Doing your hair like Marilyn....

Didn't she have the most amazing look? Love her or hate her, you have to admit Marilyn was a beautiful woman. Personally, I don't think her acting was given the credit it deserved, as all the focus was continually on the way she looked and her love life. Some of her films are just wonderful - she was so much more than Laura-lie in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' !

Thankyou to my beautiful friend Mel who let me do her up to go out on the town in Melbourne. I took inspiration from the above Marilyn hairstyle to do Mel's hair, and the following is a step by step guide to what I did - so you can achieve the same look !!

1. Firstly, you will need a short cut with layers at the sides and back. If you don't have this then it really wont work (obviously!!!)
2. Wash hair and before it is dry apply a liberal amount of gel all through your hair (about the same size as a scoop of ice-cream from a proper ice-cream scoop!!!). Hang your head upside down and dry with a hair dryer. I like to do this because it adds alot more volume and lifts the hair up and away from the scalp.

** Marilyn's hair was bleached to billi-o (Aussie expression there) and it therefore held style very very well - tortured hair usually does. If you hair is not bleached this gel process will effect pretty much the same result, although you may need more or less gel depending on your hair type. My hair is reasonably fine so I use alot of gel, Mel's hair is quite thick and wavy so a little bit of gel went a long way.

2. Once the hair is dry, use a hot curling iron to create defined curls all over the head. Only do small pieces at a time - too thick and the curling iron will be ineffectual. Refer to the photograph for an example of the amount of hair to use....Mel's hair has a natural part a little to her left of centre (right of centre for us looking at her), I decided to leave this part and direct the curls towards Mels ears on either side of the part (see photograph for what I mean!!). 3. Spray the curls with hairspray (maximum hold) as you go.

4. After spraying the hair, tousle the curls up a bit with your hands and move them 'into place' however you like. Pull back the sides of the hair over the ears and pin into place - you don't want alot of 'boofy-ness' out each side or your head. Dont be afraid to be a tad 'vicious' with the curls, they will hold and should keep most of their definition.

5. Once you have it looking 'just so', you can squirt it with hairspray again, or leave it as is.

And this is the end result - beautiful!! This is Mel and I out on the town.........