A kiss curl describes a lock of hair curling onto the face and usually plastered down. Although the curl could be flattened with
saliva
Saliva (commonly referred to as spit) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be ...
(hence its alternative name spit curl), soap or hair lotion was more typically used.
Pre-20th century
In the late seventeenth century there was a fashion for
fringes composed of curls described as ''fripons'', ''guigne-galants'', or 'kiss-curls', sometimes augmented with false hair.
20th-century onwards
The kiss-curl was worn by both men and women.
It became a trademark of the singer
Bill Haley
William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...
, who wore a large spit curl over his right eye to divert attention from the other blind eye. Other people who became known for kiss/spit curls included
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...
,
Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...
, and
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
.
See also
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Lovelock (hair)
A Lovelock was popular amongst European "men of fashion" from the end of the 16th century until well into the 17th century. The lovelock was a long lock of hair, often plaited ( braided) and made to rest over the left shoulder (the heart side) to ...
braided hair to the side, sometimes on the forehead
References
External links
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Human hair
Hairstyles
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