The Victory Roll

• The victory roll was a popular updo in the 1940s, and the hairstyle took its name from a fighter plane maneuver. This was before the personal hair blower was available, so women pinned curls in their hair at night and took them out in the morning, brushing their hair out only a little. The style was achieved by taking sections of curled hair from both sides of the head, rolling it then pinning it on the crown of the head, away from the face.
  
  

Pompadour

• The pompadour placed a big, rolled poof of hair at the crown of the head where bangs would be and sometimes above each ear, too. This style involves backcombing, in which sections of hair are lifted upward and a comb is placed halfway between the tips of hair and the roots. The comb is pushed down toward the roots. This gives hair some cushion before it's rolled into the big pouf that is the pompadour.
  
  

The French Twist

• A '40s French twist was much more manicured than this hair -- ends were tucked in.Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
  
  A French twist is styled by brushing hair back away from the face then gathering hair at the nape of the neck, twisting it, and pulling it upward. Use pomade to keep the hair smooth and in place while brushing it back. The ends of the hair are tucked into a roll and the style is held in place by bobby pins. Hair rat pieces were popular in the 1940s because they helped those with medium-lenght hair create a French twist. It was a donut-shaped styling tool that acted as a filler, adding volume and height to hair. Hair rat pieces, as well as other donut-shaped styling tools, are available at beauty stores today.
  
  

Scarf Updo

• Not only were scarves used at night to keep rollers in place, they were also incorporated into daytime styles in the '40s to keep hair up and away from the face. A scarf tied around the head could accentuate bunches of tight curls, and the scarf roll was used to keep medium length hair up and above the nape of the neck. Hair was brushed back, then rolled into the scarf, much like how hair is rolled into curlers, and the front ends of the scarf are tied together above the forehead.