how to make a hair rat for vintage hairstyles

So many of my readers have asked about hair rats. What they are, how to use them, where to buy them, etc. The free version involved pulling hair from your hair brush and rolling it up into the desired shape. If, like myself, you are completely grossed out by hair, here's another option:



For years, my go-to for hair rats have been these mesh chignon forms. They used to be made of foam many years ago but since they've started carrying mesh versions, I've found that they are much more versatile. They're less than $5 on Amazon and they come in blonde, brown and dark brown.



                           Cut the donut and bend it to form a tube.





                             Slide your fingers between one layer of mesh and give that layer a snip.
 

   Unroll it and you'll have a few feet of this wonderful mesh. You can cut it into different lengths and widths,   roll it up to make several perfect hair rats. I get 5 or so rats from a single chignon form. If I need a very large rat, I stack the layers and roll them up together.



I know that some of you gals asked about rats for other hair colors. The gorgeous and brilliant Vivian from Quaintrelle Life posted a hair rat tutorial using wool roving. Roving comes in every color of the rainbow and can be shaped into different sizes just like these mesh rats. Thank you, Viv!

You can also check out my past tutorial on making hair rats using fishnet stockings

5 Hair Styles Using Rats:

Allie's Lake Hair from The Notebook
Betty Grable's Rolls
Quick and Easy Vintage Hair
Victory Rolls with Faux Bangs
Basic Victory Rolls (can do with or without rats)