Walk into any high-end barbershop in Brooklyn or London today and you’ll smell it. It’s that heavy, sweet scent of oil-based pomade. It's thick. It’s sticky. It’s exactly what guys were slapping onto their scalps seventy years ago. We’re currently obsessed with 50s hairstyles for men, but honestly, most of us are getting the history totally wrong. We think it’s all Grease and Elvis.
It wasn't.
Post-war America was a weird, transitional pressure cooker. You had the "Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" types who wanted to look like they’d never seen a day of combat, and then you had the teenagers. These kids were the first to actually be called "teenagers." They had money, they had cars, and they had hair that made their parents want to scream.
The Pompadour and the Myth of Perfection
Everyone thinks they know the pompadour. You see it on every "vintage" Instagram page. But the real 50s version wasn't this matte, hair-sprayed tower we see today. It was greasy. Like, really greasy.
The style actually traces its name back to Madame de Pompadour, a mistress of King Louis XV. Hilarious, right? A bunch of tough guys in leather jackets were rocking a look named after an 18th-century French woman.
Elvis Presley is the poster child here, but his hair was a technical marvel. He didn't just use one product; he used three. He used a heavy wax to keep the sides slicked back, a lighter oil for the top to give it that shine, and sometimes even a bit of hair tonic to keep it "mobile" while he was shaking on stage. It wasn't static. It moved. That’s the detail modern stylists often miss—they make it too stiff. If you’re looking to recreate this, you need a pomade that doesn't "dry" like a gel. Brands like Reuzel or Schmiere still make the heavy-duty stuff that mimics those old-school petroleum bases.
The Quiff: The Pompadour’s Messier Brother
If the pompadour was the suit-and-tie of hair, the quiff was the Friday night version. It's less about the height and more about the "flip" at the front. Think James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. His hair wasn't perfect. It was actually kind of a mess, which was the whole point. It looked like he’d been running his hands through it all day while brooding.
Dean’s stylist on that film, G.W. Abbey, understood that for a rebel, symmetry is the enemy. The quiff allowed for a bit of texture. It was the bridge between the military-mandated buzzcuts of the 1940s and the long-haired chaos of the late 60s.
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The Dark Side of the Ducktail
Barbers used to call it the "DA," short for Duck’s Ass. Seriously.
It was the ultimate sign of a "juvenile delinquent." To get a real ducktail, you had to comb the sides of your hair back so they met in a perfect vertical seam down the center of the back of your head. It required a ridiculous amount of maintenance. You’d see guys in high school hallways pulling out these long black combs every five minutes to check their "seam."
It was controversial. Some schools in the mid-50s actually banned the hairstyle, claiming it was a sign of gang affiliation or just general "hoodlumism." Imagine being suspended because your hair met in a point at the back. Crazy. But that’s how much 50s hairstyles for men scared the establishment. It was a visual middle finger to the "Clean-Cut American" image the government was trying to project during the Cold War.
The Ivy League and the "Safe" Option
Not every guy was trying to look like he just stole a motorcycle.
The Ivy League (or the Harvard Clip) was the 1950s version of the "corporate" look. It’s basically a crew cut but with enough length on top to part it. This is what the guys at NASA were wearing. It’s what the suburban dads were rocking while they mowed the lawn.
It’s a low-maintenance look, sure, but it carried a lot of social weight. It signaled that you were a "team player." If you had an Ivy League, you were getting the promotion. If you had a ducktail, you were getting a lecture from the principal. Interestingly, this is the look that has survived most successfully in modern business culture. It’s the "Executive Contour."
Barbers like Schorem in Rotterdam have spent the last decade reviving these specific technical cuts. They don't use guards; they use shears and straight razors to get that tapered neckline that defines the era.
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The Flat Top: Engineering on a Head
The flat top was—and still is—the hardest 50s haircut to pull off. It requires a barber with the steady hand of a surgeon. The top is cut perfectly flat, often aided by "Butch Wax" to make the hair stand straight up like a brush.
You saw this a lot in the military and with athletes. Johnny Unitas, the legendary NFL quarterback, was the king of the flat top. It looked like you could level a spirit tool on his head. It’s a brutalist style. No curves, no soft edges. Just straight lines and discipline.
The Role of Product: Petroleum vs. Water
You can't talk about 50s hairstyles for men without talking about what was actually in the cans.
Back then, "water-soluble" wasn't a thing. You used Murrays, Royal Crown, or Black & White. These were petroleum-based. If you put it in on a Tuesday, it was still there on a Thursday. You didn't "wash" your hair so much as you "degreased" it. Guys would use dish soap or even olive oil to try and get the gunk out.
The "greaser" nickname wasn't a metaphor. Their hair was literally saturated with grease. This led to the "anti-macassar"—those little cloths people put on the backs of their armchairs. They weren't there for decoration; they were there to stop the men’s hair oil from ruining the furniture.
- The Shine Factor: 1950s hair was meant to reflect light. If it looked matte, you were doing it wrong.
- The Build-up: You didn't start fresh every day. You just added a little more pomade to what was already there. This is why the hair looked so thick and sculpted.
- The Scent: Rose, sandalwood, and heavy vanilla.
Why We’re Still Obsessed
Trends usually die after twenty years. But the 50s look keeps coming back every decade. Why?
Because it’s masculine in a way that feels intentional. It’s not "woke up like this" hair. It’s "I spent twenty minutes in front of a mirror with a comb" hair. It shows effort. In a world of fast fashion and messy buns, there is something deeply satisfying about a perfectly executed side part.
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Modern variations have softened the blow. We use water-based pomades now (thank god), so we don't need Dawn dish soap to hit the pillow at night. We use blow dryers to get volume, whereas 1950s guys just relied on the sheer structural integrity of the wax.
Getting the Look Right Today
If you’re going to try one of these 50s hairstyles for men, don't go to a "stylist" at a salon. They’ll give you a "modern interpretation" which usually just means a messy undercut.
Find a real barber. Look for a shop that has those spinning poles and old-school chairs. Ask for a "taper" rather than a "fade." The 50s was about the taper—a gradual transition of length. A "fade" is too modern, too skin-heavy.
Steps for the perfect 50s inspired cut:
- Find the Part: Every 1950s look starts with the natural part. Your barber should find where your hair naturally breaks and work from there.
- The Tapered Neckline: Avoid the "blocked" or "squared" neck. It looks cheap. A tapered neck grows out cleaner and looks more authentic to the era.
- Investment in Tools: Get a high-quality acetate comb. Plastic ones from the drugstore have "burrs" that snag the hair. Kent combs are the gold standard here.
- Product Choice: If you want the look without the mess, go for a "firm hold, high shine" water-based pomade. Layrite or Suavecito are the industry standards for a reason.
The 1950s wasn't a monolith. It was a battle between the rebels and the squares, fought entirely with combs and grease. Whether you want to look like a NASA engineer or a guy who just got kicked out of a diner, the geometry remains the same. It’s about structure. It’s about shine. And honestly, it’s about having the confidence to carry around a comb in your back pocket.
If you're ready to make the switch, start by letting the top of your hair grow at least four inches while keeping the sides tight. Most guys fail because they try to style a pompadour with hair that’s too short. You need the weight to get that "flip." Once you have the length, grab a tin of heavy-hold grease and start practicing your "DA" in the mirror. Just don't blame me when you start ruining your pillowcases.