The Secret Language of Bertha Hair Accessory Colours

Ask any British vintage hair accessory collector about "Bertha" and they will usually point to the curved, decorative combs and slides that appeared in haberdashery catalogues between the 1920s and 1950s. The name is a piece of collector's shorthand, borrowed from the wide bertha collar that these pieces echo in silhouette — and not to be confused with the beret, which has its own devoted following in British vintage style. What makes Bertha pieces so sought after, however, is not just their form but their colour.

What Makes a Bertha a Bertha?

Before we talk about colour, it helps to picture the object. A classic Bertha hair accessory is a one-piece comb or slide with a continuous curved top edge, often decorated with carved flowers, geometric lines or a simple polished ridge. Unlike the straight-backed hair combs of the Edwardian era, the Bertha's curve was designed to follow the contour of the head from temple to temple. In the 1920s, when short bobs made decorative hair accessories essential, Bertha slides became a favourite way to hold a side sweep in place. By the 1930s, manufacturers were producing them in colourful celluloid and casein, and the name stuck.

The Signature Bertha Colours

If you start hunting for Bertha pieces on British antiques stalls, you will quickly notice a repeating palette. These are the colours that appear most often on genuine vintage examples:

• Tortoiseshell and amber — the most common Bertha colours, ranging from pale honey to deep mahogany. Many pieces are actually celluloid imitating tortoiseshell, but the warmth of the mottling is unmistakable.
• Jet black and dark brown — often found on formal Bertha combs from the 1930s. Black was achieved with aniline dyes and looks almost glassy when polished.
• Ivory and cream — popular for bridal and afternoon wear. Cream celluloid has a soft, milky glow that ages gracefully, though it can yellow unevenly.
• Pastel pink, blue and lavender — these softer shades appeared in the late 1930s and 1940s, often on smaller Bertha slides meant for everyday wear. They are rarer than tortoiseshell and highly prized.
• Mottled red and green — a less common but striking group, sometimes called "marbled" by collectors. The swirling patterns come from mixing two colours of celluloid while the sheet was still warm.

This list is not exhaustive, but it covers the vast majority of Bertha pieces you will encounter in the UK. The exact shade can help date a piece: deep, rich tortoiseshell with a visible grain is usually earlier, while lighter, more uniform amber became common in the 1940s.

How Bertha Colours Were Made

Understanding the material behind the colour is essential for anyone who wants to collect Bertha pieces with confidence. The earliest Bertha combs were made from natural horn or bone, which gave a warm, translucent brown. From the 1920s, celluloid took over because it could be produced in any colour and was cheap to mould. Celluloid is essentially camphor and nitrocellulose, and its colour comes from soluble dyes added before the sheet was formed. Casein, made from milk protein, was also used in the 1930s and 1940s; it has a slightly different, more opaque finish and was often used for pastel shades.

The technique of mottling, so characteristic of tortoiseshell Bertha pieces, involved folding layers of differently coloured celluloid and then pressing them into a single sheet. This is why every tortoiseshell Bertha comb has a unique pattern. If you hold two supposedly identical slides side by side, the grain will never match perfectly.

Bringing Bertha Colours into a Modern Wardrobe

The practical beauty of Bertha colours is that they work with contemporary British dressing. A honey-toned tortoiseshell Bertha slide is an easy partner for a cream silk blouse or a charcoal wool jumper. For a sharper look, choose a jet black Bertha comb to anchor a sleek low bun or a side part. Pastel Bertha slides, especially the pink and lavender shades, look unexpectedly fresh against the muted greens and browns of a 1970s-style maxi dress — a combination that has been quietly popular among vintage stylists in recent seasons.

If you are unsure which colour to start with, amber is the most forgiving. It flatters most skin tones and picks up the warmth in blonde, chestnut and grey hair. Black Bertha pieces are the most formal; they were originally worn to dances and evening events, and they still read as evening accessories today. Pastel pieces are the most playful — save them for weekends and garden parties.

Caring for the Colour of Your Bertha

Colour is the first thing to fade on a Bertha accessory, so a little care goes a long way. Keep Bertha pieces away from direct sunlight; ultraviolet light darkens tortoiseshell and bleaches pastel celluloid. Store them in a soft pouch or a lined jewellery box, not loose in a drawer where they can scratch each other. To clean, wipe gently with a dry, soft cloth. If a piece is sticky or cloudy, do not attempt to polish it with alcohol or acetone — these solvents dissolve celluloid and will ruin the colour permanently. A very slightly dampened cotton bud can be used on carved details, but always test on an inconspicuous corner first.

One particular warning for British collectors: central heating is surprisingly damaging to celluloid. The warmth and dryness can cause the material to shrink, which makes the surface craze and the colour turn dull. If you wear a Bertha comb in winter, let it rest in a cool room afterwards rather than placing it straight back on a radiator shelf.

Before you store your amber Bertha comb, wrap it in acid-free tissue and place it in a wooden drawer away from direct sunlight — this will keep the warm glow from turning dull for decades to come.