Pin Up Hair: How to Create Pin Up Hairstyles  

Pretty pinned updo for the bride

Pin up hairstyles have exploded in popularity in recent years. Contrary to what you may think, pin up hair is not only for parties and special events; females are even wearing these types of hair up styles to the beach.

If your goal is to pay tribute to retro, there are three styles you’ll want to become familiar with.

Pompadour  

Most commonly referred to as the pomp, this is that perfect curl of your bangs that looks spectacular with the rest of your hair down – in a ponytail, pigtails, updo or even a bandana or headband. This style emerged onto the scene in the 1930s and is quickly making a comeback.

To begin, dampen the front of your hair and separate off about a three-inch section at your forehead. Create a bubble effect by grabbing the hair at a point that’s about five inches from the scalp and bring it toward the middle of the top of your head.

Once you’re sure there are no gaps or bubbles, pin the hair where you were just holding the pomp with your fingers. Note that it can be very tempting to spray these hair up styles with super or firm hairspray, but that’s not a good idea because this will only make it stiff, crunchy and absolutely impossible to comb if you need to fix it later. Keep in mind, you’re doing this with damp hair so a flexible hold hairspray is typically strong enough to hold the look in place.

Rolls 

There is truly nothing more romantic and glamorous than pin up hair rolls. This is the 1940s, vintage look most people visualize when they picture this era. All you need is shoulder-length hair or longer to achieve these romantic hair up styles.

Before you begin, you should know that this look takes a little time to achieve but the results are well worth the effort. Begin by putting the pieces of hair that you want rolled up in large curls. While you can use hot rollers, the best results are obtained with damp hair in real rollers that are left to air dry. Mousse will go a long way to help hold your style.

When your hair is dry, remove the curler and gently tease it near the root so you’re creating a little extra volume. Now, using a round hair brush, roll the hair and pin it where desired. Again, don’t use super hold hairspray with these pin up hairstyles in case you need to do a quick fix. However, you can use all the pins you want.

Beehive 

Nothing screams pin up hair quite like a classic beehive. You can put all of your hair up with this look or leave the back down. Similar to the hair rolls, this style requires hair that is shoulder length or longer.

Beehives are easiest accomplished with hair that is not freshly washed. These are perfect hair up styles for days when you don’t have time to wash your hair. The secret to the beehive is backcombing. Work with one section at a time, moving your comb in a backward direction toward the root. You’re going to look a little crazy during this step; don’t panic, it will get smoothed out.

When you’re ready to shape the beehive, use your fingers, not the comb, and then pin everywhere. Now, spray, spray, spray! You certainly do not want any pin up hairstyles moving around on you, and you certainly do not want to have to fix it, so spray away!