Head in the Clouds...
Until nearly two years ago, I had a tumultuous relationship with my hair. My hair is neither straight nor wildly curly, neither is it soft or easily tamed. Mostly it’s just course, frizzy and ambivalently wavy. Oh and since I turned 19, it’s been rapidly turning grey.
As a young girl, I longed for the straight glossy tresses that adorned my cousins’ pretty heads and dreamt of having a fringe. But my hair only provoked an impatience and frustration that would last for over two decades. I remember my mother and my sister (whomever was combing my hair) saturating my hair with coconut oil every morning as they attempted to banish the knots and tame and harness my unruly waist length hair into a tightly pulled back plait.
My tightly pulled back plait did NOT look anything like this. I could only dream...
Growing up, I continued to style my hair in the same vain – there seemed to be no other way. Of course, the first chance I got, I had about four inches cut off, in the hope that taking a sharp object to my hair would revolutionize it into a smooth, silky and straight mane. That did not happen. Suffice to say I was grounded for a month whilst my mother mourned the loss of my once lengthy mop.
Eventually, I turned to the skills of the mighty hairdresser, for surely they could renovate my hair? And yes, having one’s hair blow-dried and straightened does result in a renovation of sorts, but not one that lasts. Plus, I found that the hairdressers I was going to, had very little confidence in cutting unruly hair and it showed in the cut, but only after I’d washed away the effects of the mighty hair iron. I couldn’t afford to buy a hair straightener, so once I’d washed my hair after visiting the salon, my hair was back to its shaggy self. I remember washing my hair at a relative’s house in South Africa once, and having spotted a hairdryer hanging over the cloudy mirror – in obvious scorn, may I add – I decided to challenge it’s mocking stance and blow-dry the heck out of my hair. It did not end well and as you might imagine, my hair resembled what I imagine burnt candyfloss to look like.
I decided the key was to find the right hairdresser, but with an empty pocket and newly indebted to the student loans company, that was not going to be possible. So I dug deeper into the realm of the online hair underworld and there I found the answers.
Fleur de Guerre in a beautiful 1930's dress
At the time, I had been delving into 1960’s and 1970’s vintage, but had little interest in the eras preceding them. That was until a Google search nudged me in the direction the one Fleur de Guerre and her blog ‘Diary of a Vintage Girl’. Her tutorial on ‘1940s Hair with Hot Sticks’ was the first post I stumbled upon. If you haven’t already heard of Fleur de Guerre (because you really should have by now!), let me introduce you to her. Fleur is a stunning pin-up model, a forties enthusiast, a talented journalist and an events manager of the most glamorous parties in London. But before you pop off to indulge in her wonderful blog, you may wish to read on? (Please do!).
Now where was I?
Ah, yes…. Fleur’s hair tutorials. I didn’t have any hot sticks and couldn’t bare to part with any of the few pennies I had at the time, but her informative, friendly and modest post encouraged me to read her other posts and educate myself on styling one’s hair the vintage way.
Fleur's incredible mane
And what a revelation it was!
Suddenly, I was propelled into a world of pin-curls, faux bangs and victory rolls and eagerly lapped up the teachings of the online vintage community that is The Fedora Lounge. With great enthusiasm and much trial and error, I discovered the way to a perfect pin-curl (though rarely attained in my hair) and found that going back to basics and styling your hair as your grandmother once did, was the way to beautiful and glamorous looking hair.
I had no need to use a hair straightener or visit a hair stylist anymore in order to attain a well groomed bonnet (though I still have my hair professionally cut – I’m not that confident!). With a handful of hair grips, some (suitably strong) frizz alleviating hair mousse and the magic of hairspray, I was finally able to produce tamed and glamorous (well, I try) looking tresses. I am still on the lookout to discover how I can achieve a fabulous Zooey Deschanel -esque ’60s fringe, but for the first time ever, I was content with my troubled tresses. I felt like I’d finally found my hair.
And having found my hair, I ventured further into the world of vintage and found myself falling in love with the fashion and style of the 1940’s and more recently the 1930’s and 1920’s. Yes, my journey to find a mane I could be proud of (or at least be on good terms with), not only improved my relationship with my old foe living atop my head, but also saw me tumbling into a vintage lifestyle and finding myself being embraced by one of the loveliest communities in London (I do mean the lovely vintage community).
Indeed it is correct to say that the amazing and beautiful Fleure de Guerre shaped saved my mop of doom.
If your mane also requires saving, visit Ms de Guerre at her incredibly informative and mouth-wateringly lush blog on all things vintage and glamorous!
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