Here we take a look at women’s 1960s hairstyles, along with popular accessories. Hair in the 1960s saw a lot of diversity. Styles were influenced by the working classes, music, independent cinema, and social movements. In the UK, the fashion focus shifted from Paris to London, with designer Mary Quant leading the “Swinging London” revolution. Vidal Sassoon transformed women’s hairdressing, taking the humble bob and reinventing it to suit the mood of the decade.
Influences on Women’s 1960s Hairstyles
Film Stars
Since the dawn of cinema, film stars have impacted fashion trends. And it was no different now – the film stars of the day influenced women’s 1960s hairstyles.
In particular, the stars of New Wave cinema and Italian film influenced popular culture. As a result, Brigitte Bardot was catapulted to international stardom and is arguably the ultimate 1960s siren.
Other iconic actresses of the era include Julie Christie, Catherine Deneuve, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jane Birkin. Each had their own signature style and look.
Music
Since the late 1950s, the styles worn by the rock and roll singers and popular bands of the era were embraced by lovers of the music. From this, teenagers developed their own street fashion.
This influence continued right through the 1960s, from the über-fashionable mods through to the psychedelic sounds of the later sixties. There was a wide range of musical styles throughout the decade and this had a big impact on fashion and women’s 1960s hairstyles.
The First Lady
The impeccably groomed American First Lady Jackie Kennedy (later Onassis) influenced a whole generation with her elegant outfits, bouffant hairstyle and pillbox hats. Elements of the vintage “Jackie O” style are still admired and imitated today.
Hairdressers
Hairdressers have always developed new hairstyles and influenced hair fashions. For instance, the new decade welcomed the voluminous beehive, created by a Chicago-based hairdresser. This was followed by the advent of sharp, short crops by Vidal Sassoon, arguably the hairdressing star of the 1960s.
Vidal Sassoon created iconic styles and popularised short hair with geometric and asymmetrical cuts that revolutionised women’s hairstyling. The cutting-edge Sassoon styles were fresh, sleek and sharp. Ultimately, the looks were imitated around the globe and worn by style icons like Mary Quant.
Raymond Bessone trained Vidal Sassoon and is believed to have influenced the modern bouffant.
Hairdresser Louis Alexandre Raimon created Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra look, invented the artichoke hairstyle, and styled film stars like Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn.
Subculture
In the second half of the decade, political activism, social changes and psychedelic rock music led to hair for both sexes becoming longer and left more natural. This was in keeping with the carefree yet radical attitudes of the hippie subculture.
Classic Women’s 1960s Hairstyles
Electric tongs and the new styling wand (the hairdryer and curler combo) enabled women to create big curls and lots of lift. Heated Carmen Rollers were available from 1965, making it easier to set and curl the hair at home, instead of having to go to the hairdressers.
Older women would not necessarily go for an ultra-fashionable modern style and may still have worn a version of the smaller, more mature styles of the 1950s
The Afro
Many black women had straightened their hair during the forties and fifties because it was considered to be the socially acceptable way to dress one’s hair. However, towards the end of the fifties, the hair slowly started being left natural and cut short.
The American Civil Rights Movement influenced students, activists and jazz musicians (like Nina Simone) to leave their hair natural and not straightened as a symbol of racial pride. Natural hair was a strong political symbol of black pride and identity.
Hair gradually became fuller and longer throughout the 1960s. The trend for longer hair continued along with the rise of political activism.
The hair was teased into the classic round Afro hairstyle with a wide-toothed Afro pick.
The popularity of the Afro peaked in the late 1960s into the 1970s, during which time it moved from being a political statement into being fashionable. Ultimately, it became so fashionable that white people got their hair permed to be tight and curly. One example of this is Barbra Streisand.
The Artichoke
This multi-layered hairstyle was created by celebrity hairdresser Louis Alexandre Raimon in the early 1960s. It was also known as the pinwheel.
For this style, the hair was cut in layers of petal-shaped points, each one being about two or three inches longs. It was then teased so that the layers did not lie smoothly together. Additionally, the hair at the sides could either be curved around the ears or tousled over them.
It was a popular style, worn at one point by Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly.
The Beehive
The beehive is a classic vintage 1960s hairstyle and one of the enduring symbols of the early sixties. The distinctively cone-shaped, backcombed and lacquered mountain of hair would last for many days, with a bit of tweaking and lashings of Aqua Net.
The creation of the 1960s beehive is credited to Margaret Vinci Heldt of Elmhurst, Illinois – the owner of the Margaret Vinci Coiffures in downtown Chicago.
She had been asked by the editors of Modern Beauty Shop magazine to design a new hairstyle that would reflect the coming decade. Subsequently, she contributed to an article that appeared in the February 1960 edition – and the modern beehive was born.
Interestingly, a beehive-type hairstyle had been seen in fifteenth-century Italy, albeit in a slightly differing form.
The elegant updo was incredibly popular, worn by the masses and the famous alike, including Dusty Springfield and Audrey Hepburn. A beehive could also be twinned with longer hair in a “half up half down” style, as worn by Bridgette Bardot and The Ronettes.
The Bouffant
The 1960s bouffant carried on from the similar styles of the late 1950s. It varied in size from happily rounded to pretty big. It could be smooth and sleek or tousled with curls and waves. In a word, it was not just one particular look, but one that simply involved big and high pouffed-up hair.
Popular with women of all ages, the bouffant was straight forward enough to create and easy to wear.
To start with, hair was set in large rollers to create the initial lift needed. Once set, the hair was backcombed to give it the structure, shape and size required. The outer layer of hair would then be combed or brushed smoother and put into place. Finally, a mosquito-clearing cloud of hair lacquer would be used to keep the hair firmly in place.
To get even more bouff in their bouffant, a woman could use hairpieces on the crown, creating a towering height of hair. The hairpieces didn’t even need to match the hair colour – it was all about the height.
Famous bouffant wearers included First Ladies Jackie Kennedy and Lady Bird Johnson, The Supremes, and Dusty Springfield, who also loved a beehive.
The Flick Up
The flicked up bob was an easy-to-wear and flexible style for medium-length or shorter hair.
Here, the hair was set in large rollers to create the lift and height required, as well as allow the ends of the hair to be flicked up. The flicked curl went all around the ends of the hair.
Long Hair
Hair was worn long throughout the 1960s but came more into vogue in the mid/late-1960s for both sexes.
During the first half of the 1960s, hair would not simply be left down without any styling and always looked sleek. It could be worn with a bit of lift and backcombed at the crown to achieve a rounded bouffant. The ends could also be put into a roller to create an upward curl.
Long hair could also be dressed up in a variety of ways. For example, a half ponytail finished with a few curls was popular.
To get their hair poker straight, women could blow-dry it or even give it an iron. The trick here was to place a brown paper bag over the hair to help prevent it from getting singed.
Long hair was usually centre-parted and, if a fringe was grown, it would come down to below the eyebrows.
Later in the decade, with the flower power influence, long hair could be left more natural. The hair was usually worn centre-parted and with or without a fringe. Conversely, for those not part of this movement, hair would be blow-dried into a smooth and voluminous style, as seen earlier in the decade.
Short Cuts & The Pixie
Vidal Sassoon started creating short cutting-edge styles in 1963. In contrast to the heavily-lacquered and teased bouffant, Vidal’s styles involved much less daily maintenance and fell easily into place. However, they did need regular trimming to keep the hair looking sharp.
Wearers of the short and sleek Sassoon styles included fashion designer Mary Quant and actress Nancy Kwan.
Other famous women also helped popularise short haircuts. For example, in 1966, model Twiggy sported a side-parted short haircut with a long, side-swept fringe. It was known as the “Twiggy Cut” to those wanting to have the same short style.
Another influential woman was actress Mia Farrow. She went from having long hair to a very short pixie cut during her time in the soap opera Peyton Place. Her pixie cut can also be seen in Rosemary’s Baby (1968).
Hair Accessories
Bows
Both big bows and tiny little bows were used to adorn the hair. There were lots of sewing patterns available to make large bows at home. Consequently, they could come in all sorts of colours and materials. Ribbons were also tied around the head and fashioned into a bow.
Combs & Slides
Combs and slides were made of plastic and often decorated with bows, rhinestones, bright swirls, or mod-inspired black and white geometric patterns.
Spanish mantilla combs were used by some women in the back of their huge beehives to prevent them from collapsing. Portobello Road in London or junk shops were good places to scout for an old tortoiseshell mantilla.
Headbands
Plastic or material headbands were a popular accessory. They could vary from a couple of inches thick to even wider.
The headband continued to be worn in the late 1960s by the hippie brigade. Although the band might now be worn across the forehead, as opposed to the top of the head.
Headscarves
Headscarves were tied in several ways:
- The fashionable young liked to tie their headscarf right on the point of the chin, as opposed to being tied under the chin like their mothers.
- Alternatively, scarves could be tied behind the head at the nape.
- A long scarf could be wrapped in a more intricate way. Firstly, it was wrapped around the head and crossed under the chin. Then, it was wrapped back around the neck and tied at the back.
- Hippies and rock lovers used scarves in various ways. For example, a long scarf would be tied around the top of the head and left dangling.
Scarves accompanied by big dark sunglasses were fashionable – very Jackie O and very Cannes Film Festival.
Natural Elements
Natural items like feathers, leather bands, and flowers were worn later in the sixties with the advent of “flower power” and the hippies.
Wigs & Hairpieces
Fake hair was the big hair accessory of the 1960s when wigs and other hairpieces were worn openly. There was no shame in wearing a wig or fake hair – certainly, no one cared whether the item was detectable as fake or not.
Wigs were made of real hair and generally came as a “pull on and wear” cap or weft style. This made them convenient as well as fashionable. A woman could change their hair colour and style in an instant by simply popping on a wig.
Hairpieces were attached to the back of the head to create width and height, subsequently making big hair even bigger. Likewise, pieces could be used to create a top knot or other more dressed-up styles. They were available in natural and contrasting colours such as gold, peach and lavender.
Clusters often had a comb attached to the base to push into the natural hair. Long backfalls were attached to the crown to create a bouffant look at the back with a long tail of hair. This was a good way to create length without having to wear a full wig.
Accessories sometimes came with false hair attached to them. For example, you could buy wide velvet headbands and bows with false hair.
Hair Colouring
Developments in hair colour science gave rise to new tints and tones. This coupled with improved off-the-shelf kits made it easier to dye at home.
In addition, new techniques came along. For example, there was frosting, which is the bleaching of small strands of top hair all over the head.
Find Out More
- Women’s 1960s Makeup: An Overview.
- Vogue covers from the 1930s to the 1980s, with a few from the 1960s.
- Hair and Beauty Adverts from the 1960s – vintage 1960s makeup and hairstyles.
- Read more about the 1960s on Wikipedia.
Sources:
Corson, R. (2000). Fashions in Hair: The First Five Thousand Years. Peter Owen.
Sherrow V. (2001). For Appearances’ Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty and Grooming. Greenwood.
Hello! Do you know what the style of bangs Cher had, that were just at the cheekbones, used to be called back then? I remember someone saying they had a specific name but I cannot find that video anymore haha
Thank you!
Hi Nilah – we know the distinctive style you ask about but we have no idea what it was known as. If you find out, please let us all know! ?
I notice one of these unidentified models is in fact Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand on “Star Trek” and appeared in such films as “Some Like It Hot” and “Irma La Douce.”
Thanks Mark for letting us know ?
You helped me find the word ” frosting” which I was going nuts trying to remember from my 60s hairdo I am now 88 and still messing with my now snow white hair
Thanks Alice. Ah… don’t think we ever stop messing with our hair and why not! We love snow white hair – you enjoy messing with it! ?
hey can you add 1980s and 1990s women’s hairstyles to? and also this website is really helpful. Thank you ?
Hi Maddy, The 80s and 90s are defo on our list of things to do. We’ll get there eventually! Thank you ?
I have spring concert and the theme was 1950-1960 so this help a lot to decide what I was going to wear
1960’s hairstyles are way different to now (2017)
This article helped me so mush with my project on the 60’s thank you so much for the help ❤️❤️❤️
Glad we could help – and thanks for letting us know ?
I know for sure I’m also doing a 1960’s thing, but it’s an essay. I’m quite glad this existed too!
– Eugene J.
June 5, 2023
Can you tell me when streaked hair really became fashionable? I’m critiquing a novel set in the 60s but written now, and the author speaks of an actress having streaked hair. Growing up I know it didn’t get popular where I lived until the early 70s, but then it was a small town. Who’s right, the reader or the writer? (The author has committed a few other anachronisms, so it’s kind of important.)
As a fashion trend, highlighting became popular in the 1970s. But streaking was around in the 1960s, where a plastic cap would be used with holes in it, and strands of hair pulled though for bleaching. So it would be perfectly possible for someone to have streaked hair in the 1960s, even if the fashion hadn’t yet reached its dizzy heights of the 70s and 80s.
Do you know who created the ‘Bouffant’ hairstyle?
Hi Kenzy – We had a look at Wikipedia: “The modern bouffant, considered by one source to have been invented by British celebrity hairdresser Raymond Bessone,[1] was noted by Life in the summer of 1956 as being ‘already a common sight in fashion magazines.'[2]” ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouffant
This was so helpful as I had an assignment to compare sixties hairstyles today! Thank you!
I know this article was written in 2012 but can I ask, do you know how to make that headscarf? The one Jean Shrimpton is wearing?
We’re guessing it’s made from a square of fabric, nothing too flimsy as it seems to be holding it’s shape, then simply tied at the nape ?
thanks for the help, i have got lots of course work on the 60s and i have to research EVERYTHING so looking for sites on everything is really hard but this site really helped thankyou
Hi Caitlin – thank you for letting us know; really glad our site helped your research, makes what we try to do worth it! All the best ?
Love this site and the information, the detail and useful pictures to illustrate. Thanks guys for what I can imagine takes a lot of time to put together! Carrie x
Hi Carrie – thank you for commenting and it does take a while to put together, esp. between jobs, family and life! Ah well. Cheers ?
thank for all the info i really needed it for my project ! thanks to you im so prepared for this essay on 1960s …. thanks to creators of website once again !
Hi Carlie, Many thanks for commenting. Good luck with your project ?
No thank you for the info …. i will make sure to recommend this site to anyone who needs it ?
Hi Carlie, You are welcome – we’re happy our site was useful. Cheers, and thanks! ?
Thanks! I found the pages later, I just hadn’t looked close enough.
Hi Maia, glad you found them! (And one day we’ll get around to the ’20s!)
This is a very interesting article! ☺
Is/are there another article[s] on hairstyles or makeup from the 1920’s or 1940’s?
Hi, We’ve not got to the 1920s yet, but here’s a link for our post on women’s 1940s makeup: https://hair-and-makeup-artist.com/period-hair-makeup/womens-1940s-makeup/