How to Do 50s Hairstyles

In the 50s there was a variety of different hairstyles for both men and women. Most of the hairstyles for women included curly hair that was pulled up into a ponytail with a long scarf tied around it or large and teased-out to create a dramatic volumized-effect, such as the poodle cut or the bouffant. Men kept things slick with either short, military crew cuts or slicked-back dos.

Womens Hairstyles

Ponytail

1. Brush the hair to remove any tangles.


2. Pull the hair to the back of the head using a brush to smooth the top layer, and tightly pull the hair together in the back.


3. Secure the hair into a ponytail using a ponytail holder or rubber band.


4. Tie a scarf around the ponytail, and allow it to hang down on either side of the ponytail to create the classic 50s ponytail.

Bouffant

1. Place hot rollers throughout the hair, covering the entire head.


2. Allow the hot rollers to sit in the hair for approximately 15 minutes, or until the hot rollers cool down to the touch.


3. Remove the hot rollers from the hair.


4. Use a fine-tooth comb to tease the hair. You need to tease the entire head of hair to provide the needed fullness and volume.


5. Smooth out the top layer of hair carefully so that the hair underneath the surface remains teased, and the top layer looks smooth and neat.


6. Spray down the surface of the hair with quite a bit of hairspray to help hold the bouffant in place.

Poodle Cut

1. Cut the hair so that it is short. For a poodle cut, the typical length is above the shoulders.


2. Have the hair permed with a tight perm so that you create tight curls. The name poodle cut derives from the similarity with the coat of a poodle, which is short and very curly.


3. Allow the hair to lie naturally or use bobby pins to secure back the front part of the hair away from the face.

Mens Hairstyles

Crew Cut

1. Cut the hair using hair cutting clippers using a 1/8 inch blade.


2. Use this blade to trim down all of the hair to this length creating a neat and clean-cut appearance.


3. Add styling gel if preferred.

Greaser

1. Grow out the hair long. Long hair is required for this style.


2. Comb the hair back towards the back of the head.


3. Create a part on the side that you prefer.


4. Add grease to slick the hair back and keep it in place while adding a raised up area in the front of the head.