Have you ever wondered how did girls style their long hair in the 1960s?
From sky-high bouffants and glamorous beehives to playful ponytails, headbands, and long, flowing locks, 1960s hairstyles were anything but boring. Hair trends also changed dramatically throughout the decade, moving from the polished, heavily teased looks of the early ’60s toward the long, straight, natural styles that became popular by the late ’60s.
Let’s take a closer look at the beautiful and distinctive ways girls wore their long hair during this unforgettable era.
Table of Contents
How Did Girls Style Their Long Hair in the 1960s? Style #1. High ponytails
Long hair was often gathered into a high ponytail, particularly for younger girls and teenagers.
The ponytail could be sleek, curled at the ends, or combined with volume at the crown.
A particularly 1960s variation was a bouffant ponytail: the hair at the front and crown was teased upward, while the remaining long hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
How Did Girls Style Their Long Hair in the 1960s? Style #2. Half-Up, Half-Down Styles
This was an excellent way to wear long hair while still showing off its length.
The hair around the crown could be teased into a bouffant or beehive, with the rest left hanging down the back.
Brigitte Bardot and The Ronettes were associated with versions of this look.
The result was often very full at the top but long and flowing underneath.
1960s Hairstyles Women Long Hair #3. Bouffants
The bouffant was one of the defining hairstyles of the early 1960s.
Long hair was backcombed or teased underneath to create height, then the surface was smoothed over.
Hairspray was heavily used to hold everything in place. The style could be relatively modest or extremely large.
For a girl with long hair, the length could be incorporated into the back of the hairstyle rather than simply hanging loose.
60s Hairstyles for Long Hair #4. Beehives
The beehive took the bouffant idea to an extreme.
Long hair was teased and piled upward into a tall, rounded or somewhat conical shape.
The beehive was introduced in 1960 and became strongly associated with the decade. Long hair was particularly useful because there was more hair to tease and build into height.
1960 Hair Styles Long Hair #5. Long Hair With a Headband
Headbands were popular with young girls and teenagers, especially with simpler hairstyles.
A girl might wear long hair loose or in a flip, with a narrow headband placed across the crown.
Headbands provided an easy way to accessorize the hairstyle without creating an elaborate updo.
1960s Hairstyle for Long Hair #6. Long Hair With Bangs
Long hair was frequently paired with full, straight bangs. The fringe could reach the eyebrows while the rest of the hair remained long.
This created a distinctly youthful 1960s appearance, particularly when combined with a headband or a little volume at the crown.
7. Long, Straight Hair
This became increasingly important toward the late 1960s.
Instead of teasing and spraying their hair into enormous shapes, young women influenced by the emerging hippie and counterculture movements increasingly wore their hair long, straight and center-parted, sometimes with a fringe and sometimes completely away from the face.
Photo credits: TheTrendSpotter, Frances O’Sullivan, Hairstyleco, Vintage Dancer, Nadula