List of 38 Most Popular 80's Hairstyles for Women [Updated] (2024)

The 80’s hairstyles for women drew massive inspiration from the punk, rock & metal trends of music along with an explosion of TV series that set our styling taste buds. Different individuals had established a wide array of classic hairstyles that begged to create a sharp difference from the 70’s hairstyles for women, and in many ways they succeeded in their venture.

Our article today pays tribute to the classiest and fanciest of hairstyles from the days in the 80s to equip you with a broader knowledge of those trends. In time, you’ll learn the aesthetic values of such hairstyles and realize why they are the ones to die for even in the contemporary world of fashion.

So, follow us along in the journey through the memory lanes to pick out your next retro hairstyle that’s going to turn your world upside down for the good! Each of our hairstyles comes with detailed information on them which makes it easier for you to try on, and even more so convenient to upgrade your look in the snazziest of ways!

80s Womens Hairstyles You Must Try

Here, our experts have picked out different variations of hairstyles for women that had been very popular and critically acclaimed during the 80s. The best part is, you’ll be able to rise in fame even today should you choose to try out any of the designs from our list below.

80’s Rocker Hair

The 80’s was prominent for rich production in music both in rock and metal genres among others, and the hairstyles inspired by the rock stars have left a permanent footprint into the fashion industry. Even to this day, this rocket hair is going to be relevant for women out there who don’t necessarily find the time to maintain hairstyles, and this glam-rock way can be a life saver.

You’ll need shoulder length hair to begin with. If you’re naturally blonde, then the messy textures should generate a better effect by having the edges highlighted compared to brunettes. You can opt for bleaching or stick with your natural color. Simply blow dry your hair with your fingers as the guide and part your hair down the middle. Smudge everything to tone down the smoothness and edge up the look!

The Whale Spout Pony

Alyssa Milano’s hairstyle back in the day is regarded as one of the modish 80s hairstyles ponytail concepts you may ever come across. This too is a very low-maintenance hairstyle and a ponytail thrown into the mix makes it ever so interesting. It’s a quick prep companion for a weekend party or a trip down to the local bar because it’s so straightforward to achieve!

Your medium wavy hair should be perfect to be classified as one of the 80s hairstyles for medium hair. Use your hairbrush to gently direct the top part of your hair toward your crown area. Let both the sides hang down in the most natural way. At the crown, gather round the top hair along with the portion from the nape area and make them into a whale spout pony secured with a band!

Punky Rock Style

Punk rock back in the 80s has won over the hearts of millions all across the world. Unlike other forms of music, punk rock wasn’t restricted to just a musical trend, rather it became a lifestyle with some of the most intricate hairstyles such as this one. Whether you have curly hair or straight, these overflowing locs of hair on each side as well as over your forehead is truly captivating!

Any length between medium to long can easily achieve this style. Since there are bangs included with this, you have to use your scissors to chop the front portion down according to your requirement. If you curl up your hair, make sure to take the measurement after doing the curls part. Let your hair sit on the shoulders up front so that the beauty can be visible to every onlooker!

Big Volume

Hair with larger volume has been one of the most common styles during the 80s era. Puffed up designs or blown away locs have been the most iconic techniques to achieve deluxe hairstyles not only by the common people, but also the celebrities on screen as well. Getting something similar in the current days will show how courageous and adventurous you are in terms of reviving classic fashion.

Your medium hair sits in the ideal zone for this big volume hairstyle. You should get a thorough shampoo and conditioning session before you enter the styling segment as it’s very necessary. Use your blow dryer to have everything blown away to generate a bloated effect. Use your brush gently to have all of it settle down nice on your head, with bangs covering the entirety of your forehead.

Blonde Beauty

The blonde beauty look has become a stereotype these days but it wasn’t the case back in the 80s and thus many of the styling enthusiasts have steered toward this color and dreamy haircuts. This is one of those 80’s hairstyles for women that promises a direct access to becoming popular in TikTok or Instagram reel in the current day due to the calming nature of this style.

It’s basically a hybrid of two techniques merged into one that makes this hairstyle look so graceful. Initially, you’ll need to slick up each side and let them flow down casually. Once done, part your hair at the point where you want your bangs to start. Comb the bang forward nicely so that it covers half of your forehead and let the rest be combed back into a knot at your nape.

Floral Fusion

Using a flower accessory to your hair has been in practice since the 18th century era, but the 80’s hairstyles for women took it to the next level. These styles incorporated flowers of varying sizes on your hair or tucked over the ear which magically enhanced the look. Be it curly hair or straight, a fusion with beautiful flowers never let any style of that era down!

Our featured style presents a shorter variation of such design. This style not only fuses flowers to your hairstyle, but also combines straight & curly hair together in different layers. The curly top part is tied to a small pony on your temple and that knot can be covered up nicely with the flower of your choice. This way, you’ll be regarded as the floral beauty among your friend circle!

The Mullet

Mullet is one of those classic rebel styles that are reinterpreted back into the hairstyling world and have been represented in the media to be a popular trend. Some borrow the aesthetics of mullet and mix it up with other trends, while a lot of enthusiasts stick to the original. Whichever you choose, it’s going to give you a radical makeover and tell everyone you’re a fan of the grunge!

Our rendition of mullet is a bit edgier than the rest as we prefer to have the sides trimmed down to the skin for a stark contrast. The side lines are neatly drawn with the top portion flowing all the way to your back in a disheveled manner. For the front part, you’ll comb your hair with significantly shorter length down to cover your forehead and draw a straight line to trim off the rest.

Cute Hair Bow Updo

Any sort of bow you see added to a cute hairdo, know that it dates back to the 80s because that was the golden era of bands & bows. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can shape your hair into a bow instead of attaching something as an accessory. This bold statement is a modern reinterpretation of 80s trends which is the contemporary way of going about unique hairstyles!

You should have a sizable amount of hair so that it can be made into a full blown bow covering the major portion of your head. Simply, pull all of your hair from every side and have it meet at your crown area where you’ll place your eccentric bow firmly. Divide the hair into two parts and wrap them around to make a seamless bow tied down by a band and clipped at the root.

Powerful Pixie

Crank up the heat with your powerful and discerning pixie haircut which pays tribute to the classic styles from the past. Such a hairstyle doesn’t demand much maintenance due to its short size, but at the same time carries a significant amount of styling potential if done right.

Throwing some dark shade of scarlet can emphasize the style even further than usual! You’ll be needing a little longer than short hair that would length beyond a bob cut. With that size & color, cut down the front portion a little shorter than the back and gently brush all of them down seamlessly with a messy smudge all over.

Long Messy Locks

Messy hair is one of the prominent properties that was visible in the 80s trends due to the trend against neat culture and conformity. These non-conformist ideas are reflected through the long messy locks in the most beautiful ways and the current world is ready to embrace such styles as the tasteful kinds.

It’s going to be easier if you have naturally curly or wavy hair, because otherwise you’ll need to go through the messing up process additionally. Your hair reaching your bra strap length is the ideal fit for this style. For straight hair, apply conditioner and blow dry everything to increase the mass. Use a curler to add subtle curls all over, the rest of the hair types can let it flow directly.

Huge Thin Curls

Thin curls are a blessing from the Almighty because they are beauties out of the world. These retro 80s hairstyles for women can add a significant boost to your existing style and give you enough confidence to walk in the most crowded areas with your head held high. Simply cut the hair to the specific length on all sides and have it sit nicely on top of your head with the majestic voluminous curls.

Wavy Updo With A Hairbow

As we’ve mentioned, hair bows have been a point of reflection of the 80s styles and this time we’re bringing in an actual accessory instead of styling with hair. This belongs to the sophisticated gradient of hairstyles from that time because of how everything altogether makes you look. From the updo with the hair bow tied to the waves hanging back – it’s simply marvelous!

Side Swept Bob

The bob cuts in the olden days had become synonymous with the late Princess Diana because of the discerning beauty she made it look. Well, it’s back in trend again with this specific length of hair and is completely ready for action. This easygoing hairstyle only needs you to sweep it from one side to the other in a visible swirl, exposing your hairline for creating a contrast.

One Side Fountain Pony

Grab yourself an artistic look that was more common in the 80s because of the sincere nature along with the straightforward styling process that didn’t require any specialist to perform. Your medium to long hair can easily pull off this easy yet intriguing hairstyle, all it’ll take is a couple of minutes. Draw out a ponytail around your crown at one side of your head like a fountain ponytail and secure it with a colorful band.

Short N Sexy Waves

Go sexy with these urbane waves that actually originated from the 80s TV shows and have been translated to fit into the contemporary fashion world. You’ll see modern stylists along with fashion models endorsing this style with short waves at the front and slightly longer ones all around. It’s a casual looking decorative hairstyle that’s ideal for top-class parties and public gatherings.

Side Parted Messy Locks

Side parted hairstyles are some of the most celebrated designs in the 80s films that made the Hollywood actresses fancy beyond recognition. You can endorse this notion with some messy locks that can become your everyday look with minimal effort. But the style itself is so rich that no one would think even for a second how easy it was to achieve!

Huge Bump

This is one of those 80’s hairstyles for women that you’ll recognize at first glance as ‘that’ popular hairstyle from the TV screens. You’ve seen the likes of Phoebe carry it around successfully throughout the years and now the time has come for you to put it on too. The huge bump on the temple is the captivating element of this style with an inconsistent bang over the forehead.

Long Curls

Drag your curls beyond the limit of imagination to replicate this voguish hairstyle from the cover pages of 80s magazines. Adding streaking highlights to this look can make it glow in broad daylight with the rays reflecting from the lighter tones to catch everyone’s eyes. Have shorter hair up front with long curls all around flowing nicely into a dense volume to complete the look.

Huge Locks With Headband

You might always have had huge locks on your head, but now is the time to show them off in the most exquisite manner! This vintage style from the 80s is quite radical in nature and it’s going to rock the fashion industry today should you choose to apply it on yourself. Just add a headband in the middle of all your hair and let everything stand up to display your huge locks by securing them with hair gel!

Messy Curls

As heavy metals have been one of the most desirable music trends of the time, your look that carries the same notion should earn you substantial recognition these days. Apart from tattoos and piercing, your messy curls turned into this 80s masterclass is enough to make you look even more stylish and have you categorized as a styling symbol in the popular media.

Casual Messy Knots

A headband knotted around the most casual of styles can uplift your look so much that you won’t believe something so easy had been going amiss all this time! That’s why the 80s women had been fixated with headbands as these are the underdog elements of every good looking casual hairstyle. From short to long hair, just throw a floral knot to the jumble and see the striking result!

Elegant Updo

This elegant hairstyle is going to melt everyone’s hearts with only one glare at it because of how pretty it makes people look! You can experience the same with such 80s hairstyles for long hair where only the front part is to remain slightly shorter. It’s kept short so that the updo can stay in position effortlessly for the longest possible time with the help of some hair pomade or spray.

Curled Mohawk

We’ll now see fusion at its very best as this particular style takes a couple of popular concepts of the 80s and mixes all of them together into a fanciable blend. If you have curly hair then you are highly encouraged to try this out! Simply blow all of your top hair upward leaning on one side with the side hair either trimmed down or sleekly brushed back to generate the effects of a curled mullet!

Blonde White Locks With Front Bangs

A hard rock bang inspired hairstyle that is still admired by fashion enthusiasts in the 21st century speaks a lot about this concept. It can become a timeless piece since it’s very easy to try out by generating the most exquisite results! With blonde white hair, neatly comb everything down with feathery edges up front. Keep short & light curtain bangs on the forehead to seal the deal!

Madonna Love

Whatever Madonna did back in her prime became ‘the style’ to be followed and this one is one such variant of 80’s hairstyles for women that you cannot help but fall in love with! Short hair crumpled up in the most stylish way and firmly locked in place with hair gel is the initial foundation for this hairstyle. Place a beret on the crown region to radiate the glow of Madonna!

Love For Hair Band

Love for hair bands of all sorts is the easiest way of defining the 80s trends, and you can embrace the same spirit in a matter of minutes. With the classic style in the picture where you’ll have wide inconsistent bangs over your forehead, the remainder of the hair is to be combed backward. For the middle part, channel everything through a hair band to be made into a gentle ponytail.

Sleek-Crimped Combo

Another fusion look makes it into our list, but this mixture wasn’t made in the current day as the original style combined these two concepts itself. The sleek and crimped part together in the same strand may not be advised by stylists these days, but it wasn’t the case during the 80s. Sleek combed hair from the root turning into crimped strands till the end is a lethal combo to die for!

Beachy Waves

Bleached hair is often colored in popular culture, but keeping it raw like the natural blonde has been in the picture for quite some time. Short hair reaching past your hair is ideal for this style. Bleach everything without holding anything back and apply heavy curls at the hair ends if your hair isn’t naturally curly. By the end, you’ll have some gorgeous bleach waves you can show-off!

Blown Away Curls

Blow everyone’s hearts away with your refined blown away curls which apparently isn’t the creation of modern trends. It used to be cool back in the days and is equally in fashion now. Your bob length hair is sufficient to have this distinct look. Condition your hair to make them lighter and have a blower carry them away into the most astounding 80’s hairstyle for women!

Crimped Hair With Front Bangs

Although crimped hair requires a little more attention than smooth hair, the 80s stylists went all bazooka by driving into the skid and making crimped look opulent. Add some radiant color to your hair to increase the look’s worth by a landslide. Feather up the crimps with varying length all over the head and add some dense & beautiful bangs up front to complete the look.

Deep Crimped Side-Parted Hair

Listing down classiest of 80s hairstyles and not enlisting Farrah Fawcett would only surely leave this chart incomplete as this individual contributed so much to the fashion industry at that time! The deep crimped hair barely reaching your shoulder on either side is something you can try even today without any hesitation. Just don’t forget to part your hair at one side to replicate the original successfully!

Sleek Bob

Your bob cut from the past can be reinterpreted in the most modern way to cater to the taste of the contemporary fashion enthusiasts! Let your short hair flow over your head all around and cut them all seamlessly right below your chin length. Use your brush to have your hair sharply moving downward with a few waves in the middle portion to generate a suave vibe!

Slicked Back Wet Look Hair

Throttle into the formal zone of 80s hairstyles with the slicked back style that fits ideally with any office space. Take this up a notch by creating two layers of hair, one for the sides and one for the top part. Apply some hair pomade to generate the wet look and comb everything back to make this look cultured for the intellectual space!

Feathered Short Cut

Feathered styles are something that you can’t remove from the iconic 80’s hairstyles for women due to its stylistic factors. Keep it relatively short to produce something unique other than the long feathers to make it lighter & easier to carry around. Flick your hair over the hairline toward one side in the most gorgeous manner with the edges softened up to highlight the feathers!

Messy Side Swept

Mess your hair up with this sumptuous rendition of 80s hairstyles that you can sweep toward one side to display the elegance bluntly! Having curly or wavy hair would be an additional bonus point for this style. Keep the front part significantly shorter than the rest of the hair body so that you can swish it upward and increase the heat of any room you appear in!

The Milkshake Hair

This is one of the most unique creations from the past that has been reintroduced to the modern trends with an eye-catching version! It’s a fusion of two ideas on the same length of hair which is slightly longer than a bob cut. For the front, have everything combed down neatly into bangs while the rest of the hair is to be moving backward in the most plush waves!

Sketchy Two Tones

While sketchy hair is a direct 80s reference for hairstyles, two tones on the other hand have popularized quite recently. With medium length hair, sketch-up all the edges from the front to the back with one side bleached to create a separate tone. Such an unorthodox approach consisting of sharp bangs up front is a smart way to climb the ladder of premium fashion!

Feathered Scarlet Streaks

The last hairstyle in our list is the most discerning style you’ve probably seen in recent times. Carrying out the feathered principles from the 80’s hairstyles for women, the modern exposition sees feather streaks all across the head. The prominence of vibrance is at the peak toward the strand ends and everything flows gently down with the classiest of feathers!

Concluding Remarks: 80s Female Hairstyles

Now that you’ve reached the end of our journey through the cultural richness of the 80s, it’s time for us to give you our blessing with your next hairstyle. Trying out any of the designs from our list is guaranteed to give you an upgrade in your looks by a significant margin and gather you the courage to boldly walk through the crowd of your neighboring area.

We encourage you to apply different styling techniques to these existing hairstyles for new & unique fusion styles that are grounded to contemporary culture. Doing so would give you a ticket to fame for your creativity and aesthetic sense while inspiring others with modern looks in the form of 80’s hairstyles for women.

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