabilly hairstyles. We will use some of our most favorite rockabilly and pin-up models as guides and muses for this rockabilly hairstyle tutorial.

The first thing you need to do is to buy the proper rockabilly hair styling tools. This should include but is not limited to: pomade, hairspray, thermal spray, rattail combs, styling combs, picks, brushes, bobby pins, hair pins, a curling iron, hot rollers with clips, soft-cloth curlers/rollers, hair scissors, and accessories such as flower clips and pins for decoration.

Probably one of the easiest, cutest, and most nostalgic Rockabilly hairstyles is the Bettie Bangs! What are Bettie Bangs? Bettie Bangs are straight, blunt bangs that make a line across the middle of the forehead (as shown on the lovely Miss Bernie Dexter to the right). Why are they called Bettie Bangs? Because the notorious, retro pin-up model Bettie Page made them famous amongst Rockabilly ladies today!

I have had Bettie Bangs at least three years out of my entire life and I absolutely adore this classic Rockabilly hairstyle! If you would like to give it a go and cut your own Bettie Bangs, I guarantee that you can succeed...with a steady hand of course. ♥

You'll need the following supplies: mirror, comb, scissors, large clip or banana clip, and water.

1. Separate a front layer of hair by using your comb and running it at a curve, about a third of the crown of your head back. You'll want your bangs to look thick, so you'll need a lot of hair to do this. (check out Bernie Dexter's Rockabilly Bettie Bangs here as a frame of reference as to where to part your hair and how the part should curve)
2. Lightly spray or dampen the hair that you have separated and want to cut as your Bettie Bangs.
3. Take the excess hair that is not a part of your sectioned off bangs and clip it all to the back of your head using a large clip, hairband, or banana clip...whatever works to keep the excess hair from mixing with your bang section.
4. Remember when you wet your hair that your hair will appear longer when wet, so you will want to take your pair of sharp scissors and cut your bangs straight across your forehead, about 1 and 1/2" to 2" above your eyebrows.
5. Blow-dry your bangs and see if the length is to your liking. If they are too long, wet and repeat but cut only 1/4" to 1/2" off...you don't want to cut them too short!

Bettie Bangs are a simple and quick way to get a classic and cute women's Rockabilly hairstyle. Just keep in mind that you will most likely have to wet and dry your bangs everyday, as they can look a little funky after sleeping on them at night.

You say you don't want the Bettie Bangs, but you want a classic retro rockabilly and pin-up hairstyle? No problem! Victory rolls might be the perfect rockabilly hairstyle for you.

Victory rolls became very popular in the 1940's and were worn throughout the 1950's, as well. They were glamorous and sassy and could be seen on everyone's mothers' heads, as well as Old Hollywood starlets' heads. This is my favorite Rockabilly pin-up hairstyle and is perfect to wear to a special event such as a prom (for teenage girls), a wedding (for the women), or even on date night. Victory rolls seem like a difficult Rockabilly hairstyle to accomplish at first, but with a little practice and know-how you will be able to do Victory Rolls in no time!

Necessary Rockabilly hairstyling tools for Rockabilly Pinup Victory Rolls: styling comb, hot rollers & clips, brush, bobby pins, hairspray.

1. First you'll want to set your entire head of hair in the hot rollers and let it cool. If your hair is particularly thin, you can always tease it or brush it back to add some thickness/texture to your hair. Remember to particularly tease the sections of the sides of your head that you plan to make into your victory rolls...hold them up and tease them in the direction of the roll.
2. Pick up your comb and comb out the hair on both sides of your head, which will be used to make two Victory Rolls on the top of your head (similar to the picture on the right). Then hairspray to keep it together.
3. Because of the curl from the hot rollers, your sections of hair that you want to roll should have a natural curl to the ends. Now roll each section of hairsprayed hair on each side of your head to the top. Keep in mind that victory rolls are usually rolled up and in. Watch the video tutorial posted here for a better idea as to the direction of the roll.
4. Once you have one roll and the hair looks smooth and the curl is to your liking (as far as size and positioning), pin the insides down to the crown of your head to keep the victory roll in tact. Use a wide-toothed comb to tame any flyaways and to smooth the roll in the proper direction.
5. Experiment with different sizes of rolls, different positions of victory rolls and different weights. And don't forget to spray the hell out of it!

Don't forget that you can add a flower to the side of your head, directly underneath one of your victory rolls. Tie the rest of your hair back into a low ponytail or let it hang loose in pretty curly tendrils for a sexier night-time look! Practice makes perfect, so I suggest trying victory rolls at home a few times before wearing them out.

Ahhh, the good ol' fashioned pin curl. A quintessential retro rockabilly hairstyle which can be worn in hundreds of different fun, rockabilly ways!

• Warning: this particular type of women's rockabilly hairstyle/hairdo takes a lot of practice and is quite time consuming.

Necessary Rockabilly pin curl hairstyling tools: rattail comb, water (wet hair), and hairpins.

Depending on how big you want your pin curls and how many, you will want to section your hair into different sections using clips. You can pile the pin curl sections up all the way to the crown of your head or simply do one set of sections...the choice is yours and don't be afraid to experiment with different types of pin curl sets!

1. While your hair is very damp and sectioned off, take your first section of hair and comb it out.
2. Pinch that section of hair between your thumb and pointer finger and pull your fingers to the very end of the section. You will want to ensure that the tips of your section is fully wet for easy curling.
3. Begin to curl the section of hair upwards using thumb and pointer fingers, taking care to keep the end secured between the original thumb and pointer finger. (Also keep in mind that the direction and tightness in which you roll the pin curl depends on what you feel like doing...experimentation is key here too).
4. Pin the curl in place using a hairpin in a diagonal position. Criss-cross that hairpin with another going in the opposite direction for maximum hold.
5. Continue for the rest of the sections of hair until the entire head has been pin-curled!

If you plan to sleep with your pin curl set to let your hair dry overnight, you may want to wrap a bandana around your hair to keep it from rubbing out during the night. In the morning or once the hair is dry, take out the hairpins and VOILA instant retro glam rockabilly hairstyle! You can comb the curls out and style it whatever way you'd like from here.

• The Pompadour How-To
• Page Boy How-To
• Rosie the Riveter How-To

All coming in Rockabilly Pinup Hairstyles for Women How-To's Part 2!