I really want to show you some more complex hair styles but I thought we should cover the basics first. I originally posted this tutorial over a year ago but at the time, I was still pretty new to vintage. After many months of practice, my method has changed and my rolls are much more substantial than they used to be. I wanted to share this new, updated tutorial with you. I hope that everyone has better results with this.



Preparing Your Hair
Victory rolls can be done on long or shorter hair, curly or straight, washed or unwashed. If your hair is very fine and slippery, try curling your hair before attempting a roll. Pin curls work very well but you can also use hot rollers, rag curls, foam rollers, etc. With all methods of curling, make sure that the curls are rolled towards the back of your head so that the hair rolls easily for you.

Pin Curl Set for Victory Rolls
Section off front of hair starting just in front of the ears on both sides. Tie the rest of the hair back so its out of your way. On each side, do two rows with 4 pin curls each (a few more if you hair is very thick), rolling the curls towards the back of your hair. When curls are completely dry, remove the pins, brush out and begin this tutorial on step 2


 Basic Victory Rolls

Supplies
bobby pins to match your hair color
cheap hair spray 
a tail comb
optional but extremely helpful teasing comb (mine is from Sally Beauty Supply)

Step 1.)Using the tail end of the comb, section your hair from in front of your ears. You can clip the rest out of the way

Step 2.) using your teasing comb (or regular comb/brush) backcomb the back of the hair to give it lots of volume. This step makes rolling easier, gives volume and stability to your rolls and helps it hold all day, even in rain or high humidity.  
TIP: I only back comb the back of the hair so the front of the roll that shows stays nice and smooth.


Step 3.) Wrap the ends of your hair around two fingers (or one for a smaller roll) and  roll the hair to the scalp, keeping fingers inside of the roll.
TIP: The position and location of the roll will vary, depending on how you roll the hair.


If your hair is longer than shoulder length, start with the center of the hair and roll it like this:
Continue rolling it until your reach your scalp. 

 


Step 4.) Roll the hair up like a pin curl. Continue to roll until you reach your scalp. At this point, adjust the roll and place it in the desired direction and pin in place by inserting the pin into the opening of the roll. I usually only use 2 pins, one in the front of the roll and one in back. DO not remove your fingers from the inside of the roll until it is completely secure. Note in the image below, my fingers are still inside of the roll as I pin.



Step 5.) Spray the heck out of it with hairspray, smoothing any frizzies and use your hand to cup the roll until it is dry. Repeat on the other side.


Victory Rolls with Fringe
If you have short bangs or fringe, you can still do victory rolls. depending on the length of your fringe, you can leave it down, style it into a bang roll or force it up into the victory roll. If you want to try to work your fringe into the victory roll, I suggest backcombing it a bit, to give it more texture.

Then, sweep it up, pin it into the roll and hit it hard with the hairspray. When my fringe was shorter, I often used massive amounts of hairspray to plaster it to my rolls. If your fringe is quite short, it may be best left down. Try different methods to see what you like best. 

What to do with the rest of my hair?
Victory rolls look great with pin curls, waves or a snood. For more relaxed days, I even leave mine straight sometimes. Dress it up with a flower, a bow or pretty hair comb.

Trouble-shooting
If you can't get the rolls to sit as high on your head as you'd like, try holding the hair up in the air and roll it downward.
If you have thinner hair or want the rolls to have more volume, hold the hair out to the side (or up) and do a bit of back-combing/teasing before rolling it up.

Victory rolls require practice and patience to get it right so if your rolls don't turn out the first time, just take the pins out and give it another go. Practice makes perfect!

As always, leave your questions in a comment below and I will do my best to find an answer! Have fun, kittens.