Beehives, Bouffants and Big Big Hair

by Veronica Mihalopoulos

Men must think women are nuts! The things we do when we think it makes us look pretty. I mean have you ever worn your hair in a tall beehive. First off to get it tall is absolute torture. I know this is a look that Amy Winehouse is a credited with bringing back and yeah I guess I will give her that. It is an interesting take on the beehive, actually she got the back combing right but she does not put much effort into making it look the slightest bit appealing. It looks more like a bird made a home up there.

Amy Whinehouse

Bouffant is the Hairstyle that was made popular in the 1960's. It is accomplished by backcombing, short bangs, or tease up bangs and 5 bottles of Aqua Net hairspray. This hairstyle became the hairdo of choice for many Hollywood glamour events of that time. It made a popular come back in the late 80s when the John Waters 1988 film "Hairspray" took pop culture by storm. I see the bouffant making yet again another come back. You can't be lazy for any of these hairstyles. There is no get up and go. So plan ahead before you decided to style your hair like this it could take longer than an hour.That's why back in the day there would be appointments booked up on fridays to have their hair perfectly styled for the weekend.

Patrica singer for the Horrorpops

Big Hair was modeled after the bouffant and beehive but not limited to just those two hairstyles. Big Hair can refer to anything teased, tangled, pomped, back combed and blow dried. Mousse, Hairspray and gel can be used to create this effect. We can still see these hairdos in popculture today. There is not only Amy, but long before her Marge Simpson and Peggy Bundy both have these unique hairstyles that have helped establish character signatures.  .

Marge Simpson (the most famous beehive of all!)

To style your hair in a beehive you will need:

Bobby Pins

Hairspray

Teasing brush or comb

Hair rat (it can be made of foam or a sponge material)

Hair rat

The truth is that the Beehive, bouffant and big hairstyles work best when the hair has not been washed for a couple of days. I will leave that up to you. You need to back comb the hair. This is a simple step, might get your arm a little tired but it is the secret to a great looking beehive. This is how you back come (tease the hair) take a section of hair, brush it upwards in a vertical motion, then move your comb to the back of the section & brush it back down again. Keep going all over your head so that you end up looking like the bride of Frankenstein. It is this back combing that gives the hair high volume and some stiffness to work with.

The Bride of Frankenstein

At this point I would decide if I want the Amy Winehouse look or the Elvira Mistress of the dark look. When you have decided on this proceed. The reason I ask this question is because if you want a smoother look to hide all the back coming you will need to keep a large front section of your hair away from all the back coming tumble weeds. This also applies if you are going to use a hair rat for more lift.

Tumble Weed

If you want the Amy Winehouse look you will continue with the back coming no need to separate any of the front hair. Smooth the outer layer up. For the rest of the styling I would use my hands for more control or the style. Shape the beehive in what you consider to be the perfect beehive pin it in place. Then you will need to add the hair spray. I would do it like this. Spray a little style; spray a little style and so on until the beehive is shaped and hard as a rock.

Mike and Nicole

If you are going for the glamorous look of the beehive you will need to keep a large front section of hair smooth and tangle free. Back comb the remaining hair all over until there is a lot of lift and high volume. Once you have done this smooth out the outer layer of the hair that has been back combed. Add the hair rat by pinning into place and smooth the front of the hair over the rat and pin it into place. Begin shaping the hair and pinning into desired volume and shape. Don't forget to use plenty of hairspray!

I would carry a tail comb in my handbag to keep my hairstyle from erupting! This hairdo is very high maintenance!

Elvira

You can go to your local beauty supply store to purchase a hair rat. You can buy it either shaped like a donut or in the shape of tube. For the Beehive or Bouffant I would recommend the donut shaped one. In the old days a hair rat was made up of old hair gathered from a brush and collected and meshed together to make this hair piece.

If you want to make your own lift or Hair rat you can take a knee high stocking and fill it with cotton balls till it has the amount of cushioning you want, tie a knot and cut the excess stocking.

For big crazy Robert Smith hair back comb, and more back comb and hairspray! Repeat this till the desired hairstyle is accomplished!

Robert Smith