For this task, I have researched in to the hair trends of the 1940s, for men and women. I have also explored some different products and accessories that may have been used.
Women
During the 1940’s, classic hairstyles like rolls, curls and waves were extremely popular. For this task I have explored the many ways these styles may have been combined, and who or what had an influence on setting the trends of this decade.
The 1940’s was one of the first decades with many different popular styles, unlike times before where everyone tried to look the same. Hair styles began to vary hugely between each individual person, and there seemed to be no particular favorite. This marked the start of an evolution, where women were becoming more confident in expressing their personal, individual taste.
However, even though styles varied they were all very soft and feminine, and were always dressed away from the face. Side parts seemed to be a favorite feature for all women across this decade, but middle parts were occasionally sported.
Older women tended to stick with what they were familiar with by continuing to create the short, waved styles that were popular through the 30’s.
Influences
Film starts
Actresses such as; Betty Grable, Anna Neagle, Veronica Lake, Dorothy Lamour and Rita Hayworth, had huge influences on the beauty trends in the 1940’s. Their work helped provide an escape from the everyday realities of war, making women want to be like them, and what easier way to achieve this than to mirror their style.
Government Officials in America recognized the influence these women had on the public, and took it to their advantage. Long hair was extremely dangerous in factory environments, so in a bid to tackle this problem, officials reached out to actresses such as Veronica Lake, asking them to cut their long locks and set new trends by debuting shorted styles.
War
Wartime had a huge influence over how women began to wear their hair. Working more practical jobs, in factories and the armed forces, women opted to wearing their hair in ways they were safer and more practical. This included women cutting their hair shorter, or wearing up dos.
Those in the armed forces had rules to follow, for example their hair had to be worn off the collar while on duty. This led many women to opt for cutting their hair shorter, making it quicker and easier to style.
Post-war
Once wartime came to an end, women wanted to embrace what they had missed so dearly. As men returned from war, many women returned to their more domesticated jobs, leaving behind the practical work they undertook during the war. Furthermore, rationing came to an end bringing on the release of newer, more luxurious hair makeup and fashion products.
Christian Dior’s legendary ‘new look’ in 1947 embraced these new luxuries, and left a huge impact on the fashion and beauty industry for years to come.
Hair started to become much looser and less structured after war, as victory rolls and pompadours took a backseat while sleek, waved hair took over popularity.
Elements
Curls and waves
Unlike the defined waves of the 30’s, women sported a much softer wave during the 1940s. Wavy hair was worn as an everyday style, while curls were saved for special events, to dress up.
Bone straight hair was extremely unfashionable during this period, meaning the hair was always set. Setting the hair also helped to achieve the volume and lift needed to create certain styles that were popular at this time.
Most women would set their hair at home by creating pin curls, or using rags to create a barrel curl. However, richer women would visit a hairdresser for a set or perm.
Hair would usually be left in pin curls, under a scarf either overnight or while at work, to ensure the hair was ready to dress out in the morning or before an event later in the day.
Rolls
Rolls are one of the defining factors for hair during this decade. They were a flexible element of any hairstyle, allowing women to shape and position their rolls how and wherever they wanted to.
Rolls could be worn on the top, side, along the forehead or nape, meaning they were very versatile.
Furthermore, rolls could be worn in up dos, or with the hair down, and could be worn either symmetrical or unsymmetrical. The shape and stability of a roll could be helped by backcombing the hair, and by securing the hair with grips ensuring it stays in place all day.
Paige-boy
This term is used to describe a smooth style with a curled under roll, around the back and sides of the head. Length was needed to create this style, so it was a popular choice among those with mid-long hair who didn’t want to cut it shorter.
Veronica Lake was known, at the time, as being the face that made this style so popular.
Victory rolls
Rolls had been a part of 1940’s hair since the start of the decade, and victory rolls were a very specific kind.Opposite to the pageboy, the term victory roll describes a tight roll, upwards around the back of the hair. Many women would use an old stocking to help them achieve this roll, tying the stocking at the front of the head to look like a headband.
Fringes
In the 1940’s, hair was dressed off the face. If a woman did happen to have a fringe it was usually pinned to one side or incorporated into whatever style she was sporting. The fringe was never just lest to lay across the face.
Pompadour
The pompadour is a style that stands high on the forehead, with the hair going back, away from the face. Essentially, a pompadour is a huge roll that stood high off the face and could be worn either smooth, half shaved or fully waved.
Afro Caribbean hair
During the 1940’s, the vast majority of the African American community’s women would straighten their hair, in a bid to fit in with the society around them -as natural Afro hair didn’t begin to be embraced until the 1960’s!
To straighten their hair, women would first apply a protective pomade to their hair. Next they would run a heated metal comb through their hair, turning tight curls into glossy straight hair.The hair would ten be dressed into rolls and waves, too following typical 1940’s style.
These women would have to work extra hard to prevent their hair from coming into contact with water or moisture, as it would return to its natural state.
Accessories
Braids
Braids were popular thought this decade, and hair pieces were often worn by those women with shorter hair. Hair pieces were usually worn to match the hair’s natural color, but some women occasionally wore contrasting colors, or used a scarf within their braid to add a colorful detail.
Grips, combs and slides.
Hair grips were not in mass production during war time meaning women highly treasured what they did have. During the 40’s, grips were shiny and were made to be worn visibly. Women sometimes added ribbons and bows to their grips for extra detail.
Combs and slides were made from black lite to create a tortoiseshell effect.
Grips and combs were used to help keep rolls in place, while slides were used to keep side hair out of the way or hold waves in place.
Hair nets
Hair nests were worn to keep the back of the hair neat. These were considered much more sophisticated than snoods, as they were much less visible.
Hats
Hats were often worn outside of military uniform, as a fun way of accessorizing an outfit.
Hairstyles were often adapted to fit around a woman’s hat. No particular hat was most popular, all types were worn, including; berets, pill boxes, miniatures, desora styles and turbans. Various adornments like feathers, veils, bows, beads, flowers and ribbons could be used to dress up a hat.
Head scarves
Head scarves were often worn by women in the 1940’s to keep their hair out of the way, and protected from dirt, while they were at work.
They could be worn plaited into the hair, folded like a turban on top of the head, or wrapped around the head and tied under chin.
Stars like Carmen Miranda turned scarves into a more chic, fashionable item.
Flowers
An easy and popular choice for dressing up the hair was to add flowers. Adding flowers was seen as a very versatile option, with both fresh and artificial flowers being worn.
Rats
Rats, also known as padding, was an unseen but extremely essential part of 1940’s hairstyling. This accessory was used to bulk out rolls, creating a much more solid and stable structure.
Women would stuff old stockings with more old stockings, or the excess hair from their hair brushes, to create their rats.
Ribbons and bows
Ribbons and bows were a popular way of adding color when dressing up the hair. They could be worn in several different ways, including; tied around the head with a bow on the top or side, a bow pinned to the hair, or tied on to a hair grip.
Ribbons would often be made from purpose made materials, or strips of excess fabric.
Snoods
The term snood describes a crochet bag, that was often homemade, used to keep the back of the hair neat and tidy. In snoods, the hair could be styled in rolls, soft curls, or pin curls. Factory and field workers often wore their hair in a snood, to keep it clean and away from their face. Sometimes women made snoods with excess dress materials, so they matched their outfits perfectly.
Turbans
A turban was a length of material made from either soft wool or rayon crepe. It would have been tied around the head with the long ends tucked underneath. A turban was often worn as it was, but could also be decorated with flowers or pompoms.
Setting the hair
During wartime many products were inaccessible, due to rationing. This meant women had to make do with what they had, using products like beer or sugar water to create homemade setting lotion.
Pipe cleaners, rags or pin curls were often used to set the hair, by lower and middle class women, in an attempt to create these styles at home. Women of higher class would visit the hair salon for a longer lasting result.
Electric curling irons did start to become available during the 40’s, but many women still relied on their old hot irons to create waves, as these products were familiar.
After the war many brands made at home hair easier, by releasing products like at home perming kits.
Men
During the 1940’s, men generally had perfectly groomed hair. They achieved this look by visiting the barber often. Men’s hair from this decade is fairly simple, and mainly consists of hair that is long on top, and shorter on the sides.
Conservative cuts
Most men wore one general style in the 40’s, short on the sides and long on top. Hair was never parted through the middle as this was seen as feminine. Instead, the top would be smoothed back with pomade, or parted to the side and combed over into a slight wave.
In the early 40’s, hair was trimmed neatly into a single wave and polished with oils or pomades to add shine. Alternatively, hair may be rounded or smoothed on the top.
However, in the later years of the 1940’s, styles began to gain more height, and waves. Layers of waves; loose or sculpted, and curls, began to rise to popularity. These looks required minimal products, pushing the oily look out of fashion. The later look was much looser, yet often took more effort to style and maintain.
Slick back
The slick back style was created by combining oils or pomades through wet hair. Often this style would be slicked backwards, but may sometimes be given a side part with a small wave at the front.
Waves
Waved styles were created by loading the hair with styling cream or liquid, then combing it through creating a very defined side part. The hair was then combed up, to the side creating a side-swoop.
Curly hair
Naturally curly hair was often oiled and shaped into side parts, slicked back or left to show its natural frizz.
Younger men occasionally left one, single curl hanging across their forehead, inspiring the rockabilly style that became popular in the 1950’s.
Ageing hair
Ageing men began to embrace their natural gray color, as being named a silver fox rose to popularity.
Men with thinning hair, or receding hairlines tended to keep their hair flat to their heads, trying to maintain the illusion of a full head of hair.
Duck tail pompadour
During the later years of this decade, having a larger amount of hair on the top of the head became extremely popular. This style became associated with delinquent youth, rebels and motorcyclists, as time went on and the decade of the 50’s began.
However many huge stars such as Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra also adopted this look.
This style sported a full, wavy pompadour at the front of the head, brushed backwards towards the shorter hairs at the back of the head. These hairs were then tapered into a point, appearing like a duck’s tail.
Afro-Caribbean hair
During this time, chemical hair straightening maintained its popularity with the higher class males of the black community, with musicians and actors, such as Marvin Gaye and Jimi Hendrix.
However, this treatment was far too costly, and painful for the average male. Therefore, most hairstyles were cut evenly around, or left ever so slightly longer on the top.
Some men did decide to grow their hair out, allowing them to slick it back with oils, but this was not the most popular option as it was harder to maintain.
Military cuts
Men working in the military services had to follow strict rules for appearance. These men were often required to cut their hair very short, making it much easier, and quicker to style and maintain.
A buzz cut was a popular choice for these men, and the release of at home clippers made it an easy choice too.
Furthermore, the crew cut – essentially a buzz cut that is slightly longer on top- was also popular for men in the armed forces.
Facial hair
During the 1940’s, most men seemed to prefer the clean shaven look.
Men who did have facial hair often wore a lone mustache. Actor, Clark Gable, continued a trend from the 1930’s, by still wearing the thin ‘Errol Flynn’ mustache.
During 1947, the handlebar club was formed to support men who chose not to shave their mustache after serving in the military. All styles were accepted in this club, but they were mainly unknown for having bushy mustaches with long curved tips.
It was very unusual to see someone with a full beard during this decade.
Megan Hoff 