Hairstyles

Hair cuts are heavy with symbolism about fresh starts and life changes and there’s perhaps no better example than the big chop; a term used by those with Black hair to describe cutting off their chemically-treated lengths to transition from relaxed or permed hair to...

Popularised by Lucille Ball in the 1950s, the poodle cut sees its wearer brush their curls (natural or faux) into a giant pouff on top of their head – with the goal of very much resembling a best in show prize-winning poodle. As with most hair trends, the style is...

The classic vision of a full, rounded Afro is intrinsically linked to the Black Power movement and a rejection of Western standards of beauty amongst the Black community in 1960s America. When the Afro became popular amongst predominantly younger men and women, there...

Synonymous with the 1920s – although it was appearing at least a decade earlier amongst the fashionable and avant-garde – the chin-length bob marked a new era for what was dubbed the New Woman. No longer weighed down by the waist-length hair demanded of women in the...

Developed as a longer version of the crew cut, the flat top started life as a military hairstyle in the 1950s and was reinvented in the 1980s hip hop scene as the hi-top or flattop fade. Generally achieved using clippers to create a high, squared-off shape, the...

The bouffant origin story involves one of the most colourful characters in British hairdressing; Raymond Bessone. Also known as Mr Teasy Weasy, he was the first TV hairdresser and earned his nickname for his habit of ‘teasy weasying’ hair into place. A lover of...

Cornrows are an ancient Afircan form of hair expression, with examples dating back thousands of years and documented in ancient sculptures and hieroglyphics across the continent. The distinct shapes and patterns formed with braids can be used to denote status, mark...

Faux locs are an alternative to traditional locs, and see extensions added into the hair through crochet braiding or cornrowing. People have incorporated extra hair into their own styles for thousands of years and in many cultures for long swathes of history, wearing...

The iconic Beatle cut was created by German model/photographer//all-round It Girl, Astrid Kirchherr, who gave Stuart Sutcliffe - the original fifth Beatle - the style in 1960. Prior to meeting Astrid, Stuart wore his hair in a quiff like other rock ‘n’ rollers. When...

Twisting the hair is a relatively simple technique that doesn’t require complicated technology or tools, which makes dating and sourcing its origins tricky. As well as being discovered in ancient African imagery, one of the earliest known mentions of the style is...