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Mostly women

Styles mostly worn by women. 126 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 StatesHalo hairstyle Horizontal bands of light colour wrapping around the head.Styled · Any hair · 2013 WorldHair straightening A technique to flatten and smooth hair texture using heat or chemicals.Styled · Curly hair · 1950 🇮🇱 IsraelJewish headcovering A religious practice requiring married Orthodox Jewish women to cover their hair in public.Wrapped · Any hair 🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreWig Artificial head covering made from human, animal or synthetic hair.Wrapped · Any hair Apollo knot 🇬🇧 United KingdomApollo knot An early nineteenth-century updo with a centre part and back bun.Updo · Any hair · 1800 Bengali khopa 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreBengali khopa Traditional centre-parted bun worn by Bengali brides.Updo · Any hair Twist-out 🇺🇸 United StatesTwist-out A protective hairstyle created by unraveling twists to form defined waves.Styled · Curly hair Poola Jada 🇮🇳 IndiaPoola Jada A floral and jewelled adornment for South Indian bridal braids.Adorned · Any hair Senegalese twists 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSenegalese twists Smooth two-strand protective style using synthetic hair.Locs · Any hair · 1984 Ballerina bun 🇫🇷 FranceBallerina bun A neat, secured updo standard in classical ballet.Updo · Any hair · 1880 Paranda 🇮🇳 IndiaParanda A colourful woven tassel braided into Punjabi hairAdorned · Any hair Butterfly locs 🇺🇸 United StatesButterfly locs A lightweight protective style featuring synthetic hair wrapped to create a distressed, looped texture.Styled · Any hair · 2021 Bunkin takashimada 🇯🇵 JapanBunkin takashimada Traditional Japanese bridal updo with a high bun.Updo · Any hair · 1860 Bixie cut 🇬🇧 United KingdomBixie cut A short hybrid haircut blending a bob's length with a pixie's cropped layers.Cut · Any hair Fishtail braid WorldFishtail braid A two-strand plait resembling fish bones or a corn stalk.Braid · Any hair Bettie bangs 🇺🇸 United StatesBettie bangs Short, straight-across fringe from the 1950s pinup era.Fringe · Straight hair · 1950 Konde Cepol 🇮🇩 IndonesiaKonde Cepol A traditional Betawi bun representing cultural identity and elegance.Updo · Any hair Shuruba 🇪🇹 EthiopiaShuruba Traditional Ethiopian cornrows and braids worn by women and men.Braid · Any hair Sadhana cut 🇮🇳 IndiaSadhana cut A soft fringe hairstyle popularised by Bollywood actress Sadhana in the 1960s.Fringe · Any hair · 1960 Jjok 🇰🇷 South KoreaJjok A traditional Korean bun for married women in the Joseon era.Updo · Any hair · 1724 Ambada 🇮🇳 IndiaAmbada Decorated Maharashtrian bridal hair bunUpdo · Any hair Kerala bridal jasmine plait 🇮🇳 IndiaKerala bridal jasmine plait Long braid wrapped in fresh jasmine garlands for Kerala brides.Braid · Any hair Psyche knot 🇬🇧 United KingdomPsyche knot A soft, low bun popular in the Edwardian era.Updo · Any hair · 1900 WorldPigtails A hairstyle featuring two symmetrical ponytails or braids on opposite sides of the head.Ponytail · Any hair 🇯🇵 JapanChapatsu Japanese brown bleached hair styleStyled · Any hair · 1997 WorldBraids A hairstyle formed by interlacing three or more strands of hair.Braid · Any hair Goffa 🇲🇱 Mali and 1 moreGoffa Traditional braided style with metal adornments for married women in Mali and Niger.Braid · Any hair Densinkran 🇬🇭 GhanaDensinkran Short Ashanti mourning cut for royal womenCut · Any hair

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.