The early 1920′s witnessed major progress in the transition of women’s hairstyles from the traditional long-hair styles of the nineteenth century – to new short-hair styles like “the bob”, a process that started during the great war (WW1). While bobbed hairstyles of the early 1920′s were very plain, they were transformed with beautiful curls and waves by the late 1920′s into stylish and feminine bobs that endured into the 1930′s. The popularity of these later bobbed hairstyles continued on well into the 1930′s. The beautiful short hairstyles of this trend setting era have enjoyed a revival in modern times as hair stylists look back to this period for inspiration.

The most popular hairstyles of the nineteen twenties included the bob, marcel wave, finger wave, and shingle, all of which came with numerous variations. Hairstyles like the Eton Crop were temporary phenomenons that disappeared as fast as they arrived. As women of all ages sacrificed their long tresses on the altar of fashion, hairdressers and even barbers competed for this booming business.

As early adopters of the new shorter hairstyles, 1920′s movie stars and other celebrities assisted in popularizing the new hair fashions through public appearances, movies and stage shows, the new hairstyles they sported being eagerly copied by their adoring fans. Despite the high cost involved initially there was a very high uptake of permanent waving when it became available to women everywhere.

The 1920′s was the decade of short hair hairstyles as the previously fashionable long-hair hairstyles became unpopular. Although considered extremely radical in the early 1920′s, bobbed hair quickly became the “must have” hairstyle for young girls and young ladies aged in their twenties, the popularity extending to middle-aged women in their thirties and forties. Sophisticated cuts including shingling were used to create attractive bobs that featured waves and curls to soften and enhance the styling. Early critics predicted that bobs would be a short-lived fad that would last a couple of years at most and were surprised to find that they continued to grow in popularity well into the 1930′s. In actual fact, the mass migration to bobbed hairstyles turned out to be part of a major revolution in womens hairstyling.