Save my set!

by - 11:29

I am going to my cousin's wedding in just under two weeks time. I have my outfit sorted; I am going 50s style and I would like my hair to match, in order to complete the look.

If you have read anything on my blog before, you probably will have noticed that I complain about my hair with an alarming degree of regularity. I have very fine, very straight hair which is ridiculously difficult to curl. Of course, I would like my hair to look as good as possible for the wedding, but I am just not sure how to achieve that.

Recently I have been using a set which, on a good day, seems to produce nice results. On the other hand, the results are very hit and miss, and seem to look different every time even though my hair has been curled exactly the same way. These results were all achieved using the same set:


These are all fairly good results, and although they're not exactly the same, they all look at least vaguely similar. 

The most common bad result for me to get is one where chunks of my hair have inexplicably remained straight (or at least more straight than the rest of my hair), despite being treated the same as the rest of my locks. This results in this kind of half-straight/half-curly rubbishness:


You can tell by my face how unimpressed I am with my hair.

I wanted something for the wedding that might be able to guarantee me at least a halfway decent result, instead of taking it out on the morning of the wedding only to find it looks like my hair in the above picture... I decided to try the Marilyn set from the Style Me Vintage book, but I have found largely the same problems. 

I used it here and it came out okay (although they don't look like Marilyn curls), but I tried it again today and it came out looking somewhere between Kesha and an 80s poodle perm. There are some huge straight chunks and some very curly parts which just won't brush out no matter what I do with them. I have said screw it, and thrown it up in a ponytail for the time being. 

I have a good idea of what I want my hair to look like for the wedding and I am just really hoping my hair has a good day that day. If only I could make it look like this!:

[x]

[x]

[x]

[x]

[x]

[x]



Oh well. I can dream.

Side note: perhaps I should dye my hair blonde as I seem to be mostly interested in blonde ladies today. 

How about you - any good hair tips/ideas on what I can do with my hair for the wedding to overcome the problem? Who are your vintage hair icons?

Edit: I have had some great advice from Retro Chick in her hair clinic post and I am going to try an updo for the wedding. Any other tips or advice would still be gratefully received though as I am bad at styling my hair!

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12 comments

  1. Harlow Darling5 June 2013 at 12:08

    Bah I have the very same problem dear! I set my hair the same way every time and it always looks different no matter what, it really sucks. I really hate it when the end of my pincurls don't curl and end up straight...ughh not good!
    My best suggestion for a bad hair proof solution for a wedding is to get a nice vintage hat or facinator. That should solve any bad hair luck, though I hope it doesn't come to that!

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    1. Helen Mae5 June 2013 at 12:16

      I do have a fascinator which I'm hoping I might be able to use to disguise any dodgy areas! Failing all else I think I will try some kind of updo although I am really hoping it works out alright to begin with...

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  2. Helen Le Caplain5 June 2013 at 18:20

    My advice? Get in a professional! it's so worth getting in a professional vintage hair person - totally worth the price, takes away all the stress and strain and leaves you with a gorgeous hairstyle.

    www.mancunianvintage.com

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    1. Helen Mae5 June 2013 at 18:22

      I looked into this but there just isn't one available to me! There isn't a vintage hair stylists in my city or in any of the neighbouring cities, so I would have to pay for one to come from several hours away. Unfortunately my student budget just won't stretch to that!

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  3. Unknown6 June 2013 at 10:47

    I wonder why some bits don't take? Are they wetter when you set them and maybe not completely dry when you take out the rollers/pin curls? Or maybe you're using less setting lotion on those bits?

    Anyway, my advice stands, go for an up do if you don't want to risk hair disaster! I always do as an unexpected rain shower will flatten even brilliant curls, as I found out when I got caught in one on my way to lunch the other week!

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    1. Helen Mae6 June 2013 at 11:02

      I really don't know; I was sure that I was treating it all the same but I will have to look into it again, I think. I assume it is a combination of my hair type and lack of skill as I have never been good at any hairstyles whether modern or vintage. I have been reading all of your hair posts recently though so I'm hoping some of your tips will help! I am definitely going to do an updo for the wedding now that you have suggested it, I think it is the most likely to be successful.

      Thanks for your help!

      Delete
  4. Melanie6 June 2013 at 10:54

    I hope your hair does what you want it to do for the wedding. I don't even have to consider what to do with my hair as it's naturally very curly which leaves me with few options, it's either up, half up/half down or down!

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    1. Helen Mae6 June 2013 at 11:11

      Thank you! Pin straight hair runs in my family unfortunately, my mum has the same problems although I think if anything, hers is even worse than mine. I wish it wasn't such a battle!

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  5. Witchcrafted Life7 June 2013 at 12:12

    In my pre-wig days, my natural hair was insanely fine, thin, bone straight and hard to curl, so I can completely relate to where you're coming from. Over the years, I found that a wet set (with some form of setting lotion - I usually used homemade because I have really sensitive skin and most store bought ones gave me a rash - or other sturdy styling product applied to damp hair before I put my set in), tight (small to medium sized) curls, plenty of flexible hairspray, and not brushing the set out too much were the only way I was going to get more than a day out of any type of set (of which I had the best luck with pin curls, rag curls, and flexible pillow curlers).

    ♥ Jessica

    *PS* I think your hair - just like you - looks absolutely lovely in that photo.

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    1. Helen Mae8 June 2013 at 19:58

      A wet set with a setting lotion produces the best results for me too, and I'm currently using medium sized rollers though I have been thinking about trying a smaller size at some point. I can't seem to get pin curls to work on my hair at all, I gave up after months of disappointing results!

      Thank you, I'm glad you like the picture! :)

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  6. MILEX7 June 2013 at 18:23

    you know how to impress

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