Hair care of movie stars from the past - oil-shampoo

[ktani]

this is what I found on Marilyns haircare (??) :

""There are several problems with doing Marilyn's hair; it's very fine and therefore hard to manage. It gets oily if it isn't shampooed every day and her hair is naturally so curly that to build a coiffure for her I have to first give her a straight permanent. The way we got her shade of platinum is with my own secret blend of Sparkling Silver bleach plus 20 volume peroxide and a secret formula of silver platinum rinse to take the yellow out" - Gladys Rasmussen, Marilyn's long time hairdresser

Can you imagine doing a perm (straightner) and dye in one go ?!

This is great, thank you!

It is not that hair friendly, I agree but it is fascinating. Early pictures of her hair showed that it had a lot of natural wave/curl. This does not surprise me that much. I have read that maintaining the platinum was not a simple process.

[Melisande]

I love Carole Lombard! I have an old book about movie stars, written by the photographer John Engstead. There is a whole chapter about make up and hair tricks of the stars he knew. If I have the time, I'll scan it because it's really interesting.

I don' t have the book at hand now but I remember it said that Carole's hair was baby fine and she only used a baby brush for it. She had to wash it often so it looked fresh and fluffy.

Engstead was fascinated by the way she applied lipstick. She just put her finger onto the lipstick and then rubbed it into her lips, without looking into the mirror. It always turned out perfectly.

She had great style. The interior design of her house was much imitated, it was colorful instead of the sleek white and chrome that was fashionable then.

Her trademark was a little drawing of a face half covered with wavy hair.

Oh, I really have to go now and dig out that book and the pictures!

(Before I find the book, a link about Carole and John Engstead. He had lots of such details about other stars, too, if I remember well...)

[ktani]

I love Carole Lombard! I have an old book about movie stars, written by the photographer John Engstead. There is a whole chapter about make up and hair tricks of the stars he knew. If I have the time, I'll scan it because it's really interesting.

I don' t have the book at hand now but I remember it said that Carole's hair was baby fine and she only used a baby brush for it. She had to wash it often so it looked fresh and fluffy.

Engstead was fascinated by the way she applied lipstick. She just put her finger onto the lipstick and then rubbed it into her lips, without looking into the mirror. It always turned out perfectly.

She had great style. The interior design of her house was much imitated, it was colorful instead of the sleek white and chrome that was fashionable then.

Her trademark was a little drawing of a face half covered with wavy hair.

Oh, I really have to go now and dig out that book and the pictures!

(Before I find the book, a link about Carole and John Engstead. He had lots of such details about other stars, too, if I remember well...)

That link is to the webiste the article for this thread came from. It is wonderful.

Carole Lombard had a scar on her cheek that she had plastic surgery for and required careful photography and lighting to hide. It is said (I have read) that resulted in her learning so much about photography and makeup, http://carolelombard.org/lombard-too...-scar-to-court.

[swivelhop]

It might be cliche but I adore the Veronika Lake hair. If I ever find myself cutting short and growing out I will most definitely rock the 14-18 inch uniform-cut and embrace my "mullet."

[ktani]

It might be cliche but I adore the Veronika Lake hair. If I ever find myself cutting short and growing out I will most definitely rock the 14-18 inch uniform-cut and embrace my "mullet."

I love her hair too. I posted the link to this website before, for thos trying to achieve Retro looks, http://www.thefedoralounge.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24.

Some interesting trivia to pursue, http://www.frontrowdresscircle.com/f...04/opinion.htm. I did not know Rita Hayworth wore hair pieces on film. I did read about the electrolysis done on her hairline.

Jean Harlow did not die because of the hair colour processing. That was just a rumour.

My hair stylist at the time of Farrah and her hair fame, told me that her hair was permed and highlighted. I did not get the source of his information.

[Hana212]

Ok so this is a little bit off topic.. I just found this youtube clip on an audrey hepburn inspired up-do/bun... super easy looking!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U23DX...eature=related

[ktani]

Ok so this is a little bit off topic.. I just found this youtube clip on an audrey hepburn inspired up-do/bun... super easy looking!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U23DX...eature=related

I posted the fedoralounge link. The thread topic is flexible to me.

Thank you for posting this!

[Kris Dove]

I'm sure I read somewhere ages ago that Alicia Silverstone uses No-Poo, and that Kristen Stewart and Nigela Lawson stretch out washes. A lot of Bollywood actresses still use traditional methods like coconut oiling and shikakai powder.

[ktani]

I'm sure I read somewhere ages ago that Alicia Silverstone uses No-Poo, and that Kristen Stewart and Nigela Lawson stretch out washes. A lot of Bollywood actresses still use traditional methods like coconut oiling and shikakai powder.

That is cool and depending on the source, very likely true. Thank you for posting the information.

What I am primarily interested in is what was done to the hair by the movie studio professionals (hair stylists), before the stars went before the cameras back when, during shooting a film, not an event like a red carpet photo shoot, or by the stars on their own at home.

[ktani]

Rita Hayworth's Hair

Rita Hayworth's Columbia Pictures family, http://claudia79.tripod.com/colfam.html.

Gilda, http://www.beautifulhairstyles.com/movies/gilda.html.

Hair Stylist Helen Hunt on Rita Hayworth's hair, http://www.retrohairstyles.com/1940s/ritahayworth.html
"Asked the beauty secret to her crowning glory, Helen Hunt said: "I believe in oil shampoos, lots of them, and in towel-drying her hair rather than sitting under a dryer."

The Gilda hairstyle from the same link.
"The spectacular Gilda hairdo," write Hayworth biographers Joe Morella and Edward Epstein, "was achieved without fuss each morning in Columbia's hairdressing department. First Helen Hunt would wash and set Rita's hair. Then two assistants--each holding a portable blow-dryer--would stand on each side or Rita, drying her hair, as Helen simultaneously brushed it out and styled it. Since time was money in Cohn's studio, all of this was done in twenty--maximum thirty--minutes."

The Lady from Shanghai, http://claudia79.tripod.com/shanghai.html. Rita Hayworth's hair was cut and dyed blonde. I much prefer her Gilda look.
"Over a dozen photographers were in attendance, snapping pictures of Rita with her hair stylist, Helen Hunt, and some with Orson supervising. Miss Hunt later said, "The pictures which show Rita holding her hair are made up. This hair belonged to a little seamstress in the wardrobe department."

Oil shampoo mentioned again, although no doubt a somewhat different recipe than used here, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...86&postcount=1. It must have been a time saving and easy way to save the hair and still get it to look full and luxurious, without frizz for film work and without the chance a pre-wash oiling would leave the hair oily or lank. The oil shampoo must have been perfected to avoid that. Soap as a shampoos base can be tweaked after being made the traditional way, to have a lower pH, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...6&postcount=40. The oil shampoo ingredients were not fully disclosed in either case. Vinegar rinses or lemon juice rinses were used to follow the shampoo. No mention of hair pieces added to Rita Hayworth's hair, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...7&postcount=25.

I wonder if coconut oil was used in the oil shampoos used on Rita Hayworth's hair too. While not a treatment in the same way it is used by members here or as a pre-wash conditioner, some of the oil must have been left behind to contribute to the hair being shiny. If coconut oil was used by more than one studio hair stylist, and some of it was left behind, even after a lemon or vinegar rinse, which it would in my opinion, then it would still penetrate the hair and help prevent protein loss.

Ah, coconut oil is also absorbed into the hair during the shampoo process, even better! Coating the hair it helps prevent damage during wet combing, and being absorbed into the hair to the cortex level, it helps reduce the amount of water absorbed by the hair, further reducing hair swelling. This would also help reduce hair drying time. Very clever hair stylist(s) long before the following study was done to confirm what the hair stylist(s) knew (from results) and the public could see on screen in the movies of that time.

This study, posted and referred to on these boards previously was done regarding traditional use of oils in India, and other countries, http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2...175-p00192.pdf.
"Application of coconut oil as a pre-wash conditioner coats the hair and inhibits the penetration of water into the hair. A small part of it is also absorbed into the hair during the wash when the fiber is swollen. Introduction of this hydrophobic component reduces the swelling propensity of the cuticle, which limits the upward curving of the surface cuticle. This reduces the chipping away of the cuticle cells, which reduces protein loss, as observed in this work. ... It not only has a protective effect on undamaged hair but also on chemically treated hair, UV-treated hair ... The ability of coconut oil to penetrate into hair cuticle and cortex seems to be responsible for this effect." See Page 17 of the pdf.

hydrophobic definition, http://www.answers.com/topic/hydrophobic "1.Repelling, tending not to combine with, or incapable of dissolving in water."

Ideas for current hair care can be taken from many sources.