V20: A 1912 Hairstyle Tutorial - Gibson Tuck a la Hair Piece

Then it was time to experiment. I have pretty short hair - not even chin length, and all choppy and layered all over - so this tutorial is geared towards ladies with short hair, but these techniques can also be used for ladies of long locks, or on wigs.

• A long ponytail-type hair extension (Scunci makes Blonde and Brunette)
• Bristle Brush
• Lots of bobby pins
• A hair rat/pad
• A flat clip, or extra large bobby pin
• A bandeau or silk scarf
• A hair band

• Curlers/Rollers - hot, foam, velcro, curling iron, your choice
• Curl setting lotion, creme, or gel
• Pomade - I like Fx Molding Wax
• Osis Dust It Hair Powder

Okay, let's start...

curl your hair - this hasn't been brushed out yet

1. First, curl your hair. I wet-set my super-fine hair on foam rollers, then sit under my hood dryer. You want lots of curl, tight curls, small curls, and you want to curl/set in a way that the hair will curl down over your forehead.
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FLUFF - a bristle brush is the tool for fluffy curls

2. Now brush those curls out. Brush a lot, and smooth with your hands.
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Brushed and smoothed curls - back of hair pulled into a ponytail

3. Brush the front part of your hair forward, over your forward. You want to create fluff that frames your eyes. It can be frizzy or perfectly curled, your choice. If you need more texture/weight/pliability in your hair, apply Osis Dust It Hair Powder. This stuff is amazing, and makes your hair super sculpty. Also, if you need to tame frizz or fly-aways, or sculpt your curls a bit more, try a little of the pomade/molding wax.

For girls using hair pieces, tie the back of your own hair back in a tiny ponytail. If you can't get it into a ponytail, pin it up off your neck.
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Hair rat pinned above the ponytail, to add volume

Now pin your hair rat in place just above your tiny ponytail. My rat is made of random hair clippings from hair pieces I've trimmed in the past, stuffed into a hair net, but your rats can be made of just about anything - hair, polyester, mesh, etc.
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Hair piece, removed from the clip

The hair piece - if you are using one of the Scunci ones, take it off the clip. The hair itself is on a mesh that is just threaded onto the clip, and you can pull it off. It makes a huge difference in the natural look of the hair piece.

Hair piece pinned atop the head, divided into 3 sections

Pin the hair piece to the top of your head, so it falls over the rat, your tiny ponytail, and will be disguised by the bandeau you will add later.

random note - my real hair doesn't match the hairpiece...yet...I've been lazy about coloring.

Divide your hair piece into three sections - two side, one back. The Scunci hair piece has two different lengths, and you want to separate the shorter from the longer. Hold the sections with clips
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flat clip at the base of the neck

Now with a flat clip, secure the long section of your hair piece to the base of your neck. This is important for hiding the short hairs at your neckline, and will make it easy to roll the hair piece in the next step.
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roll the back hair section upwards.

Roll up the long section of the hair piece, and pin to your head. You are rolling upwards, not under.
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loop the side sections up to the back, loosely.

Now with the two side sections, loosely loop them into buns at the back, just above the roll you made in the last step. You can carry them under the roll too, for a different look. Pin in place.
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Pin some of your own hair back, to blend

You may want to blend some of your own hair over the hair piece, to disguise the break. Tease/backcomb your hair a little before smoothing it over the bump, and pin in place.


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Tie your silk scarf, bandeau, or headband decoration over the join between your own hair and the hair piece. There are lots of ways to tie the bandeau scarf - large bow at the base of the neck, on the side of the head, long tails, etc. - be creative. :-)

The bandeau hides the line between the hair piece and your own hair

And there you have it! Don't be afraid to mess around with the placement of rats or the hair piece. You can create many different looks depending on where on the head you place things, and how you twist and braid and pin things into place. Remember, this tutorial can be done on your own hair, if you have the length, or on a wig.

Here are some other styles I tried out, using the hair piece:

My own hair wasn't curled here, and the hair piece is attached to the back of the head and twirled into a bun.

An earlier style, with a pomp in front. The pom was created using a long hair rat, and the hair piece is attached to the upper back of the head and twirled into buns.

A Gibson tuck similar to the one in this tutorial, but the front of the hair is looser/straighter.