In the ‘80s, shoulder pads and leg warmers were so totally in, but your clothes weren’t the only thing making a statement. Your hair was just as important, if not more so! The hair of the ‘80s was truly something to behold. We’ve already looked at the most memorable of the men’s hairstyles of that decade (click to view), but today it’s time to share the love with the ladies. Were you one with the crimper, or were you super into mile-high aqua net bangs? Whatever your choice, it was so totally ‘80s.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at 10 of the most memorable ’80s female hairstyles!
More into the ‘90s? Check out our article: 10 Popular ‘90s Hairstyles You Totally Rocked (At Least One Of) If You Were a ‘90s Girl
Scrunchies
Scrunchies weren’t just an ‘80s hairstyle must-have — they spilled over into the ‘90s too. But the ‘80s is where they really became super popular. If you had your hair up, it had better be with a colorful scrunchie. Some great examples are Paula Abdul rocking a gold scrunchie at the Grammys, Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle on Saved by the Bell always being on trend, and Jodie Sweetin as Stephanie Tanner on Full House demonstrating that scrunchies were for any age.
Side Pony
Now if you really wanted to make your scrunchie even more exciting, then you could take your hair a step further from just pulling it up to giving yourself a side pony. When you see a side pony high up on a girl’s head, you automatically think of the ‘80s. Candace Cameron, Danica McKeller, and Tina Yothers all sported the side pony along with some bangs, which were also super in style in the ‘80s.
Crimped
If you didn’t have a crimper, did you even live in the ‘80s? That said, crimped hair really didn’t look very, you know, good. It also took ages if you were going to do your whole head, but that didn’t stop the likes of Jodie Foster (can you believe it?), Demi Moore, and Alyssa Milano from rocking some serious crimped hair in the ‘80s.
Perms
While a crimped look was more temporary, the perm was, well, more permanent. Curls, curls, and more curls were the name of the game in the ‘80s. There were many different levels of perm that permeated the decade, but some of the most awesomely curly locks belonged to Cher with tons of volume, Whitney Houston with a hot bouncy style, and Kelly Preston with a more wet curl look. All curl, all the time.
Hair Wrap
If you wanted to be a bit more of a punk or show a more alternative side, then the hair wrap might have been for you. While other girls were wearing more simple headbands, these girls were teasing up their hair and wrapping it up with a colorful scarf. Madonna really started this trend, but Cyndi Lauper also helped propel it forward. Sarah Jessica Parker demonstrates what a less rocker version might look like above.
Voluminous Curls
Volume, volume, volume. Get out those hot rollers, girls, and find some hairspray, because this look was all about luscious locks of blown out big curls. Many a supermodel donned this look in the ‘80s, and it’s not a surprise as it’s definitely one of the more attractive hair choices on this list. Above we have some prime demonstrations from Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brooke Shields, and Vanessa Williams.
Feathered
Farrah Fawcett started the feathered hair trend in the late ‘70s, but it became so popular that it spilled over into the early ‘80s when everyone and their mother decided to join in on the fun. Celebrities were no exception to this bandwagon, with some prime examples coming from Olivia Newton-John, Heather Locklear, and Jaclyn Smith.
Short Feathered
If you wanted that feathered look, but didn’t want to have super long hair in order to get it, no problemo — the short feathered look was right there waiting for you. Layers, volume, that somehow looks effortless but really probably isn’t, this look was worn by the likes of Helen Slater, Molly Ringwald, and Princess Diana.
Sky High Bangs
While almost everyone had bangs in the ‘80s, not everyone liked to keep those bangs on their forehead. Enter the sky high bang movement. Lots and lots of hairspray (probably Aqua Net) was required to attain this look, which was often accompanied by teased out long hair. Christina Applegate, Janet Jackson, and Christie Brinkley all wore a version of this look in the ‘80s.
Pigtails
If you were a female child growing up in the ‘80s, then you no doubt rocked a pigtail or two in your day. Every young girl in the media seemed to wear a very similar version of the pigtail, as you can see above thanks to Keshia Knight Pulliam, Soleil Moon Frye, and Drew Barrymore. You see? The pigtails are all at the exact same spots on their tiny heads! No variation required for this look, unlike in the ’90s.
What hairstyle was your favorite in the ‘80s? How many of these did you rock at one point or another? Let us know in the comments!
- The modern crimping iron was invented in 1972 by Geri Cusenza, one of the original founders of the Sebastian hair care line, for Barbra Streisand. The tool was inspired by textile crimpers, and was presented to guests of the New York Beauty Show, where it quickly sold millions in just a couple days.
- Aqua Net hairspray was invented in the 1950s, and was known for its strong hold and distinctive smell. But at least during the early ‘70s, it was made with vinyl chloride, which is associated with a raised risk of certain liver cancers. And later, in 2002, it was made using dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) — phthalates are associated with male reproductive dysfunction. Damn, Aqua Net, that’s scary!
- Hairspray in general was developed in the 1920s in Europe, and in the 1940s in the United States. The first to package hairspray was Chase products (an aerosol manufacturer) in 1948. By 1964, it became the highest selling beauty product on the market.
- The scrunchie was patented in 1987 by Rommy Revson, who named the brand Scunci after her pet poodle. She created the scrunchie to be a gentler version of the metal hair ties that were commonly used in the ‘80s previously. The name scrunchie naturally evolved from Scunci as the hair bands would scrunch up when in use.
- Though perms have been around for a long time, in recent years, the “digital perm” has become popular. It was developed in Japan and whereas a typical perm would make your hair look curlier when wet, with a digital perm, the wave in the hair looks more prominent when the hair is dry, giving the perm more of a curling iron or hot curler look. Fancy!
- The modern crimping iron was invented in 1972 by Geri Cusenza, one of the original founders of the Sebastian hair care line, for Barbra Streisand. The tool was inspired by textile crimpers, and was presented to guests of the New York Beauty Show, where it quickly sold millions in just a couple days.
- Aqua Net hairspray was invented in the 1950s, and was known for its strong hold and distinctive smell. But at least during the early ‘70s, it was made with vinyl chloride, which is associated with a raised risk of certain liver cancers. And later, in 2002, it was made using dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) — phthalates are associated with male reproductive dysfunction. Damn, Aqua Net, that’s scary!
- Hairspray in general was developed in the 1920s in Europe, and in the 1940s in the United States. The first to package hairspray was Chase products (an aerosol manufacturer) in 1948. By 1964, it became the highest selling beauty product on the market.
- The scrunchie was patented in 1987 by Rommy Revson, who named the brand Scunci after her pet poodle. She created the scrunchie to be a gentler version of the metal hair ties that were commonly used in the ‘80s previously. The name scrunchie naturally evolved from Scunci as the hair bands would scrunch up when in use.
- Though perms have been around for a long time, in recent years, the “digital perm” has become popular. It was developed in Japan and whereas a typical perm would make your hair look curlier when wet, with a digital perm, the wave in the hair looks more prominent when the hair is dry, giving the perm more of a curling iron or hot curler look. Fancy!
