Good Morning POU!
How bout a little history behind the glorious finger-wave!
A finger wave is a method of setting hair into waves (curls) that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s and again in the late 1990s in North America and Europe. The popularity of finger waves in the 1990s was aided by a movement toward shorter, more natural hair in the African-American community.
The process involved pinching the hair between the fingers and combing the hair in alternating directions to make an “S” shape wave. A waving lotion was applied to the hair to help it retain its shape. The lotion was traditionally made using karaya gum, but more modern styles often use liquid styling gels or hairspray. Over the years, the use of clips (and later tape) also became popular to hold the heavy damp waves until the gel dried
But did you know this was really created from “Marcelling”?
Marcelling is a hair styling technique in which hot curling tongs are used to induce a curl into the hair. Its appearance was similar to that of the latter finger wave but it is created using a different method.
Marcelled hair was a popular style for women’s hair in the 1920s, often in conjunction with a bob cut. For those women who had longer hair, it was common to tie the hair at the nape of the neck and pin it above the ear with a stylish hair pin or flower. One famous wearer was Josephine Baker.
Marcel Grateau (1852–1936) is widely credited with inventing the hair styling technique in the 1870s (differing accounts report 1872 or 1875. The inventor and stylist emigrated to the United States and changed his name to François Marcel Woelfflé, sometimes reported as François Marcel. He was granted U.S. patents for implements for performing the technique; the first, U.S. patent 806386, entitled “Curling-Iron”, was published in 1905, and the second, entitled “Hair-Waving Iron”, for an electric version, under the name François Marcel, was published in 1918.
The doo-wop group the Marcels were named after the hairstyle.
So that’s how finger waves were derived from “marcelling”! And of course you know how WE do. Took it and ran with it! Now if your stylist was really dope, he or she could hook you up with glitter and/or colors in your waves and O-M-G remember the “scrunch” with the finger waves?
If you wanted to learn the technique, check out this video: