News
TrendsThe “Choppy Rachel Bob” Is the Most Flattering Winter Hair Trend—How to RecreateNatural hair15 Stylish Haircuts That Make Growing Out Your Hair Look ChicNatural hairNamibian Rasta sues gov’t after locs chopped in prisonTrendsAriana Grande’s Flipped Bob Is Fall’s Sweetest TrendNatural hairJa Morant Cuts Off Signature Locs, Reveals New HaircutNatural hairHGTV Star Leslie Davis' Natural Hair Color Is So Different From Her Signature Look (But Gorgeous)TrendsThe “Bombshell Blowout” Trend Has Entered the VillaTrendsColour Melting Is The Hair Technique To Know This WinterTrendsWhy Top Hair Stylists Are Crowning The ‘Flip Bob’ Summer’s Most Wearable Hair TrendTrendsThe Waterfall Bob Is the Polished Fall Haircut That Still Looks EffortlessTrendsThe “Choppy Rachel Bob” Is the Most Flattering Winter Hair Trend—How to RecreateNatural hair15 Stylish Haircuts That Make Growing Out Your Hair Look ChicNatural hairNamibian Rasta sues gov’t after locs chopped in prisonTrendsAriana Grande’s Flipped Bob Is Fall’s Sweetest TrendNatural hairJa Morant Cuts Off Signature Locs, Reveals New HaircutNatural hairHGTV Star Leslie Davis' Natural Hair Color Is So Different From Her Signature Look (But Gorgeous)TrendsThe “Bombshell Blowout” Trend Has Entered the VillaTrendsColour Melting Is The Hair Technique To Know This WinterTrendsWhy Top Hair Stylists Are Crowning The ‘Flip Bob’ Summer’s Most Wearable Hair TrendTrendsThe Waterfall Bob Is the Polished Fall Haircut That Still Looks Effortless
EveryHairstyle

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

Bob cutThe modern woman's cut of the 1920sBeehiveThe tall updo of the 1960sChignonA classic low knotPixie cutA very short cropVictory rollsVictory rollsWartime set styles of the 1940sFrench twistA vertical rollThe RachelThe layered cut of the 1990sLiangbatouHeaddress of Manchu women

Further reading

KindCutBraidUpdoPonytailLocsNaturalCurlsShavedFringeStyledWrappedAdorned
Hair typeStraight hairWavy hairCurly hairCoily and kinky hairFine hairThick hairAny hair
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy length
WorldLob A medium-length haircut falling at or just below the shoulders.Cut · Any hair 🇬🇧 United KingdomLovelock A single long braid worn over the left shoulder by 17th-century Europeans.Braid · Any hair · 1580 🇺🇸 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 🇫🇷 FranceTitus cut Short layered cut with curls from late 18th-century FranceCut · Curly hair · 1791 🇨🇳 ChinaLiangbatou A tall Manchu headdress featuring two side-parted hair sections and elaborate ornamentation.Wrapped 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 4 moreFulani braids West African braided style with beads and side strandsBraid · Coily and kinky hair Eton crop 🇬🇧 United KingdomEton crop A very short, slicked-down women's cut from the 1920s.Cut · Any hair · 1920 Silk press 🇺🇸 United StatesSilk press Heat-straightened style for kinky hair without chemicalsStyled · Coily and kinky hair · 1920 Koroba 🇳🇬 NigeriaKoroba A Yoruba braid styled like an upside-down basketBraid · Any hair WorldNubian wig A short, curly Ancient Egyptian wig mimicking Nubian tribal hair.Styled · Curly hair WorldDido flip A short, choppy hairstyle with uneven strands flicked to the side.Cut · 2002 EuropeRoman hairstyles Ancient Roman hair fashions reflecting status and identityUpdo · Any hair 🇷🇺 RussiaRussian braid A traditional long plait from Russia with historic marital meanings.Braid · Any hair 🇬🇧 United KingdomCockernonnie A mid-19th century Scottish updo where hair was gathered into a bun.Updo · Any hair · 1850 WorldAfro puffs Two rounded sections of coiled hair worn on the head.Natural · Coily and kinky hair Historical Christian hairstyle WorldHistorical Christian hairstyles A survey of hair practices in Christianity from antiquity to the early modern period.Shaved · Any hair WorldBig hair A hairstyle style defined by large volume and significant space around the head.Styled · Curly hair · 1960 🇯🇵 JapanSeiko-chan cut A feathered Japanese idol hairstyle from the 1980s.Cut · Straight hair · 1980 🇺🇸 United StatesThe Rachel Voluminous layered cut popularised by FriendsCut · Straight hair · 1995 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSurfer hair Tousled, sun-bleached locks from the sea.Styled · Wavy hair · 1950 Butterfly haircut WorldButterfly haircut A layered style blending short and long sections for volume.Cut · 1950 Shuku 🇳🇬 NigeriaShuku A Yoruba braided updo where hair is gathered into a hump on top of the head.Braid · Any hair 🇬🇷 GreeceGreco-Roman hairstyles Hair practices of ancient Greece and Rome, including long locks, short crops, and net head-dresses.Wrapped · Any hair Digital perm 🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreDigital perm Heat-set waves that look best when dry.Curls · Any hair 🇯🇵 JapanFrench twist An elegant updo where hair is twisted vertically against the head.Updo · Any hair · 1940 🇺🇸 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 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreHigh roll A towering 18th-century hairstyle built with frames and pomatum.Styled · Any hair · 1760 🇺🇸 United StatesProtective hairstyle Styles that tuck hair away to reduce breakage and environmental damage.Braid · Coily and kinky hair 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
Previous

Photo credits on this page

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

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the hairstyle of the day, new pages on EveryHairstyle, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.