The 50’s were an iconic era for hair styles. Curls were big and bold, standing off the head and holding their shape. For a long time, modern fashion hasn’t had the confidence to embrace such styles, preferring instead to continue the lasting popularity of simple, subtler styles. However, with the rising popularity of controversial stars like Lady GaGa, in-your-face fashion is back with a vengeance and is reflected in the increasingly wild hair styles that we are seeing on celebrities, catwalk models and even in high street salons.
One of the best modern icons for 50’s inspired hair is rockabilly singer Imelda May
. Although a thoroughly modern artist, May embraces a retro fashion sense. She wears polka dots and prints as if she was born decades ago, and although she is certainly not the first celebrity to attempt a 50’s look, she is certainly one of the most successful. Her hair is worthy of particular note. The retro quiff she wears at her forehead is a difficult style to achieve, but if you want to imitate that particular 50’s style then there are certain styling tools you can use to do so.
To prepare your hair for styling, wash and dry and then run through with hair straighteners. You want a totally blank canvas, and straightening will remove all the kinks and natural curls from your hair so that you can begin to work from scratch. Then section off the area of hair at the top of your head nearest your forehead, as central as possible. This section should be around 6cm by 6cm, unless you want to opt for a smaller (or even larger!) quiff. Apply hair gel to a brush and then brush this section upwards, so that the hair gel is evenly distributed throughout. This gives you a long section of hair you can then curl inwards into the quiff, securing it in place with a strong pin. Spray hairspray to give it extra hold. It may take a few attempts, but if you can master this style you will certainly turn heads everywhere you go!
