Men’s hair in the seventies was a joy to behold. There was a little bit of variation throughout the decade, from long to short, blow-dried and bouffant to spiked and bleached, with “overgrown” being the look that most people associate with the decade. Hairstyling was no longer simply for women, and hair products were firmly aimed at, and used by, men. Moustaches and mutton chops were in, even fake facial hair was worn and accepted. It was a hairy decade!
Influences on Men’s Hair
The Beatles influence on men’s hair started in the early 1960s with their shaggy “moptop” style. A few years later they went all hippie, influencing men to grow their hair and sparking the trend for facial hair.
From moptops to pleasantly overgrown, how The Beatles wore their hair sparked trends
Society had an influence on how men appeared to wear their hair and facial hair in certain circumstances during the very early ’70s.
Since long hair for men had re-emerged in the 1960s, conservative people and institutions viewed long hair and facial as morally corrupt and just plain wrong. There are plenty of cases worldwide of long-haired students getting banned from college or school, men with long hair being attacked or forcibly shaved, and job adverts stating “moustaches not welcome”.
False moustaches (in the popular horseshoe shape) and other facial were used to easily change a look
This led to some men adjusting their style to be able to “fit in” with more conservative situations, yet still able to embrace the fast-growing trend for long hair. For example, using short-haired wigs to conceal long hair when working or flat hunting, or the wearing of a false moustache when away from the “no moustache” bank or office.
This attitude soon changed, and long hair and facial became an accepted part of everyday – nothing to bat an eye over.
Nostalgia was a big influence on women’s fashions in the 1970s. For men, a ’50s-inspired rockabilly revival, initially spurred on by Elvis Presley’s return to music in 1968, became more mainstream in the mid-’70s into the 1980s when several music acts (from Showaddywaddy to 1980s band The Straycats) embraced a rockabilly-influenced sound and style, including hair with a pomp.
Also, successful films like American Grafitti (1972) and Grease (1978), plus the Fonz-tastic TV show Happy Days (1974-84) gave a solid nod to 1950s/early ’60s rocker culture.
Wella advertising their Balsam Shampoo, aiming it at men, while encouraging the use of conditioner (1973)
Hair products geared towards men were on the rise, with adverts happily stating the benefits of using their products.
Hairsprays and other things normally associated with women’s hairdressing were given masculine names, packaging and scents.
More men were using hairdryers to blow-dry their hair after shampooing and conditioning. It was acceptable to style, blow dry and dress one’s hair, as opposed to just having it cut and slicked back with a bit of Brylcreem.
Sportsmen had an influence on popularising men’s styles, including 1972 Olympic super swimmer Mark Spitz, whose popular centre-parted hairstyle was often known quite simply as a “Mark Spitz”. There was also British footballers George Best (a playboy with style) and Kevin Keegan (who sported a famous “poodle perm”), plus Liverpool Football Club’s love for moustaches.
The A’s of the ’70s complete with moustaches – a major first in baseball
In the USA, Major League Baseball players seldom had facial hair in the early ’70s – baseball was quite a conservative world. However, after Oakland Athletics player Reggie Jackson showed up for training with facial hair and wouldn’t shave it off, club owner Charlie Finley relented and decided to hold a moustache-growing contest within his team. Many players took part, including Rollie Fingers who still wears a handlebar moustache today.
When the A’s faced the Cincinnati Reds in the 1972 World Series, it was dubbed by media as “the Hairs vs. the Squares”. The “Hairs” won, and the trend for facial spread among other teams and fans alike.
Men’s 1970s Hairstyles
Men’s hair varied from the start to the end of the decade, with a few trends in between. Here’s a look at the various styles that made the seventies man the hairstyled beast that he was.
Long Natural Hair
Carrying on from the late 1960s trend towards longer hair, the 1970s man grew his hair. Length varied from “slightly overgrown” to “hippie long”, depending on one’s job, age and lifestyle.
Hair was simply left as it grew (albeit with a basic cut style), be it straight, curly or wavy – the wearer went with what they had. Partings could be to one side or in the middle – this depended on the style or wearer’s preference. Towards the end of the decade, hair had started to get a bit shorter (except for the rock crowd, who always had long hair whatever), with some even going for the chop altogether.
Long Styled Hair
As well as being left natural, longer hair could also be styled using the latest hair tools and products normally associated with women’s hairdressing. Often hair had soft layering and looked quite full, even bouffant.
A senior school football team with the typical overgrown and longer hairstyles seen throughout the decade (picture from Buckhurst Hill County High School, UK, 1972)
The Shag
A popular hairstyle for both men and women in the 1970s. Its creation is credited to hairdresser Paul McGregor, who designed the haircut for Jane Fonda’s character Bree Daniels in the film Klute (1971).
It is a unisex haircut, featuring lots of evenly-progressing layers with a fringe. The layers on the top of the hair are short and get gradually get longer as you go down the head. It was also fashionable for the graduated sides to be rolled under, creating a sort of pageboy look.
A shag (or similar layered cuts) could be worn sleek, or the upper layers could be fluffed out or spiked up, creating a “bogbrush” or “rooster” look (e.g. singer Rod Stewart).
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks have been worn throughout history by people from many different cultures and religions, but in the 1970s it was the popularity of reggae artists like Bob Marley (pictured here in the late ’70s) that brought dreads to the attention of popular culture. Marley wore dreads as part of his membership to the Rastafari movement.
Dreadlocks can be intentionally created (for example with backcombing) or formed naturally by letting unbrushed hair twist, tangle and become matted by itself.
Jheri Curl
This glossy, loosely curled look was popular in the African American community during the ’70s and into the ’80s (e.g. Michael Jackson’s do).
Created in the 1970s by Jheri Redding, an American hairdresser, chemist and entrepreneur, it was a chemical- and product-intensive style, well known for leaving a greasy residue on anything that the hair came into contact with.
Jheri curls were created by a two-step process: first, the tightly curled hair is softened and loosened, allowing it to then be re-set and permanently curled.
The Afro
The Afro started to be worn more and more in the 1960s, predominantly by the African American and black communities. Initially a strong political statement and recognition of black pride, by the early ’70s the Afro was becoming mainstream and fashionable. Its popularity grew so much that it was fashionable for white men to get their hair permed to create a mass of tight curls – a white Afro.
Afros could be worn natural, or cut and styled into a variety of shapes and fullness.
Excerpt from a Duke hair products ad, showing just some of the many ways to style an Afro (early 1970s)
The Mullet
The much-maligned mullet became fashionable in the 1970s and experienced a rise in popularity well into the 1980s. Its modern rise in popularity can possibly be traced to David Bowie’s hot-orange Ziggy Stardust cut of 1972, created by Suzy Fossey, plus other influential mullet-wearing chaps like Paul McCartney.
A mullet is a hairstyle of two separate parts: short layers on top and at the sides, and long hair at the back. It is a wonderful style that no one looked cool in.
Surfer Hair
Initially popularised by “beach bums” and surfers from the 1950s onward, the “Californian surfer” hairstyle of the 1970s was thick, shaggy and highlighted to create that tousled, carefree and sun-kissed look of someone who spent all day at the beach and in the sea (and, oh, how we’d like to be that person!).
Leif Garrett, a late-’70s pop heartthrob, had a good ol’ 1970s surfer do (pictured).
Mohicans and all things Punk
The late ’70s saw a revolution in music and fashion with punk. Partly as a reaction to hippie values, hair was styled upwards in gravity-defying sculptures and styles, rather than down to collars.
Clippering or shaving areas of the head was incorporated into some designs, like mohicans and horns, or wearers went for a full-on skinhead (a revival of a 1950s style).
Mohicans were fixed upright by using everyday household products like eggs, sugar water, soap or gelatine, as well as gels and hairsprays.
Hair colour was rarely kept natural and was bleached and/or dyed to create more impact and originality to the wearer. Bright coloured hair was created on bleached hair by using Crazy Colors, a range of temporary neon colours in a tub, as well as everyday products like food colourings and even coloured drinks like Kool-Aid and Kia-Ora. Text and patterns were also put into hair, like leopard print.
Facial Hair
Often the butt of ’70s porn jokes or fancy dress parties nowadays, facial hair was big news in the 1970s.
Shaft actor Richard Roundtree with obligatory 1970s horseshoe moustache and sideburns. Don’t mess with Shaft (1973)
Facial could be groomed and shaped, or it could be left natural. Moustaches, sidies and beards were worn singularly or in combination – it was down to the wearer’s tastes and preferences.
Moustaches were thick and full. One popular style was the horseshoe, where the hair extends down the side of the mouth, and was possibly inspired by the Fu Manchu moustache.
Side boards (or side burns if you’re north American) were long and full, sometimes extending in width at the bottom to create a mutton chop.
Beards came in varying styles, from the shaped Van Dyke to a full natural beard.
Not all facial was real. Fake moustaches and beards were readily available in men’s salons and department stores, and the wearing of such items was accepted. Worn by men who wanted an easy way to change their look, or for those who couldn’t grow a lush enough soup strainer and beard.
Find Out More:
- Ladies hair in the 1970s: Women’s 1970s Hairstyles: An Overview
