60s Beehive

1960's beehive

The conception of the beehive was the work of Margaret Vinci Heldt (winner of National Coiffure Championship in 1954), after being approached by Modern Beauty Shop magazine (which later become Modern Salon) was looking a new design to feature in their February 1960 issue, Heldt says "I went home and I thought, What am I going to do that hasn't done before?" shortly after the beehive was born as shown in figure 1. below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/26/margaret-vinci-heldt-crea_n_814439.html

Figure.1 Brigitte Bardot (French former actress, singer and fashion model wearing the beehive in 1962)

http://shewasabird.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/beehive-envy-brigitte-bardot.html

The style:

The beehive itself at first look appears heavily like a modified Pompadour Bouffant hybrid. With the distinguishing 'big' up styled heavy fringe found in an 18th century Pompadour (see figure. 2)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompadour_(hairstyle)

The style gained a audience and popularity in 1961 when the star of the day Audrey Hepburn brought the big hair to the big stage during a massive box off hit and the hairstyle become the must have for celebrities and singers alike

1961 Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

http://www.hair-styles-secrets-revealed.com/hair/269/how-to-do-audrey-hepburn-hair/

Dusty Springfield in 1963

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw17806/Dusty-Springfield

The hair was ironically popularised with the diverse range of ethnicities and types of hair “I’m a big woman. I need big hair.”–Aretha Franklin,

http://beautybets.com/2012/03/21/big-big-hair-on-a-bite-sized-budget/

A interesting note a boom in styling aerosols products specifically to give a firm hold become available on mass which were not limited to suitable use for finer Caucasian hair but also latin and afro-caribbean hair textures.

"We had high hair anyway." So the Ronettes made their hair still higher—"We used a lot of Aqua Net"

The Ronettes

https://haartek.wordpress.com/tag/beehive/

http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/2013/07/vintage-advertisements-retro-inspiration.html

An interesting sidenote is although the creator of the style found inspiration in a small 'Fez' style hat, the hair briefly got the name the B-52 (a aeroplane with a distinctive nose section) as similarities can be seen below (firgure.3 it is also interesting to note a famous band named B-52 in the 1970's which were inspired by the beehive hairstyles they wore)

 

Figure. 3

http://www.n3rdbomber.com/2014/09/22/music-monday-b-52s-not-more-than-one-bomber/

Decline and rebirth:

by the mid 1970's the beehive fall out of favour for more flat, straight free flowing hair styles and it was not really until the mid early 2000's with the likes of Amy winehouse and Lady gaga brought this style back into the current era

 

Amy Winehouse 2013 - Lady gaga

https://panachevogue.wordpress.com/tag/amy-winehouse/

http://www.theodora.com/style/lady_gaga_hairstyles.html

Creating the beehive.

In class we created the beehive below is the step by step on how I created the look.

Prepping the hair

To start with first section the hair, I started with an off centre parting. I applied three large rollers (red rollers) and one medium (blue rollers)  for one side of my parting and just one blue on the other side for the top of the head. For the sections near the ear are used medium-size rollers. I have then rolled the hair away from the face so that when it comes to styling it is easily swept back.

When putting in rollers I lifted the hair high up so is that the heated rollers can sit right on the section that was created and that way I can achieve the volume and curl I desire.
For is the back section of the hair I used The brickwork technique. I started from the Crown of the head to just above the nape. From the nape of the hair I then placed the rollers vertically with three coming in from the left and right.

Once the heated rollers have cooled down begin to take them out and you will have something like the images below.

Styling the hair

When it comes to styling the hair I started from the crown of the hair after removing the roller I backcombed each section of the hair, so that the hair can stand on its own. Once I finished my backcombing I then took my section from the crown of the head and smoothen it out not adding too much pressure as it could take out the backcombing which can cause me to lose the volume, that I created and need to achieve for my look. Once I've got my desired shape I then gathered the ends of the hair like a ponytail, then I twisted the hair and pushed it up against the scalp and pinned it in using bobby pins.

once the top section was secure, using a tail comb to smoothen out the section and by using the tail of the comb lift up the hair so that I can achieve the maximum volume and desired height. 

For the back section of the hair I wrapped the hair by having two sections of the hair and twisting both in and then securing it in with bobby pins. 

For the front section of the hair I then brush through the hair to get a smoother finish. Then I back combed the section to give volume but very lightly and then I swept the front section back in to my beehive and swirled the ends pinning them in.