Hairstyle

An arcticle about various hairstyles and haircuts for head hair

For thousand of years, the individual hairstyle was famous for cultures and epoches. This article gives you a great insight about various types of hairstyles, haircuts or hairdos.

Hairstyles from past, present and future

As long as there are celebrities in the spotlight there are people watching every move they make, discussing what dresses they wore at the lastest beneficial gala and how ugly their new haircut looks. If the hairstyle is not a totally mess, it often is copied to get a glimpse of the glamour celebrities spread. There are a lot of different hairstyles ranging from classic to new and modern styles so let's take a look on how you can crown your head in so many different ways.

Afro Hairstyle

An "afro" is a hairstyle that became popular in the 60s and 70s mostly among people of African descent. During political movements such as "Black Power" it was a symbol that showed a person's heritage and political attitude. Growing an afro is easy for people with curly hair as it is a hairstyle in which the hair extends from the head like a cloud or a large bubble. You can give an afro additional volume by braiding the hair and then separating the coils by using a special comb. One of the first celebrities wearing a large afro was Jimi Hendrix. Later afros were often shown in movies and TV shows while nowadays ridiculously large afro wigs are often used in comedy shows.

Bob cut Hairstyle

A "bob cut" is a hairstyle suited for shorter hair. It has a certain part of the hair ending between the ear and the chin. The bob cut became a popular hairstyle for women in den 1920s after it had been invented about ten years earlier in Paris. In the 60s and 70s the bob cut was made popular again resulting in also men wearing this hairstyle. Nevertheless the bob cut is mostly seen on women's heads. Recently it was worn by celebrities like Uma Thurmann (in Pulp Fiction) or Rihanna in her video for her single "Umbrella".

Bun Hairstyle

The "bun" is a haircut usually worn by women with long hair. The hair is pulled back like it is done creating a ponytail but the hair is wrapped around itself in a circular coil. It is a hairstyle that is worn by almost every female ballet dancer which also gave it the name of "ballet bun". In some regions buns are part of the traditional iveries as in Bavaria (Germany) where the hair is wrapped as a twisted braid and pinned in place. A variation of that is the so called "double bun" which is popular in Japanese mangas and animes and was also worn by Princess Leia Organa in "Star Wars - Episode IV".

Cornrows Hairstyle

Similar to the afro "cornrows" are a hairstyle that has its origins in the African tradition. The hair is thereby braided close to the scalp. It is important not to be braided too tight as this could cause headache or even hair loss when worn for a longer period of time. Loosely braided cornrows can be worn for weeks as long as it is carefully washed and oiled. Cornrows can be braided in single rows or in certain geometric forms which may take some hours to complete. This hairstyle is famous among hip hop and rap musicians.

Crop Hairstyle

The "crop" is similar to the bot cut a hairstyle that became famous in the 1920s. Its trademarks are short cut hair very close to the head. In contrary to the bob cut it is more often worn by men. The crop became popular again in the 80s when Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox showed this haircut on the photos for two album covers and in the 90s with Lady Di wearing it.

Finger Wave Hairstyle

The "Finger Wave" is a hairstyle that was invented in the 1920s and 1930s. With the help of a lotion called wave set the haird is pinched between the fingers. Afterwards it is fixed in alternating directions to create the shape of a wave. As soon as hair rollers became popular this technique was replaced and is nowadays commonly used as a way of teaching control of the hair for hair designers.

French braid Hairstyle

The "French braid" is a very popular hairstyle that is also easy to create. It is an enhancement of the regular strand that uses three strands. As the braid progresses more and more hair is added so the braid is woven into the hair and is not seperated by the rest of the hair. A French braid was worn by Angelina Jolie when she played the role of Lara Croft in the movie "Tomb Raider".

Mullet Hairstyle

The mullet is a hairstyle that has many different names in the different countries and regions. It is defined by short hair on the front, the top and the sides and long hair at the back. The mullet was made popular in the 1970s by David Bowie and was worn throughout the 80s when celebrities like Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Bolton or Phil Collins had this haircut. Nowadays people wearing a mullet are often smiled at though it is still quite popular in some ethnic groups (butch lesbians, ice hockey or soccer fans, traditional heavy metal fans).

Ponytail Hairstyle

A "ponytail" is a haircut where the hair is pulled back from the face and tied together at the back of the head. It is mostly worn by girls and younger women as it is an easy way of styling. The ponytail is a haircut that has been in fashion for several centuries now. In North America and Europa it has also been worn by men in the army during the second half of the 18th century. After a short haircut became compulsory for men the ponytail regained popularity in the 1960s even among men. In the 1980s a short ponytail was a largely spread fashion as it was worn by Steven Seagal.

Shortcut Hairstyle

As the name implies the "shortcut" is a hairstyle where the hair is cut very short on all sides of the head. It includes a short front, top, sides and back as well. It is mostly worn by men but also some women wear it. The short cut can be found in several variations like the crew cut or the buzz cut. It has to be cut very often to keep the hair short and is a haircut that is popular among men in military service.

Emo Hairstyle

"Emo" is a hairstyle that has its origins in the music genre "Emo". It was developed in the mid 1980s and gathered popularity in den 1990s. The emo is a haircut where long bangs is brushed over one side of the forehead to cover a part of the face. In most emo haircuts one or even both eyes are covered with hair to create an individual look. A celebrity wearing an emo haircut is for example Bill Kaulitz, lead singer of the German band "Tokio Hotel".

French Twist Hairstyle

The "French Twist" is a variation of a regular braid that is usually created from three plaits. It is worn at the back of the head. While braiding a French twist (also called: French plait) the hair is constantly woven into each other starting with small braids at the top of the head. It was worn by Angelina Jolie when she played the role of videogame superstar "Lara Croft" in the motion picture "Tomb Raider".

Flattop Hairstyle

The "flattop" is a haircut that is similar to the short cut or crew cut. As a matter of fact it is therefore mostly worn by men. The difference is that the flattop is a hairstyle where the top of the hair is styled to stand up straight. To create a plain surface the hair at the top has to be cut shorter than the hair on the sides which is quite difficult. To maintain the shape of this haircut it has to be cut very often depending on how fast one's hair grows. The flattop was made popular in the late 1950s and 1960s where it was worn not only by men in the army but was widely spread among the male population. It hat its revival in the 1980s and is still worn today. A variation is the so called horseshoe flattop where also the sides are cut very short. Celebrities wearing a flattop are actor and musician Will Smith, basketball player Detlef Schrempf or famous professional wrestler Sting.

Spikes Hairstyle

Spikes are a very complicated way to style the hair. The difficulty increases with the length of the hair. As the name implies the hair is formed in spikes standing straight to the top or standing out in all directions from the head. To ensure the stiffness of the spikes they are created by using hairspray or gel. As normal hairstyle products are not suited for forming large spikes standing up stiff sometimes other produtcs like gelatine and glue are used. Larger forms of spikes are called "Liberty Spikes" resembling the head of the Statue of Liberty. The hairstyle has its origins in London's punk scene. Spikes are also worn by members of the Native American tribe of the Mohakws. As it is a metrosexual hairstyle it is worn by men and women alike.

Undercut Hairstyle

The "undercut" is a haircut similar to the bowl cut. This means that the hair on the sides is cut short and is left long on the top. The difference to the bowl cut is that the hair is cut a little bit shorter on the ridges. The undercut became popular in the 1990s with the rise of the industrial music scene and is also often worn by members of the cyber subculture. It can also be seen in several science fiction movies. It can be worn by both genders but is common rather among men.

Of course there are a lot more different hairstyles then mentioned here but this has given you at least a representative overview of the most common and well known hairstyles. For actual hairstyles please visit Hairstyles 2010.