Any hair
Styles that work on most hair. 84 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.
Some hairstyles work on almost any hair: straight or coily, fine or thick. The ponytail, the bun, the braid, the buzz cut and the shaved head are found on every continent, which is part of why they are among the oldest and most common styles. They need little special skill, adapt to many lengths, and can be dressed up or kept simple.
Why they work
A ponytail and a bun only need enough length to gather, and the shape comes from the tie or the coil, not from the hair's texture. A three-strand braid can be made in straight, wavy or coily hair, though it looks different in each. Very short cuts such as the buzz cut and the crew cut, and the shaved head, take texture almost out of the picture. These styles are often the first that children learn.
One style, many looks
The same basic style can look very different on different hair. A bun can be sleek on straight hair or full and round on coily hair. A braid on fine straight hair is slim and smooth; on thick coily hair it is wide and textured. Buzz cuts show the shape of the head and the natural hairline. Stylists adjust tension and product to the hair, rather than changing the style itself.
Famous any hair hairstyles
Still to be written: Head shaving.
Further reading
🇸🇩 Sudan and 4 moreDreadlocks
A hairstyle of rope-like hair strands formed by matting or twisting.Natural · Coily and kinky hair · 1970
🇺🇸 United StatesMohawk
A hairstyle with shaved sides and a central strip of longer hair.Shaved · Any hair · 1970
WorldLong hair
Head hair grown to a considerable length, often past the shoulders.Styled · Any hair
🇺🇦 UkraineOseledets
Traditional Ukrainian Cossack style with a shaved head and long top lock.Shaved · Any hair
WorldBun
A hairstyle where hair is gathered and coiled into a circular shape on the head.Updo · Any hair
🇫🇷 France and 2 morePompadour
High-volume hair swept up and back from the forehead.Updo · Any hair · 1950
🇬🇧 United KingdomQuiff
A voluminous front sweep with short sides and back.Styled · Any hair · 1950
🇺🇸 United StatesBeehive
A conical updo piled high on the crown.Updo · Any hair · 1960
🇫🇷 France and 2 morePouf
An elaborate 18th-century French hairstyle featuring extreme height and decorative ornaments.Styled · Any hair · 1775
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreRattail
A long strip of hair at the napeCut · Any hair · 1980
WorldShort hair
A general category for haircuts kept above the shoulders or chin.Cut · Any hair · 1920
🇬🇧 United KingdomLovelock
A single long braid worn over the left shoulder by 17th-century Europeans.Braid · Any hair · 1580
WorldMarcelling
A heat-styled curl technique from the 1870s.Curls · Any hair · 1872
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreBouffant
A puffy, rounded hairstyle with height at the crown.Styled · Any hair · 1950
WorldLiberty spikes
Long, thick upright hair spikes resembling the Statue of Liberty crown.Styled · Any hair · 1970
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreHair extensions
Cosmetic additions of human or synthetic hair attached to natural hair for length and volume.Styled · Any hair · 1950
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreHigh roll
A towering 18th-century hairstyle built with frames and pomatum.Styled · Any hair · 1760
🇬🇷 GreeceGreco-Roman hairstyles
Hair practices of ancient Greece and Rome, including long locks, short crops, and net head-dresses.Wrapped · Any hair
WorldFrosted tips
Short spiky hair with bleached ends.Cut · Any hair · 1998
WorldCrochet braids
A protective hairstyle using a latch hook to attach synthetic hair to cornrows.Braid · Any hair
🇺🇸 United StatesHalo hairstyle
Horizontal bands of light colour wrapping around the head.Styled · Any hair · 2013
WorldBackcombing
A styling method that creates volume by tangling hair near the root.Styled · Any hair
WorldHair straightening
A technique to flatten and smooth hair texture using heat or chemicals.Styled · Curly hair · 1950
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Long hair: Adam Jones Adam63, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dreadlocks: Richard Mortel, CC BY 2.0, source
- Quiff: Anefo, CC0, source
- Braid: Ciell, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hair straightening: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ponytail: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pouf: After Jean-Baptiste André Gautier-Dagoty, Public domain, source
- Bun: Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Oseledets: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Buzz cut: Fadi El Benni of Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pompadour: Pearson Scott Foresman, Public domain, source
- Crew cut: greginhollywood, CC BY 2.0, source
- Beehive: MGM, Public domain, source
- Lovelock: Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599 - 1641) Details on Google Art Project, Public domain, source
- Bouffant: Bain News Service, Public domain, source
- Liberty spikes: THOR, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hair extensions: Eunicehair, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Halo hairstyle: Papipacify, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- High roll: Joseph Ducreux, Public domain, source
- Greco-Roman hairstyles: ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mohawk: Duke.emerson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marcelling: The Bridgeport times and evening farmer, Public domain, source
- Backcombing: Alexander Blum, Public domain, source
- Short hair: Alex Neman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source