Pink hair might be having a lockdown moment, but it’s nothing new – people have coloured their hair in shades both natural and fantastical for centuries. Pink has been a popular choice at least since the 17th century, when hair powders for wigs came in fashion shades of pink and other pastels. These powders, which were often scented with lavender or other flower essences, were used by men and women.
In the 1950s, hair colour in general became more mainstream and widespread, and fantasy shades were used to create vibrant head-to-toe looks. Think Frenchie in Grease, and Shirley Maclaine’s iconic all-pink everything in 1964’s What A Way To Go. British hairdresser Raymond Bessone (AKA Mr Teasy Weasy) was famous for creating elaborate and flamboyant looks in his various TV appearances and his pastel looks are totally inspiring.
From punks to pensioners with pastel rinses, pink continued to have its moments throughout the 70s and 80s and its ongoing universal appeal meant that in the 90s we saw pink on alt musicians like Kurt Cobain and Gwen Stefani, as well as hyper-femme glam from Lil Kim, Kelis and (duh) Pink.
Today there’s nothing shocking about pink; it’s just another flattering choice in the spectrum of shades available to us.