Monday, February 1, 2010

Help! I Need Somebody!

I am playing a streetwalker in 1912 in the Eugene O'Neill play, The Iceman Cometh. I was told to curl my hair with a curling iron to get Mary Pickford-like curls. The trouble is that my hair is only about shoulder length and a curling iron just curls the ends of my hair making me look very 40s/50s/60s. I've been bouncing around the internet trying to find a good tutorial but have had little luck. Does anyone know a good way to get these curls? If you do, Please help!!! Am worried pin curls or rag curls may not be enough but maybe there's a trick I could do with one of those.... Hmm, double hmm.

4 comments:

Kelsy said...

Sponge curlers should work (the pink ones are a good width if I recall) if you don't comb out the curls. The downside is it might make your hair pretty short from all the curliness.

Also, all future posts should begin with "I am playing a streetwalker in 1912 in the Eugene O'Neill play, The Iceman Cometh."

Irene said...

so a really small thin barrel curling iron isn't good enough? i say go to a salon.

Margaux said...

Thanks for the tips, dames! Both are good ideas. I tried doing a twistier version of pin curls and then touched them up with a teeny tiny curling iron that they had in the dressing room. It worked pretty well, so I guess I'm in the clear. :)

Anonymous said...

I've covered a lot of this over at http://perpetualflapper.blogspot.com and there's a topic about getting them here: http://therudolphvalentinofilmfestival.com/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=31&sid=89cf1d5c74a598b28e001647e26376bb

Wet curling (which I am currently battling) is really hard to get the hang of quick, and I have hair about your length (little above the shoulder). Those long foam/sponge curlers are the way long hair types can get it (by long I mean half way down their back), but us short haireds have more trouble.

One way I've always done it is the bobby pins (sounds like you did) and that comes out easiest. Hot curling is the best option if you can figure it out (twirl at an angle).

Women in the Edwardian and Victorian (1900-1920) eras did not cut their hair, so they would have hair about butt long. Thus when curled (however done, they did both wet and hot curling methods) it would be Pickford or Gish length. For a film or a play I'd just get a damn wig.

Other helpful tip: use black hair styling products. Pink's (Lusters) and Smooth N Shine are good stuff. Keeps the curls lasting either method.