Gwen Stefani… 1990s rockabilly hairstyle queen, master chameleon of the vintage hairstyle. She has been a “vintage with a modern twist” icon for decades. A reader asked for some help styling this rockabilly curl hairstyle that Stefani wore on the red carpet and how could I say no?
A reader request from Cara asked, “I was wondering if you would do a post on your blog about how to do a style like the one attached. Not sure what’s going on in the back of the head, but I imagine all the hair swooped up in that one amazing mega-curl! Gwen Stefani has some really fun styles!”
So I diligently played around with one of my hair mannequins and this is what I designed to mimic the rockabilly hairstyle that only a fewest of the coolest celebrities can pull off.
Prep the Hair
So here is my interpretation of what may be going on here. I started with a 1″ barrel curling iron. I didn’t really give her a curl, just some bend in the hair. I used some thermal spray to smooth and protect the hair while I curled it. You can read more about my favorite heat styling products here.
Sectioning
There are 2 sections to this hairstyle and they are asymmetric. The top section is parted above the outer eyebrow on the right side and curves down at an angle toward the left side of the head. Clip this out of the way. The rest of the hair below will be styled first.
French Twist
Take all of the rest of the hair and create a French twist. The ends are not tucked in above the twist at this point. I am actually going to use the ends to help create some stamina for the pompadour. This doll has a decent amount of hair, so if you have fine hair, a hair padding may help you here.
Styling the Top Roll
Take the top section that was clipped out of the way and direct it tightly over-directing the hair to the opposite side. As I have stated before, the direction the hair is brushed and started for a victory roll like this has a great effect on where the roll sits on the head after it is finished. For this style to work properly, the hair should be directed far off to the side.
Large Roll
Roll the hair into a large victory roll.
Close the back
At the top of the head at the back of the roll, gently pull the back of the roll
- to “close the tunnel” behind the roll so you don’t see through it
- so that it covers the top of the French twist
- and blends the 2 sections together.
Final Hairstyle Photos
This hairstyle was super fun to do and I love the way it turned out and I hope to see some girls at Viva Las Vegas wearing it! It is a really modern pompadour for a girl.
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21 Comments
Holly Hall
Wonderful!
Hexotica
Fantastic demonstration! You made the dummy head look gorgeous and exactly like Gwen’s. I can’t wait to try this; it’s so sleek and would be perfect for one of Melbourne’s windy days!
BakeliteBebe
WOW, awesome!! Love it!!! Makes me regret just cutting my bangs….
Stefanie Valentine
This hairstyle is amazing, i can’t wait to try it! Thanks! xx
Katie
Great tutorial! Thank you.
Nat
you have amazing tutorials that are easy to follow for other hair/fashionista’s!
T.R.
Amazing and beautiful.
Rachel
Yours looks better than hers!!! You’re amazing!! I’m going to have to try this one out!! Thanks!!
chispoon
Yo make the most incredible hair styles seem easy-to-do. I like yours more than Gwen’s!! Thank you for your clues!!
Solanah
This is fantastic!
Debi
Yippeee! so excited to try this out!
Retro Chick
amazing, I think my hair is to fine to get this to work.
I might have a play though!
dizzy von damn!
my color fades so quickly at the ends, this is a perfect way to hide it until i can recolor!
Laura C-dot
This is fantastic! I’ve always wanted to try that style but never knew how it worked. Now I will for sure 🙂
Nancy ~ Inkcicles
Thank you for the tutorial. This was my first attempt at anything like this. I didn’t quite succeed but I loved it anyways.
🙂
http://inkcicles.blogspot.com/2010/02/bling-fashion-fun.html
Rosa
amazing! wish I had twice as much hair and coud do this! do some tuturoials about short vintage hair cuts (a la marilyn in her shorter days) or maybe some short hair styles please!! That would be amazing!
xx
Kate
Ooh thank you. I love Gwen! She always had THE coolest retro hairstyles back in the 90s during No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom days.
paisleyapron
Fantastic! I often wear a french twist and this is a wonderful alternative.
Jonesy
cute post!
I really like your blog. I am a new follower. Check out mine too when you get a chance.
http://www.the-blisslist.blogspot.com
DevilDoll
I tried this one at a party last week and it didn’t turn out exactly the same but pretty similar, it looked sooo cool if I may say so myself! Great blog and awesome tips! THANKS!
Cara
Thank you!! Totally going to try this tonight!!
— Cara