Recreating the Classic 1960s or 70s Home Hairdressing Experience

 

Imagine waking up every morning with your hair  in curlers and being so happy that they are still in neatly and tightly enough for that perfect morning hairdo. Or going shopping on Saturdays with a scarf over your curlers. Those are some of the most  iconic 1950s, 60s  and 70s ladies home hairdressing experiences but there really was a lot more to it than simply that. 

I thought it would be fun to cover some of the typical routines used by so many women and girls in the 50s, 60s and 70s to achieve those wonderful hairdos.  Last post captured a lot of actual recollections of those experiences but this one really outlines those common routines both for almost a historic record  as well as for reenactment purposes or if you just want to add them to you vintage hair experience. And if you have the time it can be quite fun and you will end up with the best hair for doing any style - modern or vintage - so you may become a convert to doing hair the old ways.

The Basics

 You (obviously) need to be able to set your hair with regular rollers (not electric or velcro) as it was done back then.  A long time ago I wrote a couple of articles for Karen @ Bobbins and Bombshells (a really great blogger now with a store and complete vintage site). So rather than repeat things, I am going to be a bit lazy and point you to two sections on her blog for a concise "how to get started". Here are the links: A Basic Wet-set for Vintage Hairdos and Basic Setting Patterns for Vintage Hairdos. She also bundled these two post together with details on individual hairdos here Wet-Sets with Pete. If you need to learn how to do vintage wetsets that's a good place to set started. 

Since doing it authentically is the theme of this post, use old style wire brush rollers for 1950s to mid 60s and you can add to that colorful plastic brush rollers for more 60s to 70s authenticity. Foam rollers were much less common, and while magnetic rollers (smooth plastic) were often used in beauty salons, they are harder to set and keep secure overnight so they were less common at home. 

 

Classic wire brush rollers.

 

Typical brush rollers in the 60s or 70s.

 

Wire brush rollers are easily available new today but be careful: some have brushes that are too long and are both uncomfortable and tend to get the rollers entangled in your hair. You may have to try a few to find good ones. They are also often rightly colored may look nice but that is not authentic! My choice is always vintage rollers from places like Ebay but be careful with these as well - used ones may be worn out, and even some in unopened packages may have deteriorated over time. Look at photos carefully!

 

Plastic Wil-hold brush rollers are some of the best.

Air drying in the 60s or 70s.

 

For plastic brush rollers the most authentic are Wil-Hold Plastic Brush Rollers. A close second is Solo Sleepeasy  Brush Rollers. Wil-hold rollers are often available on ebay so they must have been most common. Most stand the test of time, but one bundle of used ones I purchased were missing many bristles so inspect the photos carefully. Unopened packages are usually perfect. If you come across newer ones ones with more 70s style artwork as opposed to 60s, get them: the plastic is a bit more flexible and more comfortable. The Solo Sleepeasy rollers  show up less often on Ebay but they are there at times. Keep your eyes open at thrift stores - I was thrilled to pick up a large bag of these in excellent condition at a Goodwill store. These rollers also got better in the 70s with softer plastic - look for brightly colored ones. The pale pink and white ones seem more brittle and can break. 

Of course there a lots of other vintage rollers to choose from. I wrote a buying guide here  A Vintage Hair Rollers Buying Guide .

You will also need piks (aka picks) - the pins that hold the roller. The best are vintage Wil-hold ones:

The best roller piks (Wil-hold).

Perfect roller set using piks and wire brush rollers.

These Wil-hold brand piks work the best and are the most comfortable for most rollers. Details here Roller Piks (Picks or Pins).

Once you have have some vintage rollers and learned how to set your hair with them, its time to make your sets true to  form for the 1950s, 60s  or 70s .   

To be really authentic as opposed to a modern rollerset, hair needs to be neatly wound with some little tension on each roller and secured with one or two piks. Rollers should be close together in neat rows as well and should look like a work of art as in the photo.  How tight depends on what works for you but the rollers should not be able to move. Don't be tempted to use piks from roller-to-roller until your really good at setting comfortably: you wont be able to adjust each roller individually if they get too tight as the hair drys.There is nothing more unpleasant as single tight curler you cant get at!  A set should never be so tight that it hurts but a well done set can be anywhere from a  little to quite prickly from the brushes and piks. With practice you get to know how a well done set should feel. Note: one deviation from true authenticity: back then, rollers were set as tight as possible often being quite uncomfortable. Don't go too tight! Tight has great results and is authentic, but painfully tight wont make your hair any better and isn't a good part of the authentic experience to re-create and can lead to hair loss! Even tightness is they key as one Facebook commenter remembered "If the tension is right it doesn't hurt - just like the girl in the circus  who swings by her hair. Even tension" and that is so true. Done that way, its so satisfying to be in a perfectly done set.

Once you have gotten the hang of putting in  rollers properly (as opposed to today's messy poor excuses for roller sets!) you can really start having fun experiencing the vintage routines. 

Here are some of the most typical everyday house hair routines:

 

The Homemaker's  Daytime Set

The best routine to start with is a routine many housewives used in the 60s: Set you hair in the morning, cover it with a scarf, and let it dry naturally all day. Remove rollers early evening and comb or brush your perfect hairdo.

Here are some vintage examples of how to cover your curlers with a scarf or curler cap:

 

 

Classic scarf over rollers.

Thinner scarf keeping rollers in place.

 

 

 

 

       Perfect set under a scarf from the 1970 movie "Wanda"

Pretty curler caps were often used to cover rollersets.

A square  scarf is usually folded into a triangle with the corners of the long diagonal side  going from ear, around the face and down to the next ear. The center corner goes over the heard and back to you neck.   Carefully draping the scarf over you head as described - it can get snagged and stuck on the rollers or piks. Once it is in place pull the corners of the diagonal down and around the back and over the other corner, and tie them together.  Adjust the scarf and tighten as needed - it should be nice and snug so the rollers are all secure. Carefully not to tighten too much or it will be uncomfortable, but tight enough and you will feel nicely set. 

One authentic variation on wearing a scarf over rollers is to tie it under you chin like this:

This is perfect for  rollers set in a halo pattern keeping them nicely in place.  And its also wonderful as part of the authentic expedience: whenever you talk or eat, you feel a slight tug on your rollers as a nice reminder that your in a vintage rollerset.

You can see in photos it seemed usually seemed customary to leave the rollers visible in the front, maybe to show off your set.  Trying to cover the front you wouldn't be fooling anyone anyway but that wasn't the intent - even from the back the "roller bumps" are always visible. 

 It was common not only to dry that way at home but go shopping in curlers. Probably not recommended today :) .But it can be fun to do at home and if you can keep it up daily for a couple of weeks you'll be amazed how you can get used to being in curlers and how satisfying it is feeling so vintage all the time. You'll also notice how much more manageable you hair becomes.

 

The Homemakers  Overnight Set 

 

 

Sleeping in curlers.

 

This is the overnight version of "The Homemaker's  Daytime Set" above.  Set your hair after dinner making sure your curlers are secure so they wont come out overnight but being careful not to make them uncomfortably tight. Cover with a pretty vintage curler cap.

 

A pretty vintage curler cap.

Spend the night dreaming about tomorrows hairdo. And there is nothing more satisfying then waking up with you hair prefectly set. For true authenticity, get up early and do you hair before everyone else at home gets up. Or, if your hair  is hard to set or slow to dry, cover with a scarf and spend the day in curlers until late afternoon (see above).  This was the most iconic  housewife routine, with classic black wire brush rollers being typical of the 50s and 60s.

 

The Younger Set

Hairdos for younger women were often longer and required much more time in curlers to dry. This often meant putting in rollers as soon as they got home from work or school and leaving them in till the last moment before leaving in the morning. Those lucky enough to have a dryer would partially dry while doing homework or watching TV.  Saturdays could mean setting in the morning and drying all day instead of sleeping in rollers on Friday night. Or setting Friday night as usual and staying set till Monday morning because it was easier than doing your hair every morning. And if something came up, you hair was already set and dried for a quick combout.

Classic photo of watching TV in curlers probably from the 1960s or 70s.

This is a fun routine to try: Your not setting your hair late night when your tired, and you have plenty to time after setting to adjust your rollers for comfort as they partially dry before bed. And you really get to "live in curlers" which was so common back then.

 

The Home for the Holidays Set

This is just the "I don't have to go anywhere" version of above and takes the least effort of all. Just set you hair as neatly and perfectly as possible and cover with a scarf during the day or a curler cap overnight and stay set for 2 or 3 days. Its no work after setting, and your  ready all the time if you need a special hairdo. In some areas the set actually became the hairstyle.

 

Curlers as a hairdo from the 1974 movie "Lords of Flatbush"

Try being mostly in curlers for a week or so to really experience this, taking out your curlers every few days to wash and re-set your hair. While today you cant really be seen in public in curlers it can be a fun thing to do at home during the pandemic.

 

Daily Setting with  Dryer

Perhaps the most enjoyable experiencing is drying with a vintage home bonnet dryer.  My favorite home dryer which must have been so common that there are literally dozens of Ebay listings at any time is this one

The GE dryer with the "reach-in"bonnet.

This dryer was marketed by GE under numerous names. but the key feature of all of them is the  "reach-in bonnet" - you can literally reach to adjust your curlers while drying without risking messing up your set buy taking off the bonnet. Being under the dryer for an hour or so is great way to get used to being in curlers. Its also a wonderfully authentic experience that is an absolute joy - the warmth are over you rollers and the gentle hum of the dryer is so relaxing its no wonder many women of that period loved their daily dryer time and used it to reduce their time in curlers or do a quick hairdo for an unexpected event. It was also great way to study undisturbed and partially dry longer hair to ensure it would be completely dry in the morning after an overnight set. 

 

Look at this amazing dryer hood.

 The dryers also came with a variety of fashionable bonnets so you can look pretty while drying,

 

For $5.00 you got get a designer hood (lower left).

 

Try a daily morning, afternoon or evening set under the dryer for this authentic experience. There is nothing more relaxing than an hour under a warm dryer!

Its The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: The Frequent Sets of  the Christmas Season

Redbook magazine (Christmas  1962)  referred to "The Frequent Sets of  the Christmas Season". Impeccable hair was required at all times with people dropping by, parties and other functions. This inevitably meant at least nightly sets for some of those wonderful more delicate "set looking" hairdos and also a second set under the dryer in the afternoon to be ready for the evening  if you hair didn't hold a set well.  Or just to have fancier hairdo that evening. If you enjoyed doing your hair, this must really have been the most wonderful time of the year. 

 

Mary Tyler Moor wearing a perfect "not a hair out of place" set looking hairdo.

Redbook also showed showed something I had never heard of before  - wearing curlers beneath an elegant hat or turban as part of a fancy outfit to have your hair ready for a later event. Hard to imagine what it must have been like to be at a formal event with you hair set knowing no-one else even realizes your in curlers.

You wouldn't guess she is wearing curlers!

Try this for a few days during the holidays! It can be great fun doing a hairdo or two every day for Christmas.

 

Other things that have been mentioned ...

For interests sake and autenticity, here they are:

I have seen a few mentions of some women wearing curlers all summer because it was cooler! Probably makes sense if you have long hair and don't want to cut it. Those were also the days before air conditioning.

Apparently in some industrial areas in the the UK, the women who worked in the factories would set their hair on Sunday night and stay in curlers till Friday evening. You can imagine how brutally tiring some of those factory jobs must have been so it probably was a huge time saver for them rather than doing their hair every day. 

Finding that you are so used to sleeping in curlers, you can't sleep without them. I've seen this mentioned numerous times - its all what you get used to. 

Use as many rollers as possible for quicker drying. More rollers are also more comfortable for sleeping in because the weight of you head is distributed over more of them rather than a few pressure points.

Housewives doing a second set during the day just for the quite time under the dryer. Probably the only way to justify with relaxing for a while in a world where houses had to look perfect and were cleaned top to bottom every day. 

Taking your own curlers to the salon so that you could take them out later at home or come back later to have it done - probably for fancier hairdos that just wouldn't last for any length of time. Or wearing the salons curlers home for the same reason - apparently that became a problem in the 60s with some salons running low on curlers presumably on days like Fridays or Saturdays. 

Making the curlers the actual hairdo - often a grunge or tough girl look. Watch the move "Lords of Flatbush" to see this. Or just feeling you looked better in curlers that in the resulting hairdo. I have heard this multiple time - probably because it can be easier to do a perfectly neat set than the teasing and combing to make the perfect hairdo. 

 

 Wanda in the 1970 movie of the same name.

Looking pretty while setting you hair. Look at these curler piks with flowers. Or the pretty scarfs or curler caps, sometimes coordinated to match the rest of your outfit. Or brightly colored curlers, Or designer (yes designer!) dryer bonnets to look pretty while drying. 

 

Curler Piks with decorative flowers.

Putting cotton balls, wads of kleenex, or little sponges under you brush rollers to make them more comfortable to sleep in. Sadly many women back then who didn't think of this and were uncomfortable if they need really tight sets. 

So what to consider if you want to an authentic routine?

 All of these routines have one thing in common: spending a large portion of your time in curlers and it takes a while to get used to. If you set your hair carefully with some of the more comfortable  vintage rollers it can be quite fun. 

Make an effort when setting your hair - in those days, sets were neat and tight:  a curler was never out of a place and a well done set  was almost a work of art. And it had to be since being seen in curlers was not uncommon and it was important to show off how well your set is done  - even if partially covered with a scarf or curler cap. If you want an authentic 1950s and early 60s look, black brush rollers with pink or white plastic picks are the look. For mid 60s onward, pink or brightly colored plastic rollers were common  and look so period. Make sure there us no space between rollers for authenticity!

Be careful how tight you wind your rollers. Sets in the 50s, 60s and 70s had hair stretched as it was wound and rollers fastened as tightly as possible, not always the most comfortable experience. So. try this instead: secure your rollers so none are loose and experiment with how tight to wind them going for just tight enough to occasionally noticing your curlers. That usually gives good results and is good start. As you get used to sets try a bit tighter for crisper results.  Even tension all over can even make the tightest sets comfortable once your used to them and you can have that most authentic of all experience of feeling set all the time.

And once your used to it the authenticness is really fun: its a nice sense of accomplishment when you can set your hair perfectly without even thinking and wonderfully relaxing if you can spend a hour drying afterwards. If your in curlers during the day, the look is so vintage and that in-curlers feeling can be a wonderful reminder of both the anticipation of and the beautiful hairdo later on. And waking up in a perfect set is so satisfying both from having achieved that to just having that vintage experience. So experiment and have fun enjoying as an authentic experience and vintage hair as possible!

  

Photo attributions: Most photo here that aren't mine are from Pinterest. There doesn't seem to be a good way of determining  the original source or owner. If you are the owner or appear in any of these photos and would like them removed, please send a note (with some sort of proof of your connection to the photo) and I will remove them.