My personal preference for vintage hairstyles always went to the iconic curl sets and pageboys or an elegant updo, like the Gibson roll. Until recently, my hair accessories would consist of hair flowers and hair scarfs. However, women’s hairstyling and creativity from past eras went past pincurls and updos. Turbans in all shapes and forms where very popular back in the 1940s. With rationing during the wartime, women experimented with tying and accessorizing turbans in multiple ways to create different looks for day and night. Excited by some of these authentic 1940s looks, I took the plunge into a new-to-me way of hairstyling. However, tying intriguing knots can be tricky, even more so in the morning rush. Enter Sarah’s Doo-Wop Dos!

I discovered Sarah’s Doo-Wop Dos through Instagram, after seeing several vintage vixens wearing this fabulous headwear. Owner and designer and Sarah Dunn is a vintage-style hair and makeup artist and a true turbanista herself.

I decided to give the turban hairstyle a try myself and ordered two of Sarah’s ready-made turbans via her Etsy shop. You can choose between a full coverage of headband-style turban and then there’s different types of knots.

I went for ‘scrunchie’ headband-style turbans in mustard and white.

The turbans are handmade to order, so if you have any specific custom requirement(s), you could contact her and work it out together. The turbans come pre-tied and sewn into place, so all you’ll have to do is pop them on. A real life saver, or well, morning routine saver!

The scrunchie knot adds an interesting detail to any outfit and will create an interesting look with minimum effort. And for some authentic 1940s vibes, you accessorize with a hair flower, feather or brooch – think Frida Kahlo.

Because the headband-style turban I went for has the open back, I like to tease my hair a bit and let a little bouffant peek through the headband. Or when I have some remnants of curls left in my hair, I like to pull it up and pin it down into a poodle-like updo. With the full coverage turbans you don’t even have to worry about styling the back at all.

The only concern I have is the fit and stretch of the fabric. The turbans are one size and the elasticity of the fabric makes it easy to pull the turban over your hair and makes it comfortable to wear. However, the knot is pretty ‘heavy’ and given I have a rather small head and thin hair, it seems to pull on the headband with the tendency to get out of place. For now, I can solve this by pinning the turban into place at the back of the knot and in the back of the turban itself. But it seems like a smaller size turban with a tighter fit would probably have been better for me. This is just a little ‘issue’ I only stumbled upon after actually wearing the turbans. If you know you have a smaller head like me, I would suggest mentioning this upon your order, as I’m pretty sure Sarah could easily adapt the fit for you (she gets several custom requests all the time).

The headband style turban is available at the Sarah’s Doo-Wop Dos Etsy shop at 20 GBP/22.47 euros in a variety of colours. Sarah is regularly adding new/seasonal fabrics and experimenting with new knot styles to choose from. And if you need anything specific to match a special outfit, don’t hesitate to contact Sarah for a custom design. Use discount code TWINWOOD to get 20% off your order until August 29th.

I love playing around with these turbans and creating new looks every time. Have you tried a turban hairstyle before?

x Miss Lipstick & Pipettes x