1920s hairstyles tutorial & pictures for long hair, short and medium

by Chloe Harper January 7, 2025

written by Chloe Harper January 7, 2025

1920s hairstyles were very elegant and popular. 1920s hairstyles were influenced by the social and cultural background of that important decade. The retro hairstyles have known a comeback lately and many women choose to wear them in our modern times. Who would not want to arrange their hair in such gorgeous styles? If you want to look sophisticated with a lovely hairstyle influenced by the 1920s, then pay attention to this article and look at our photo gallery below.

1920s hairstyles were influenced by the social and cultural background of that important decade. Women have chosen to cut their hair in a sign of rebellion, to manifest their independence and to mark their evolution. It was an entire movement that led the women to achieve great results for their status in the society of that time. Although the short hair is defined as convenient and masculine, the 1920s hairstyles got a feminine touch with the help of jewelry and today they are a symbol for tough, independent, but at the same time, sexy women. Take a closer look at the most beautiful hairstyles of that decade.

1920s hairstyles

The early 1920s hairstyles

• Straight regular bobs
In those years, women’s hair has suffered major changes. Women used to wear long locks according to the tradition of the 19th century and suddenly, they felt the need to cut them off. The position of the ears determined the total length of the bob, which was cut off all around the head and it reached the same level with the bottom tips of the women’s ears. The sleek bob hairstyles became very popular during the WWI. The short, straight and plain bobs were characteristic for the beginning of the 1920s.

• Shingle bobs
The shingle bobs were variations upon the regular sleek bobs, with the difference they were “high up” cut. Unlike the simple boyish bob, this style required the hair to be cut off a little different. The hair length must have been 10 inches longer on the crown, to create that “high up” effect and it went down to the extreme tips and completed by very short bangs.

The middle 1920s hairstyles

• Bobs with curls and waves
In the middle 1920s until the beginning of the next decade, the original straight bobs were transformed into more feminine ones with well-divided curls and finger waves in the form of “S”, which were obtained with the help of human fingers, curling sticks and crude hot irons (which were not so healthy for the hair, because the temperature was too high).

• Marcel wave hairstyles
Similar to the finger waves style, but obtained differently, the Marcel wave hairstyles were created with the marcelling technique. This corrugation technique used special hot curling tongues to make the “S” curls, but without destroying the hair as the crude hot irons did. The woman had various possibilities to comb her hair backward and forwards to create the look she wanted. These attractive hairstyles became famous very fast.

Vintage influence

These modern days, many women decide to get inspired by the 1920s hairstyles. The bobs are now a big trend and they will continue to be very popular in 2015 as well. There are a lot of fresh variations based upon the original 1920s bobs. If you want to look fabulous at special events, then a vintage-inspired hairstyle from the 1920s might be exactly what you need!

Bobs inspired by the 1920s hairstyles are the perfect choice for all women, no matter their age, because there are different kinds of beautiful bobs according to each face shape.