When I was younger, I remember looking at old photographs of women and being intrigued by some of their hairstyles. The one thing I couldn’t get over was how they had rolled hairstyles that stayed in place for the entire day, how I’d always wondered. So, after doing some investigation, I discovered that they utilized a hair rat. No, not the actual rat; I was also concerned about that.
What was a hair rat?
A hair rat was created by rolling together clumps of hair from an old hairbrush. Then, form a big donut-like circle around the head or a nest for them to put hair over for a volumized updo.
Several alternatives depend on how you want to build it right now:
- Fabric from a fabric store. All you’d have to do is measure fabric around your head at a fabric store. Then, cut and sew it together once it has been calculated so that there is only one opening on one end to stuff with stuffing or cotton. As much as possible, try to match the cloth to the hair. After packing it with filling, make sure it fits, then knot the ends together.
- Pantyhose. You can use pantyhose in the same way as fabric from the fabric store, but they may be simpler to conceal if the material is too dark. To help construct the volume of the hair rat, wrap some pantyhose around your head and stuff the interior with fabric, cotton, or even socks if desired.
- Hair extensions. Hair extensions that match your hair color are a terrific alternative if you don’t want to utilize your hair. They do exactly what your hair would do if you didn’t have to worry about it smelling or feeling strange. You brush the extensions out, remove the hairs from the brush, and roll it into the desired shape for the hair rat. With hair, it’s easier to achieve the proper form than with pantyhose and cloth. All of it, though, continues to work flawlessly.
- Your own hair. You might even use your hair to help with the cost. It would be worked in the same way as the hair extensions, except for removing the clumps from the brush. Forming the desired shape and, if desired, putting it in a plastic bag for later use.
Here’s a link to someone making it from fabric that I might try myself. It seems neat: video
How do you use a hair rat?
You can style and use a hair rat in various ways. I’ll go over the different options for you to try out if you want to:
- The first way to style your hair with a hair rat is to create a voluminous 60’s hair bun with a fringed bang and headband. She begins by curling her hair, which is not essential. It does, however, help to keep my hair in place once I’ve styled it. Next, she bobby pins the hair rat onto the top of her head after ripping out her curls, making sure she completely covers the portion she wants to be volumized. She then put on a headband, pushed her bangs to the side, and used the rest of her hair to create two back buns.
- The hair rat might also be used to create the ideal bun on your head. When you want to add volume, choose a hair rat that is more in the shape of a circular with an opening rather than an oval-shaped one. In a second, the circular ones, which are more shaped like donuts, assist in creating the stylish yet outstanding ideal bun look.
- Bumper bangs. You can use the hair rat to section off the top front sections of your hair, just like you would for a perfect bun, but make sure it stays inside the area of your bangs. If you remember, that was the hairdo for biker chicks in the 1970s.
Here is the video of bumper bangs hairstyle, which I highly recommend if anyone is going through a red lipstick leather jacket face like I am:
