• Sign up for our weekly vintage fashion newsletter
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Vintage Dancer

  • Ask the Vintage Dancer!
  • Women |
    • Shoes
    • Dresses
    • Lingerie
    • Sweaters
    • Outerwear
    • Swimsuits
    • Nightgowns
    • Hats
    • Hairstyles
    • Makeup
  • Victorian
    • Women
      • Dresses
      • Skirts
      • Blouses
      • Corsets
      • Nightgowns
      • Boots & Shoes
      • Hats
      • Sewing Patterns
      • Makeup & Beauty
      • More clothing….
    • Men
      • Suits & Coats
      • Boots & Shoes
      • Hats
      • Pants
      • Shirts
      • Costumes
      • More clothing…
    • Victorian Outfit Guides
      • Easy Victorian Costume Guide
      • Civil War Costume Guide
      • Bustle Dress Costume Guide
      • Men’s Victorian Clothing Guide
    • Victorian Fashion History
    • Steampunk
      • Women
        • Dresses and Costumes
        • Plus Size Clothing
        • Jackets
        • Skirts
        • Boots & Shoes
        • Hats
        • Sewing Patterns
        • More clothing….
      • Men
        • Shirts
        • Vests
        • Pants
        • Jackets
        • Hats
        • Boots and Shoes
        • Goggles, guns
        • More clothing…
      • Steampunk Costume Guides
        • Women’s Steampunk Essentials
        • Men’s Steampunk Essentials
        • More Steampunk Ideas
  • 1900s
    • Women
      • Dresses
        • Plus Size Dresses
        • Evening Gowns
        • Wedding Dresses
      • Shoes & Boots
      • Blouses
      • Skirts
      • Hats
      • Lingerie
      • Makeup & Beauty
      • Costumes
      • Sewing Patterns
    • Men
      • Suits and Coats
      • Formal Wear
      • Shirts
      • Pants
      • Hats
      • Shoes
      • Costumes
      • Men’s Sewing Patterns
    • 1900-1910s Outfit Guides
      • DIY 1910-1915 Dresses
      • Tea Dress Guide
      • Mens Formal Suit Guide
      • Men’s 1910s Fashion
    • 1900s-1910s Fashion History
  • 1920s
    • Women
      • Dresses
        • Daytime Dresses
        • Evening Dresses
        • Plus Size Dresses
        • Wedding Dresses
      • Shoes
      • Hats
      • Hair / Headbands
      • Costumes
      • Sewing Patterns
      • More clothing…
    • Men
      • Shoes & Boots
      • Hats
      • Shirts
      • Pants
      • Suits
      • Vests
      • Men’s Patterns
      • Costumes
      • More clothing…
    • 1920s Outfit Guides
      • Flapper Costume Guide
      • 20s Women’s Outfit Ideas
      • 1920s Outfit Inspiration
      • 20s Men’s Outfit Ideas
      • 1920s Men’s Outfit Inspiration
    • 1920s Fashion History
  • 1930s
    • Women
      • Dresses
        • Plus Size Dresses
        • Evening Dresses
        • Wedding Dresses
      • Tops
      • Skirts
      • Pants
      • Shoes
      • Sewing Patterns
      • Costumes
      • More clothing…
    • Men
      • Suits
      • Shirts
      • Pants
      • Shoes
      • Hats
      • Men’s Patterns
      • Costumes
      • More clothing…
    • 1930s Oufit Ideas
      • 1930s Outfit Ideas- All Seasons
      • 1930s Outfit Inspiration
      • 1930s Men’s Outfit Inspiration
      • Men’s Outfit Ideas
      • 1930s Men’s Workwear
    • 1930s Fashion History
      • 1930s Women’s Fashion
      • 1930s Men’s Fashion
  • 1940s
    • Women
      • Dresses
        • Plus Size Dresses
        • Evening Dresses
        • Wedding Dresses
      • Tops
      • Pants
      • Skirts
      • Shoes
      • Sewing Patterns
      • Costumes
      • More clothing…
    • Men
      • Costumes
      • Suits
      • Pants
      • Shirts
      • Shoes
      • Hats
      • Men’s Patterns
      • More clothing…
    • 1940s Outfit Ideas
      • 1940s Women’s Outfit Ideas
      • 1940s Women’s Outfit Inspiration
      • 1940s Fall Winter Outfits
      • 1940s Men’s Outfit Ideas
      • 1940s Men’s Outfit Inspiration
    • 1940s Fashion History
      • Women’s 1940s Fashion
      • Men’s 1940s Fashion
  • 1950s
    • Women
      • Dresses
        • House/Day Dresses
        • Cocktail Dresses
        • Evening Dresses
        • Plus Size Dresses
        • Wedding Dresses
      • Skirts
      • Pants
      • Tops
      • Coats & Jackets
      • Shoes
      • Makeup Guide
      • Costumes
      • Sewing Patterns
      • More clothing…
    • Men
      • Suits, Coats
      • Pants, Jeans
      • Shirts
      • Jackets
      • Shoes
      • Hats
      • Men’s Patterns
      • Costumes
      • More clothing…
    • 1950s Outfit Ideas
      • 1950s Women’s Outfits
      • 1950s Men’s Outfits
    • 1950s Fashion History
      • Women’s 1950s Fashion
      • Men’s Fashion: Suits
      • Men’s Fashion: Casual
  • 1960s
    • Women
      • Dresses
        • Plus Size Dresses
        • Evening Dresses
        • Wedding Dresses
      • Pants
      • Skirts
      • Tops
      • Jackets
      • Shoes
      • Makeup & Beauty
      • Costumes
      • Sewing Patterns
    • Men
      • Suits
      • Pants
      • Shirts
      • Jackets, Sweaters
      • Hats
      • Shoes
      • Costumes
    • 1960s Outfits- Women
    • 1960s Outfits Inspiration- Men
      • 1960s Outfits- Men
    • 1960s Fashion Guides / History
      • 1960s Women’s Fashion
      • 1960s Men’s Fashion
  • 1970s
    • Women
      • Dresses
        • Plus Size Dresses
        • Evening Dresses
        • Wedding Dresses
      • Shirts
      • Pants, Jeans
      • Jumpsuits
      • Workout Clothes
      • Shorts
      • Skirts
      • Jackets
      • Shoes
      • Costumes
      • More clothing…
    • Men
      • Suits
      • Pants, Jeans
      • Jackets & Sweaters
      • Shoes, Boots
      • Costumes
    • 1970s Outfit – Women
    • 1970s Outfits – Men
    • 1970s Fashion History
      • 70s Women’s Fashion
      • 1970s Men’s Fashion
  • 1980s -1990s
    • Women
      • Dresses
      • Prom Dresses
      • Jeans/Leggings
      • Tops
      • Jackets
      • Sweatshirts, Sweaters
      • Workout Clothes
      • Shoes
      • Hats
      • Costumes
    • 80s Men’s Clothing
    • 90s Men’s Clothing
    • 80s Outfit Ideas – Girls
    • 90s Outfit Ideas – Girls
    • 90s Outfits for Guys
  • Fashion History
    • Men’s Fashion
    • Victorian Fashion
    • 19100-1910s Fashion
    • 1920s Fashion
    • 1930s Fashion
    • 1950s Fashion
    • 1940s Fashion
    • 1960s Fashion
    • 1970s Fashion
  • | Men
    • Shirts
    • Vests
    • Sweaters
    • Coats & Jackets
    • Trousers
    • Workwear / Casual
    • Shoes
    • Hats
Vintage Dancer | 1920s Fashion | 1920s Hairstyles History- Long Hair to Bobbed Hair

1920s Hairstyles History- Long Hair to Bobbed Hair

1920s Fashion History

17 Oct 2013

1920s hairstyles history

Make no mistake. In the 1920s, a woman deciding to cut her hair was serious business. Simply put, long hair was considered feminine and short hair was not. Magazines such as “Ladies Home Journal” printed stories asking, “To Bob or Not to Bob?”

Consider F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story from 1920 called Bernice Bobs Her Hair. Bernice, the quintessential predictable woman, is tricked into getting her hair cut into a bob. She is suddenly shunned by the boys while her family worries about the scandal her new ‘do will cause.

Dancer Irene Castle was one of the first to decide to bob in 1915. Many famous persons followed. Opera Singer Mary Garden said in 1927  “I consider getting rid of our long hair one of the many little shackles that women have cast aside in their passage to freedom.”

Actress Mary Pickford, who did not bob her hair because of the pressure she felt from her family and her fans, said, “I could give a lengthy and, I think, convincing discourse about long hair making a woman more feminine, but there is some doubt in my mind as to whether it does or not. Of one thing I am sure: she looks smarter with a bob, and smartness rather than beauty seems to be the goal of every woman these days.” Read more about Castle, Garden and Pickford’s opinions here.

Once you finish this article, read many more detailed articles on 1920s fashion history. Use the 1920s menu at the top to buy 1920s style clothing.  

Shop wigs, hair accessories and more here. 

Article Outline

  • Long Hair that Looks Short
  • To Bob or Not to Bob
  • Bobbed Hair Styles
  • Marcel Waving
  • African American Hair
  • Asian Hair
  • Latina Hair
  • Hair Accessories, Wigs and Styling Books
  • Additional Hair History
  • Tutorials

Long Hair that Looks Short

In the late teens and early ’20s, long curly hair was worn by Silent Movie stars and bathing beauties on the beach. Actress Lillian Gish, Mary Crawford, and Maude Feely each had a turn sporting very long ringlet curls. Sometimes they were gathered up into a loose all-over pile of curls pinned to the head. Other times they were worn half up half down with a headscarf, or all down but swept away from the doe-eyes. Long hair was quick to leave fashion by 1922, but the all-over curls remained.

Mary Pickford long 1920s hair culry
Mary Pickford
Lillian Gish long curl hair and hat
Lillian Gish

1922, a beach bather with long curly hair
1922, a beach bather with long curly hair
My own long curls styled for the early '20s
My own long curls styled for the early ’20s

Initially, the fad for short hair was not to cut but to restyle long tresses into short bobs. Long hair was neatly arranged around the base of the neck or pulled into a bun or chignon at the back with the sides full of curl or neat waves.  The bun or cottage loaf had been a working-class hairstyle for centuries. The 1920s only made it different by styling it a bit flatter to the head or rolled under for even more smoothness all around. All that long hair had to fit under a tighter and tighter fitting hat.

1923, waved hair and gathered back into a flat bun for this faux bob

1923, waved long hair and gathered back into a flat bun for this faux bob

Advertiser

Hair covered ears sometimes into flat buns on either side to look like she was wearing earphones, called cootie garages.

1920s Cootie Garage Braids

Cootie Garage Braids

In the evenings, long hair was arranged up high and slightly protruded, looking a lot like the styles of Greek goddesses.  If a woman didn’t have enough hair of her own, hair pieces were added. Using wads of a woman’s own hair, pulled from her hair brush, was a way to add volume and padding to her hair arrangements.

1920s long hairstyles
Marion Davies Long Hair Bunned High with Full Curls on the Sides for evening look
1927s long hair flapper style
1927 Mary Jacquith two small buns at the sides, hair loosely waved at the front

early 1920s hairstyle long hair
1920 Long Hair in Bun
Marys Crawley’s long hair in a loose twisted knot

To Bob or Not to Bob

Even with all the effort to swath long hair into a faux bob style, by 1924, most women were taking the plunge and chopping off long locks. Frizzy curls and waves on the side of the face were the preference in the early ’20s, followed by smoother, sculpted waves in the mid-twenties.  Messy, frizzy and large was the Bohemian look the early flappers embraced.

Advertiser

1920s curly hair styles

A Woman Called “Soot” with Her Wildly Frizzy All Over Curls

Curling irons with wood handles and round iron shafts were heated over coals or a gas flame– although when heated too hot, it damaged more hair than it curled it. The new permanent wave machine of large heavy metal rollers was invented and became very popular for achieving tight curly waves. Many women discovered that their hair was naturally curly once they cut the weight off from their long hair. No permanent waves needed for them.

For those with slick straight hair, bobs with bangs/fringe or a side swept part were equally smart.

1920s Clara Bow hairstyle

1924 Clara Bow brushed out curls

When women started to bob their hair, they couldn’t go to the neighborhood salon– they didn’t exist yet! Bobbing was done at home in the hands of a trustworthy friend or an obliging men’s barber. What a shock it must have been for men’s sacred place to be invaded by a woman who wanted to look like a man!

Barbers had to quickly learn to cut women’s hair, following all the latest styles the movies were showing. By the end of the twenties, the women’s only salon industry exploded. Keeping short hair neat and curly was too much for most women to do at home– regular trips to the salon were necessary.

1920s barber shop salon

A Busy Barber Shop Full of Women!

Once a woman cut her hair, she was at the mercy of her community’s criticism. The reactions to short hair were mixed from both women and men. Some do-it-yourselfers tried to cut their own hair, which only made it look ridiculous. Many women kept their heads covered in scarfs, kitchen bonnets, and hats until the hair grew out.

Others who opted for professional cuts may have had a better haircut, but not necessarily a better reaction. The shock of less hair and the disapproving comments from older family members were enough to make many women feel like a “hussy.” While some husbands and fathers liked the short looks, but most did not. Especially conservative Christians, who believed long hair was a sign of Godliness in women. Eventually, all parties found a comfort zone with the new styles. Hair regrew and the town barber became more skilled at these new cuts. Friends who at first thought bobbed hair was shameful eventually gave in and bobbed their own hair, too.

1920s hair styles history - 1924 hairstyles by name

1924 hairstyles by name

Bobbed Hair Styles

Bob cuts came in different styles with funny names, such as Orchid bob, Coconut bob, Egyptian bob,  Charleston cut, or the Shingle, but there were only two main styles. Short and curly or short and straight. Most bobs hovered around the earlobe length with a center or deep off-center part.

Full Curls
Soft Curls
Soft Curls Bob

1920s hairstyles for black women
Soft bob
Curled Bob
Brushed Forward Hair Bob

Bob With Bangs
Wavy Bob
Straight Bob

Charlotte E Ray First Black Female Lawyer 1920s black hairstyle
Smooth bob, curled tips
1920s black hairstyle the bob cut
Wavy bob with bangs
1920s Asian hair Japanese bob
A Japanese bob

 

 

The straight bob was the perfect option for women who struggled to curl their hair. Lousie Brooks and Colleen Moore were each famous for the severe black bob with full bangs/fringe. Mary Crawley on Downton Abby also bobbed her hair into the straight cut. Bobs with bangs were common in both curly and straight styles.  Straight hair bangs were either cut straight across covering the eyebrows or heart-shaped with the middle shorter than the sides. The sides of the bang curled into points resting on the cheekbones.

Coleen More, 1926, straight bob hairstyle
Colleen Moore, 1926, straight bob
1920s hairstyles
Louise Brooks Cropped Hair with Straight Bands

1924 a young factory worker with a straight bob and short bangs bob
Mary Crawley with her new bobbed hair in 1924 and headwrap

Billie Dove took the pointed ends to shorter heights with her classic “split curls,” made extra-pointy with green gel (like petroleum jelly). They curled up on her forehead and cheeks, giving that very baby doe-eyed look she was famous for.

Spit curls were also called kiss curls. The number of kiss curls a young woman wore was sometimes thought to be the same number of men she had been kissed by.

Josephine Baker was another iconic black woman who sported the spit curls during her Vaudeville shows and personal life. Many women copied the spit curls or softer wispy curls when wearing a tight cloche hat. The curls created light bangs or framed the face around the cheeks and neck.

Billie Dove Hairstyle
Billie Dove’s Iconic Spit Curls
1920s black hairstyles - Josephine Baker with a spit curl on the cheek
Josephine Baker with a spit curl on the cheek
1920s black women hairstyles - Small curls framing the face
Small curls framing the face

The cropped hairstyle wasn’t content with only ear level cuts. The shingled cut, although short-lived, created the shortest of the cuts: The Eton crop. It was named after the famous English school whose boys wore their hair slightly longer than was usual for the decade.

The cut was essentially a men’s haircut with fully exposed ears and often a shaved neck, too. It was called a boyish bob for good reason. Brilliantine was slicked onto the hair to give the cut shine and staying power. A kiss curl or two along the forehead and in front of the ears softened the very masculine cut. For all the drama the Eton crop caused in the ’20s, it was the most practical for wearing cloche hats.

1920s hairstyle Eton crop

A slightly grown out Eton Crop

 

1920s short hair women Japanese asian Eton crop for the Geisha
Eton crop for the Geisha
Billie Dove with her Eton crop
Billie Dove with her Eton crop

Marcel Waving

By the late ’20s, most women were turning away from fluffy curly hair (which didn’t work well under a cloche hat) and instead took to the art of Marcel waving. Not a new invention, Marcel waving required finger wave sculpting wet hair or a Marcel iron. Marcel irons made the job easier, although more dangerous if the iron was overheated on the stove. Electric models came into play in the mid-1920s, making it much safer and easier to wave hair at home.

1920s marcel waves

Marcel Waves (My grandma Jenny Scott)

Waves required more daily care and attention to a woman’s hair. The waved look was so popular that it lasted all of the 1930s and into the 1940s as well.  Sculpted waves, soft at first and angular patterns later, took on the geometric shapes common in Art Deco art.  A hairstyle had always been a work of art, and the ’20s just made it fit the times.

1920s hairstyles history

Late 1920s Marcel Hairstyles

1929 marcel waved hair
Anita Page- 1929 marcel waved hair
1928 marcel waves black womens hairstyles 1920s
1928 marcel waves for black hair

 

African American Hair

It is interesting to note that while white women were going through a lot of trouble to curl their hair, many African American women were going through the same trouble trying to straighten their hair. Both home hair styling and commercial salons offered women bi-monthly servicing to “grease and press” hair into the latest modern hairstyles.

1928 textured bobbed hair with bangs

The process involved heating up a “Hot comb” with a wooden handle to comb the hair straight. Hot iron curlers were then applied to wave the hair, create a head of curls or add a few spit curls to frame the face.

The Eton crop and shingle was especially popular with women who had naturally short hair. Working with whatever texture she had, women of color mimicked the same styles that white women sported. The same can be said for Asian and other minority hairstyles.

1920s black hairstyle the bob cut
Wavy bob with bangs
1920s hairstyles for black women
Soft bob
1920s African American hair. Short straight bob with curled tips
Short straight bob with curled tips

1920s black women hats and hairstyles
Straight or soft curls peek out from under hats
1920s African American teen ager hairLong, loose curls
Long, loose curls
1920s black women hairstyles. Tight curls, all over bob
Tight curls, all over bob

1920s Black women's hair Mature women with late 1920s Eton, Shingle, crop and waved hairstyles

Mature women with late 1920s hair styles: Shingle, waved, crop waved, bobbed and Eton crop

Asian Hair

Smooth and short hairstyles were worn by most women of Asian decent. Curling the sides and ends to frame the face took more work but was preferred by many. Having bangs or fringe was also a common hairstyle.

Anna may wong hair 1920s hair asian chinese
Anna May Wong with short curl bob and bangs
1920s Chinese hairstyles. Anna May Wong straight hair pulled back in a bun with bangs
Anna May Wong straight hair pulled back in a bun with bangs
1920s Traditional Japanese hairstyle with modern waves
Traditional Japanese hairstyle with modern waves

Curled face framing, Japanese 1920s hairstyle
Curled face framing, Japanese
1920s Japanese hairstyle women Soft waves with a spit curl
Soft waves with a spit curl
1920s Japanese bobbed hair Short bob with bangs
Short bob with bangs

Latina Hair

Embracing natural curls and waves was preferred over straightening hair.  Many Latina women kept hair long instead of going for the bob.

Mexican 1920s hairstyles - Dolores Del Rio circa 1929 spit curls
Dolores Del Rio circa 1929 spit curls
1920s Mexican hair - Fluffy curls with deep side part
Fluffy curls with deep side part

Lupe Velez,, bobbed curly hair
Lupe Velez, bobbed curly hair
1920s Mexican hairstyles Lupe Velez,, curly hair with headwrap
Lupe Velez, curly hair with headwrap

Hair Accessories, Wigs and Styling Books

Learn about 1920s hair accessories here.

Shop wigs, hair accessories and more here. 

Additional Hair History

  • Art Deco Hair –  A book of ’20s and ’30s hairstyles with style names, pictures, basic styling and cutting directions.
  • Etsy and eBay have reproduction 1920s hairstyling books about early ’20s rolls or later ’20s Marcel waving. Vintage directions are not always easy to follow, but the results are period correct.
  • 1920s Fashion History – Over 20 more articles about women’s 1920s fashion

Tutorials

There are hundreds of 1920s hair tutorials online and on YouTube. Most are not accurate, but for a one time event they are close enough. Here are a few for those with difficult hair to make ’20s:

  • Natural hair updo on Youtube  – Create a faux bob with a smooth crown for women of color with natural hair.
  • Short Hair waves – How a mature mom with very short hair styled her ‘do for the 1920s.
  • Long hair into a faux bob – Using a curling iron.
  • Very Long Hair/ Spanish braided bun – inspired by Lupe Velez late ’20s
If you have long, thick, curly hair like I do, here are some tips I use when styling for the 1920s:
1920s hair tutorial long curly hair
I let my long curly hair be free for an early ’20s silent movie star look.
1920s hair tutorial short curly hair
A deep center part and the longer bits pincurled to the back on my head and under some of the top layers.
1920s hair tutorial layered straight hair
Layered straight hair with the ends curled under. The longer layers were twisted and pinned in the back.

1920s hair tutorial marcel waves
For waves, I use duckbill clips and pull the hair out and forward between clips to create waves. Let dry and hairspray.
1920s waves long hair sty;e
The result of the wave clips. The long hair is pinned to the back in a flat bun.
1920s my long curly hair gathered into small buns at the neck and wave around the front and top.
My long curly hair gathered into small buns at the neck and wave around the front and top. Very Downton Abbey!

1920s long hair tips
Another view where you can see the back hanging down a bit more.
1920s long hair style back view
6 or so twisted mini buns/pincurls pinned to my head creates the drama in the back

 

 

 

debbie
We are Debbie and Oscar, your guides to dressing up like decades past. We are here to help you find clothing online and learn about vintage fashions as worn by everyday people, just like you. Need help with your outfit? Ask us anytime.
« Wearing Fall Vintage Clothing- Tips from 3 Vintage Fashion Bloggers
Roaring Twenties 20s Fashion Guide »
  • Home
  • About The Vintage Dancer
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy & Disclosure

Disclosure:

This website is supported by advertising in the form of product links, banners, and sponsored articles. We may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking a link.  As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Read: Privacy Policy, Disclosure, Terms and Conditions

About Us

  • About VintageDancer.com
  • Newsletter eMail Sign Up
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy & Disclosure

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Google +
  • Twitter
  • Tumbler
  • Blog Lovin
  • RSS Reader

How to Buy:

Click on the picture or title of the product and you will be redirected to the online merchant selling that item. Questions about sizing and shipping are answered on the merchants website.

VintageDancer.com links to clothing for sale online to make finding vintage inspired clothing easier.

Our Story

Dressing in vintage style clothing for a themed event or personal fashion is our passion. We turned a hobby into this website to make it easy to find vintage inspired clothing for women and men online spanning 1900-1960s. Our fashion history blog helps you create the look from decades past using vintage, vintage inspired and thrifty clothing, Need help? Ask us anytime.

Copyright © 2022 ·