Vintage Hair Tutorial - Style with a 1940s Turban

There’s lots of tutorials out there showing you how to tie a 1940s style turban or how to sew a 1940s turban but I wanted to show you how to wear a vintage style turban and get the most use out of yours. As a regular vintage turban/headband wearer I wear mine for a whole variety of reasons, to hide a bad hair day, brighten up an outfit or cover my hair and keep it clean (for instance when I’m gardening, very 1940s land girls) or make my curls last a bit

One of the ways you can style your hair under a turban is pin curls, you can then brush out the curls later on once they have had time to set and you’ll get a lovely 1940s style brush out. This was the typical way a lot of women would have worn a headscarf in the 1940s, as a practical covering while they worked, see some great example photos below.

But let’s say it’s the modern day and you are travelling to a vintage or 1940s/1950s event or just want to style your new turban purchase. Below are some easy steps to follow to create the look:

1. Divide your hair into sections and curl each one using your preferred curling method, maybe a curling tong or a traditional wet pin curl set. 

2. Roll each curl up to your head, making sure to keep it nice and tight and pin in place. Use hair grips to hold the curls in place, if you are hoping to have a nice 1940s style brush out later then do this neatly, however if the turban is staying on and this is just part of creating a bit of shape and interest under it then you don’t need to worry about how neat it is.

3. Pop your turban on, this part is easy as my turbans are made of stretchy fabric but if you want a bit of added hold you can add a hair grip on each side of the knot, that way they aren’t visible but give you so extra hold. Plus, if you don’t like wearing your hair completely covered you can leave a little hair out loose at the front or try a vintage style fringe, I’ll be doing a little tutorial on quick vintage fringes to do soon!

 4.  Pair this style with one of my best selling vintage style turbans and you are ready to go! 

My turbans are nice and stretchy and come pre-tied with the knot sewn in place so they are fuss free and there’s no need to work out how to tie them, saving you time and frustration! They are completely handmade so do be gentle with if wearing them over a larger size of roller.

My designs are inspired by authentic 1940s headscarves and turban hats and are available in a wide variety of colours so you can currently choose from black, white, red, pink, green, mustard, burgundy and even leopard print! There’s also a wide choice of knots so you can have something more small and discreet or go for something more dramatic, pictured below is my Workwear knot, probably one of my most popular. Shop turbans here and if you liked this blog post why not checkout my vintage hair tutorial for a headband too. 

Model: Ava

Photographer: Jez Brown

Styling: Sarah Dunn, Sarah’s Doo-Wop Dos