The sixties didn't just happen. They exploded. If you look at photos of women from 1960 versus 1969, it’s like looking at two different civilizations. Nowhere is that shift more obvious than in the hair. We started the decade with stiff, lacquer-heavy helmets and ended it with waist-length "flower child" manes that looked like they’d never seen a comb. It was a wild ride. Honestly, when people talk about long hair 60s hairstyles, they usually mean one of two things: the high-altitude glamour of the early years or the messy, political rebellion of the late sixties. Both are iconic. Both require a lot more work than they look like they do.
I've spent years looking at archival fashion photography and talking to stylists who lived through the transition from the "set and style" era to the "wash and wear" revolution. There’s a misconception that 60s hair was all about the bob or the pixie—thanks, Twiggy—but long hair was the real canvas for the decade's biggest cultural shifts. It was a status symbol. Then it was a protest. Now, it’s the blueprint for basically every "boho" trend we see on TikTok.
The Era of Big Hair and Even Bigger Expectations
Early in the decade, long hair wasn't meant to move. It was architectural. If you were a woman with length in 1962, you weren't letting it fly in the wind. You were teasing it until it stood six inches off your scalp. This was the reign of the beehive and the bouffant.
Think about Brigitte Bardot. She’s basically the patron saint of the messy-but-structured look. Her "nest" was legendary. It wasn't just hair; it was a vibe. She’d have these long, trailing tendrils—often called "curtain bangs" today—framing a face that looked like she’d just woken up, even though her stylist had probably spent two hours backcombing her crown. This style relied heavily on a technique called "ratting." You take a fine-tooth comb, you grab a section of hair, and you brush it backward toward the scalp until it forms a literal knot of volume. It sounds painful. It kind of was. But it created the structural integrity needed to support those massive silhouettes.
The Flip and the Foundation
Then you had the "Flip." This was the "good girl" version of long hair 60s hairstyles. Mary Tyler Moore made it famous, but teenage girls everywhere perfected it. The hair would be smooth on top, maybe with a headband, and then the ends would kick out in a sharp, defiant curve. Achieving this required massive rollers—sometimes even orange juice cans if you were a broke student—and a terrifying amount of hairspray. Brands like Aqua Net became household staples because without them, the humidity would destroy your hard work in seconds. It was a high-maintenance era. You slept on silk pillowcases or even used toilet paper wraps to keep the "set" overnight.
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When the Hippies Took Over the Narrative
By 1967, things got weird. In a good way. The "Summer of Love" changed the aesthetic language of the entire West. Suddenly, the teased, sprayed, and manicured look felt "establishment." If you wanted to show you were part of the counterculture, you let your hair grow. And grow. And grow.
The aesthetic shifted toward the "Cher" look. Straight, center-parted, and impossibly long. This wasn't about glamour; it was about "naturalism," even if girls were literally using clothes irons to flatten their hair on ironing boards. (Please don't do that now; we have flat irons for a reason). This version of long hair 60s hairstyles was a direct rejection of the 1950s housewife ideal.
- The Center Part: This was the ultimate signifier. It was symmetrical, simple, and required zero hairspray.
- Micro-braids: Often inspired by a fusion of folk influences and a somewhat clumsy appreciation for Indigenous cultures, girls would tuck tiny braids into their loose hair, often tied with embroidery thread.
- Flowers: It wasn't just a cliché. Real daisies and baby's breath were woven into long manes for festivals like Monterey Pop.
The Secret Weapon: The Fall and the Hairpiece
Here is something most people get wrong about the sixties: half of that hair wasn't real. Or, at least, it wasn't growing out of the person's head. The 1960s was the golden age of the "Fall." A fall was a hairpiece that clipped in at the crown and added immediate length and massive volume to the back of the head. It allowed women to have a short, manageable cut for their 9-to-5 jobs while rocking a cascading mane for the discotheque at night. If you see a photo from 1966 where a woman has a perfectly smooth front and then a sudden, thick explosion of curls in the back? That’s a fall. Even icons like Aretha Franklin and Dolly Parton used hairpieces to achieve those gravity-defying shapes. It was a practical solution to a decade that demanded constant reinvention.
Why the 60s Look is Dominating 2026
Fashion is a circle. Right now, we are seeing a massive resurgence in 60s-inspired aesthetics because they offer a middle ground between "done" and "undone." The modern "Butterfly Cut" is basically just a 1960s layered shag with better blending.
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The reason long hair 60s hairstyles still work is the volume. Modern hair tends to be flat. The 60s taught us that height at the crown changes the entire shape of the face. It lifts the cheekbones. It makes the eyes pop. When you see someone today with a heavy fringe and long, voluminous layers, they are channeling Jane Birkin. Birkin was the bridge between the polished French look and the messy London rock scene. Her hair was effortless, but it had weight.
Getting the Look Today (Without the Damage)
If you want to pull this off without 1964-levels of hair breakage, you have to change your toolkit. We don't need to "rat" the hair into submission anymore.
- Dry Shampoo is your Best Friend: Instead of backcombing until your hair snaps, use a volumizing dry shampoo or a texture powder at the roots. It gives that "Bardot" lift without the knots.
- The Velcro Roller Revival: Big Velcro rollers are actually better than the heated ones for that 60s "flick." Put them in while your hair is cooling down from a blowout.
- Heat Protection: The 60s were brutal on hair health. If you’re going for that bone-straight Cher look, use a high-quality ceramic iron and a heat-protectant serum.
- Bangs are a Commitment: The 60s were all about the fringe. Whether it’s the blunt "Mod" bang or the wispy "Hippie" fringe, you have to be ready to trim them every three weeks.
The Cultural Weight of the Mane
It’s easy to dismiss hair as vanity, but in the 1960s, it was a battleground. For Black women, the 60s represented a pivotal move away from chemical relaxers and toward the Afro. While many associate the Afro with the 70s, it really took root in the mid-to-late 60s as a symbol of "Black is Beautiful." Long, natural hair became a political statement of self-love and resistance. Icons like Marsha P. Johnson and Nina Simone used their hair to challenge the Eurocentric beauty standards that had dominated the first half of the century.
Similarly, for men, growing hair long was an act of defiance that could get you kicked out of school or fired from a job. The musical Hair didn't get its name by accident. It was about the freedom to exist without being groomed for the military or a corporate cubicle.
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Practical Steps for Your 60s Hair Journey
If you're looking to adopt long hair 60s hairstyles, don't just jump into a full beehive. It’s too much for a trip to the grocery store. Start with the "Half-Up, Half-Down" look.
Take the top section of your hair, tease the underside slightly at the crown, and pin it back. Leave the rest long and loose. It’s the easiest way to get that 60s silhouette without looking like you're wearing a costume. For the ends, use a round brush to curl them outward instead of inward. This creates that "Flip" look that feels vintage but fresh.
Another tip: focus on the part. A deep side part says "1962 Hollywood," while a razor-straight center part says "1969 Woodstock." You can change your entire era just by moving a comb.
The 1960s were a decade of contradiction. It was stiff and fluid, conservative and radical, artificial and natural. That’s why the hair was so interesting. It reflected a world that was trying to figure out who it wanted to be. Whether you're going for the polished precision of a Bond girl or the wild, uninhibited length of a folk singer, you're tapping into a moment in history where hair was the ultimate form of self-expression.
To maintain these styles, invest in a boar bristle brush. It distributes natural oils from the scalp to the ends, which is how women kept their hair shiny before silicone-based serums existed. Also, consider a "dusting" instead of a full trim. Keeping the length is key, but you have to keep the ends sharp to avoid looking ragged. The 60s look is many things, but it is rarely "accidental." It requires intent. When you style your hair with that intent, you aren't just doing your hair; you're wearing a piece of cultural history.