démodé

how-to advice

bustle era hairstyles: how-to advice

1. Determine the general outlines of each era (is the hair arranged loosely or tight against the head? is the main hair arrangement on top of the head, at the crown, on the back of the head, or at the nape? bangs or no bangs? curls, waves, or straight? ringlets and loose pieces, or is all the hair up?)

2. Get a lot of hairstyling product (gel, hairspray), some hot rollers, some fake hair (purchase at a beauty supply or wig supply store), a rat or two (foam or net piece that can be placed under your hair, or have hair wrapped around it, to make your hair look bigger), and a lot of bobby pins

3. Experiment!

some advice about curling

There are two kinds of rollers you can use: hot rollers, or the standard foam rollers (you can also use a curling iron, but I myself have no patience to curl one at a time). Hot rollers are nice because the hair will set in about half an hour. Look around for different thicknesses of rollers -- most hot roller sets only include large curlers, or an assortment of large, medium, and small. The large rollers will give you big waves and curls a la the 1970s, so try to find a set that only includes small rollers. Foam rollers come in different widths as well -- again, I recommend using one of the smaller sizes.

Another option is a wave iron. These look like three curling irons stuck together, and do a great job at giving you the early Marcel wave look (although it's more of a Victorian then 1920s look; the waves will be parallel to your head, rather than lay flat, if that makes any sense). I often use my wave iron on my front hair, before putting it up, to bulk it up -- if I'm feeling too lazy to curl my hair with hot rollers.

Remember to think about your final product as you set your hair. If most of your hair is going to go up toward the crown, curl your hair up toward the crown. If you're going to have hanging ringlets in front or in back, make sure that you curl those pieces so that they will fall correctly. If you're going to have a part, make sure you part your hair first and then set curlers on either side of the part -- if you're not going to have a part, make sure to put a row of curlers directly on top of your head.

false hair and rats

Most Victorian hairstyles were achieved using false hair and rats, and you'll have better results if you incorporate them into your hairstyling toolkit. While you can certainly feel free to use full wigs, I always feel that they LOOK like wigs. I prefer to use smaller pieces that will maintain a more natural look.

Purchasing false hair and rats: call around to local beauty shops to see who carries what. Wilshire Wigs offers many wigs, false hairpieces (listed as "falls"), and rats that look exciting; there are many other online retailers. Many of these will sell you a set of hair swatches, so you can match your hair and figure out what color number you best suit.

False hairpieces, also sometimes called "falls" or "switches," can be anything from a ponytail, to a braid, bun, or chignon. When looking for false hair, make sure to compare both color and texture to your own hair. Many false hairpieces aimed at the African American market have a kinkier texture than most Caucasian or Asian hair, and can look out of place -- ditto goes for hairpieces aimed at the Caucasian or Asian market looking out of place on those with more textured hair. Remember that you can always buy a ponytail or loose hairpiece and then style it -- you don't have to purchase a pre-styled hairpiece -- but PLEASE don't buy a layered one! Layers = 1970s or later, not Victorian! Also remember to notice whether the piece includes some kind of built in clip that might make it hard to style (although these can sometimes be removed).

The hair add-ons pages of Wilshire Wigs offers a number of interesting pieces that could be incorporated into a bustle era style:

• This wrap-around ponytail could be styled into a braid, bun, or ringlets
• This braid/switch with loop could make a bun, or be incorporated into a larger hairstyle
• Same with this braided switch
• This chignon maker would be GREAT for those huge, early 1870s styles
• Here's a braided chignon that would work for the 1870s
• And a bun that would work for most eras

Rats are foam or net pieces that are either worn underneath your own hair (to add volume), or have your hair actually wrapped around it. Try to get a rat with a color that's vaguely close to your own in case it ever shows. 

Wilshire Wigs offers a number of rats in different shapes. This fashion roll filler would probably be best for 1850s or 1860s styles, but could also form the base of an 1890s pompadour.

You can also save your own hair (pull it out of your hairbrush), and then stuff a piece cut from a pair of pantyhose, or a hairnet, into the shape you want.