I haven’t posted for a while because I’ve been busy planning my wedding, which is in April.

As we’re having a very small, intimate wedding in the afternoon I went with a very simple 1960s mod dress. I’d like to style my hair in a way that will suit the time period of the dress without backcombing or doing anything else that would be too damaging.

I was thinking of a very large bun on top of my head with little braids encircling the bun. I saw a style like this in a film. The problem is that the woman in the film had hair to her knees while mine is only just longer than BSL (and very fine/thin).

I’ve seen hair rats mentioned on this site but I’ve never used one before- does anyone know where I could buy them, or even how to make one?

I’m also wondering about hair pieces… Have any of you ever used a hair piece before?

Can’t wait to hear your suggestions!  :)

Nice to see you again, Ollave; and congratulations!  :D

The bun and braids combo sounds really nice. I think some people make sock buns to make their, er, buns larger and that might be an option for you. As for the rats, I'm not sure if they can be bought, but they seem rather simple to make. First you need to collect your shed hairs for at least a month. After you have the harvested hairs, you can put them into a hair net to make a rat. I haven't made any rats myself, but hopefully someone who has will chime in and give you better directions.

Good luck! Keep us posted about what happens.  :)

Congratulations on your wedding!

You can buy hair rats from this site
http://www.adiscountbeauty.com/page73.html

And this site has donut shaped ones
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/jump.jsp?itemID=30356&itemType=PRODUCT&searchid=inceptor

As far as mod hair, when I do a French twist, with the twist ending high on my head, it tends to look boufant-y.  Maybe you can try that.  The hair rat would help with the pouf if your hair isn't thick.

Cynde

Thank you both! :)

Juri: Love your idea about collecting hair sheds, I shed so much that if I did that for a couple months I could probably make little braids out of it.

Khrome: Thanks for the links. Now my only question is once I’ve purchased the rat how does it work? I understand the general idea but am at a loss as to how the hair is wrapped around it.

As for a French twist, my hair is so fine/thin (think my ponytail measures about an inch and a half) that when I do a twist or a bun, even though it’s not pulled tight, it looks as though I’ve slicked my hair back as tight as can be. In fact I have a cowlick right on the back of my head that often looks like a bald spot- it’s not though, but I have to take care to make sure I comb that hair in the opposite direction. So no pouf for me! :(

Which is funny because when my hair is down it has just enough body to be very poufy, except I never wear it down.

Lately I’ve been trying an early 70s style in which I brush all my hair in the opposite direction that I usually part it (left to right) as though I were doing a side ponytail, stick two bobby pins along the back and then swoop the ponytail (just gathered in my hand) toward the back of my head and make a loose bun. That seems to be the only way I can get any lift on the top, and even then it doesn’t always work.

So my idea for that Audrey Hepburn-ish look is going to be difficult considering my hair.

Also, check out www.dreamweaverbraiding.com -- the lady does varying braid combinations.  One might spark your interest.

wrote on Jan 21^st, 2006 at 3:31pm:

Thank you both! :) Khrome: Thanks for the links. Now my only question is once I’ve purchased the rat how does it work? I understand the general idea but am at a loss as to how the hair is wrapped around it.

Unfortunately, I've never used one so I can't tell you for sure.  But if I were to guess - for the donut shaped ones, I think you make a ponytail, put it through the donut hole, then wrap your hair evenly over the sides (so you are kind of making a fountain shape.)  The end of your hair would end up between the donut and your head, where you can secure it with a hair tie or toy.  Not sure if you can use pins with rats.

Cynde

Panpeus: Thanks for the suggestion; hopefully I'll get a chance to check out that site today.

Khrome: Thank you for the instructions. Sounds as though I could do as loose ponytail before I wrap the rat and probably get some lift in my hair that way, I’ll have to buy one and play around with it.

I really appreciate all of the help! :)

You're welcome, Ollave. I had no idea people could buy synthetic rats, though. I think they would be less weird-looking than the one I suggested (got that from a website on how to make Civil War-era hairstyles).

Oh, another place with lots of hairstyles is the Long Hair Loom's styling station.

Wow, thank you, both of those sites have fabulous ideas!

I totally feel your pain, ollave. My hair is way thin too and behaves just like yours when I try to put it up.  :-/

If your hair looks & feels thickest when you wear it down, then maybe you should wear it down for the wedding. Try a wide-ish headband that either compliments or matches your dress. Headbands are totally 60's mod.

I had my hair professionally styled for my wedding and...ugh! The updo was beautiful, but after all of the teasing, drying, curling, weaving, pinning and spraying...just to have it covered up by a veil? That was $75 that I could have easily saved. Plus, my hair was waist-length at the time & no one could tell.  :P

If I ever get married again (God willing), I'll be sure to wear my hair down so it can actually be seen.

The hair rat sounds like a good idea, though they can be tricky. You basically slide it down the length of your hair, almost to the ends, then just start rolling it up in your hair until you reach the scalp. Fasten the ends of the rat together, cover them and voilà! It takes a bit of practice, of course.

Hair pieces are available at most beauty supply stores. Just a simple braided piece that matches your own haircolour would look quite elegant around the bun. Just pin them discreetly in place.

Angel Spun: It sounds as though you really understand my dilemma! I thought about the headband thing but then I found this wonderful 60s hat with netting so I think I have to wear my hair up (it gets tangled and ugly if I wear it down for that long anyway).

I agree with you though on paying to have my hair done, not only money wise (which I am on a tight budget) but also how long it would take for my hair to recover from that kind of stress/damage.

This morning I was looking at hair styling site and found two that have directions on how to set hair in large curlers for retro styles:

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fashion/hair-setting.htm
http://www.hairarchives.com/private/archivesnew.htm#evol2

I’m thinking big curls the old fashion way (no heat but uncomfortable to sleep in) might just be the way to go. Of course I’ve still got time to play around, and to change my mind- which means I’m definitely still open to suggestions and advice.

I can’t believe what a treasure this message board is, thank you everyone so much!!!

Congrats Ollave!!!!! :D :D

You may find something at The Wedding Channel it's easy to register, and they help you to find a style that matches your veil, and dress.


Hope this helps :)

So I bought a hair rat, very large curlers (the smooth plastic kind), and some synthetic hair. I know the wedding is two and a half months away but I feel I need to practice!

The rat didn’t come with instructions but this is what I figured out playing with it: You make a ponytail, slide the rat onto the base of it, fan your hair over the rat then tuck and slid hair around the rat (similar to a French twist), pinning with hairpins.

I have two problems with this; 1) my hair is not thick enough to cover the rat without it showing in spots, and 2) I didn’t realize when I bought the rat that it has a seam and it torn my hair badly.

I am now leaning toward Juri’s idea of making my own (I’ve been collecting hair sheds since she mentioned it).

I did braid the synthetic hair and tried using it as a rat which worked better than the foam, and because it’s close to my color (red) it doesn’t matter if it shows a little in places. It is quite heavy though, but you should see how big the bun was! Too bad I don’t have a camera.  :(

I haven’t tried the curlers yet, they’re really just to give my roots some height. I’m hoping to recruit a friend or family member to help me.

Anyway this is what I’ve tried so far; I still haven’t made a definite style choice and am hoping for more suggestions!  :)

Ollave: I totally understand where you're coming from. My own hair tangles very easily when left down, as fine hair will.
   Still, if I ever remarry, I'll be wearing my hair down. I figure one day won't kill it!  ;)  I'll probably just end up haphazardly pinning pieces of it up with dead roses. I've even considered doing the hippie thing & just going with a half-up or a braided half-up with a small crown of white flowers around my head...no veil.  ;)

Your hat sounds cute. Perhaps you could ask your mother or grandmother how they used to wear their hair up during that era. Just a thought.

Angel Spun: Love the half up half down, dead roses idea, hehe- too bad it won't work with my dress.

My hat is cute! Next time my fiancé's son visits I'll ask him to bring his camera so I can post some pictures (if I can figure out how).

My mom and grandma both had short hair in the 60s and I believe they wore a lot of hair pieces and wigs. My mom is going to show me how to set my hair, although she's said that they did quite a bit of back combing in those days. I think I can hear my hair snapping off at the thought. No, no I'm determined to come up with something that has the 'look' without too much damage to my hair.