1950's Hairstyles

Even more prominent than makeup in the 1950s was hair. With blow-dryers and curling irons yet to be the convenient household tools women use today, women had to find creative ways to achieve the gorgeous looks we see in era-movies today.

Pin curls were a popular style, as were rag curls. Women and girls alike used to wrap sections of their wet hair around rags and tie knots in them, or twirl them around bobby pins, overnight, to get the flowing waves that take us about 20 minutes to create with heat products.

Original ad for curlers from the 1950's

Poodle haircuts like Lucy’s were common, as was short hair, but long styles and simple cuts were popular, too. Many women got perms or used rollers every night to keep their hair in trend. Younger girls enjoyed ponytails and ribbons for an everyday style.

For special occasions, women could go to the beauty parlor and sit underneath loud and uncomfortable, stationary blow-dryers that created looks that can easily be created at home today.

Male Hairstyles

Men typically enjoyed crew cuts, though movies like Grease popularized the “Ducktail” and greased hairstyle. In reality, though, the fellows tended to stick to short and neat cuts that were more Ward and Wally Cleaver than Danny Zuko (John Travolta’s character in Grease).

Hugh Beaumont