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Mostly women

Styles mostly worn by women. 83 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.

Many hairstyles have been worn mostly by women, often because of rules and customs about how long women's hair should be, how it should be dressed and when it should be covered. Long hair was expected of women in most cultures for most of history, so women's styles include the great updos, braids and set styles, while short cuts for women, such as the bob, became a statement of independence.

Long hair and its dressing

Long plaits, chignons, buns and updos have been women's styles in Europe, Asia and Africa for centuries. Elaborate styles, such as the Manchu liangbatou, the European pouf and the Japanese nihongami, showed status and needed servants or professional hairdressers. Married women in many cultures put their hair up or covered it, so a woman's hairstyle could show whether she was married, as with the Korean chignon fixed with a binyeo.

The short cut

In the 1910s and 1920s young women in Europe and North America cut their hair into bobs and Eton crops, to the alarm of many older people, and short hair became a sign of the modern woman. The pixie of the 1950s and 1960s and Sassoon's geometric bobs continued the change. Many women's styles have since spread to men, and the line between women's and men's hair has blurred.

Famous mostly women hairstyles

Further reading

🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreNatural hair movement A social and cultural campaign for wearing textured hair without chemical straightening.Natural · Coily and kinky hair · 1960 Shampoo and set 🇬🇧 United KingdomShampoo and set A classic UK styling method using rollers and lotion.Styled · Any hair · 1930 🇸🇩 Sudan and 4 moreDreadlocks A hairstyle of rope-like hair strands formed by matting or twisting.Natural · Coily and kinky hair · 1970 WorldLong hair Head hair grown to a considerable length, often past the shoulders.Styled · Any hair 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 morePerm A chemical or thermal treatment that sets permanent waves or curls into the hair.Styled · Curly hair · 1872 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 🇵🇱 Poland and 1 morePolish plait A matted hair formation viewed as both a medical condition and a folk amulet in Eastern Europe.Styled · Coily and kinky hair · 1600 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreFontange A towering headdress and hairstyle popular in late 17th century Europe.Wrapped · 1690 🇺🇸 United StatesBeehive A conical updo piled high on the crown.Updo · Any hair · 1960 🇯🇵 JapanHime cut A Japanese style with straight cheek-length sidelocks and long back hair.Cut · Straight hair · 1970 🇯🇵 JapanNihongami Traditional Japanese hairstyles characterized by elaborate updos, side wings, and wax styling.Updo · Straight hair 🇫🇷 France and 2 morePouf An elaborate 18th-century French hairstyle featuring extreme height and decorative ornaments.Styled · Any hair · 1775 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 🇺🇸 United StatesFinger wave S-shaped waves set by hand with comb and gelStyled · Straight hair · 1920 Victory rolls 🇬🇧 United KingdomVictory rolls A 1940s women's hairstyle featuring voluminous side rolls shaped like the letter V.Styled · Straight hair · 1940 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreBouffant A puffy, rounded hairstyle with height at the crown.Styled · Any hair · 1950 🇺🇸 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 WorldHair crimping A heat or braid technique creating zig-zag waves in long hair.Styled · Straight hair · 1985 🇺🇸 United StatesHalo hairstyle Horizontal bands of light colour wrapping around the head.Styled · Any hair · 2013 WorldWings A layered cut where side hair flips out like wings.Cut · Wavy hair · 1830 WorldNubian wig A short, curly Ancient Egyptian wig mimicking Nubian tribal hair.Styled · Curly hair WorldBig hair A hairstyle style defined by large volume and significant space around the head.Styled · Curly hair · 1960 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSurfer hair Tousled, sun-bleached locks from the sea.Styled · Wavy hair · 1950 🇬🇷 GreeceGreco-Roman hairstyles Hair practices of ancient Greece and Rome, including long locks, short crops, and net head-dresses.Wrapped · Any hair 🇯🇵 JapanSeiko-chan cut A feathered Japanese idol hairstyle from the 1980s.Cut · Straight hair · 1980 🇺🇸 United StatesProtective hairstyle Styles that tuck hair away to reduce breakage and environmental damage.Braid · Coily and kinky hair WorldDido flip A short, choppy hairstyle with uneven strands flicked to the side.Cut · 2002 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreHigh roll A towering 18th-century hairstyle built with frames and pomatum.Styled · Any hair · 1760 🇺🇸 United StatesThe Rachel Voluminous layered cut popularised by FriendsCut · Straight hair · 1995 Silk press 🇺🇸 United StatesSilk press Heat-straightened style for kinky hair without chemicalsStyled · Coily and kinky hair · 1920 WorldHair straightening A technique to flatten and smooth hair texture using heat or chemicals.Styled · Curly hair · 1950 🇺🇸 United StatesLaid edges A style arranging fine hair at the hairline into flat decorative waves or swirls.Styled · Fine hair · 1990

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

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