You’ve seen the photos. Or maybe you lived through them. Those sharp, geometric lines and the kind of volume that seems to defy gravity. When people think about sixties hairstyles for short hair, they usually jump straight to Twiggy. They think of that sleek, boyish crop that basically redefined femininity in 1966. But that’s only half the story. Honestly, the decade was a chaotic, beautiful mess of stiff hairspray and radical liberation.
The 1960s didn't just happen. It exploded. Hair was the primary battlefield.
At the start of the decade, you still had the lingering ghost of the 1950s—think stiff, lacquered sets that didn't move even in a gale. By the end? It was all about the "wash and wear" revolution. Stylists like Vidal Sassoon weren't just cutting hair; they were architects using scissors instead of drafting pens. He famously said he wanted to "get rid of the superfluous" and give women a shape that worked with their bones, not against them. If you’re looking to recreate these looks today, you have to understand that tension between the "big hair" obsession and the sleek, modernist rebellion.
The Pixie that changed everything
Most people credit the pixie to Twiggy, but the real pioneer was Leonard of Mayfair, who gave Lesley Lawson (Twiggy’s real name) that iconic cut in a marathon seven-hour session. It was dyed blonde, parted deeply on the side, and tucked behind the ears. It looked effortless. It wasn't.
This wasn't the soft, wispy pixie we see on Pinterest today. It was precise. It was almost masculine, which, back then, was a massive middle finger to the hyper-feminine beehives of the early sixties. If you want this look now, tell your stylist you want a "flat" graduation. You don't want bulk at the back. You want it to hug the skull.
Then there was Mia Farrow. When she filmed Rosemary's Baby, the story goes that Sassoon cut her hair on a boxing ring in front of the press. That might be a bit of a studio PR stunt, but the hair was real. It was shorter, choppier, and much more "street" than Twiggy’s polished look. It proved that sixty hairstyles for short hair could be gritty. It wasn't just for models in London; it was for women who didn't want to spend three hours under a hooded dryer every Saturday morning.
The Five-Point Cut and the rise of "The Shape"
If the pixie was the rebellion, the Five-Point Cut was the masterpiece. Created by Sassoon in 1963 on model Grace Coddington, this was a geometric bob that featured two points at the ears and three at the nape of the neck. It looked like a helmet made of silk.
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It was radical because it relied on the "swing."
You've probably seen those old black-and-white clips of models shaking their heads and the hair falling perfectly back into place. That was the dream. Before this, short hair was usually teased into a "bubble" or a "mop top" inspired by the Beatles. The Five-Point Cut stripped away the backcombing. It relied entirely on the technical skill of the barber.
Why the Bob wasn't just a Bob
A lot of folks get the 60s bob mixed up with the 20s flapper style. They’re cousins, sure, but not twins. The 60s version had more weight. It was often paired with a heavy, blunt fringe—think Mary Quant. Quant was the queen of the mini-skirt, and her hair had to match that high-energy, modernist vibe. Her bob was cut bone-straight, often hitting right at the cheekbone to emphasize the eyes.
If you're trying to pull this off today, you need a high-shine serum. The 60s look was never matte. It was reflective. It was supposed to look like vinyl.
The Flip: When short met volume
Not everyone wanted to look like a geometric drawing. For many women, sixty hairstyles for short hair meant the "Flip." This is the Jackie Kennedy influence. It’s that shoulder-skimming or chin-length cut where the ends are curled upward and outward.
It looks dated if you do it wrong. To make it work in a modern context, you have to lose the "crunch." Back in '62, women were using Aqua Net like it was oxygen. They would set their hair in giant rollers—sometimes using empty orange juice cans to get the right circumference—and then backcomb the living daylights out of the crown.
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- The Crown: You need height. This is the "bouffant" element.
- The Ends: A sharp flick out.
- The Bangs: Usually swept to the side or puffed slightly.
Anne Bancroft and Elizabeth Taylor played with these shapes constantly. It was a transition style. It sat right between the "proper" housewife look and the "mod" revolution. It’s a great style if you have fine hair because the teasing (or "back-brushing" as the pros call it) creates an illusion of massive density that just doesn't exist naturally.
The "Mop" and the influence of the British Invasion
We can't talk about the sixties without talking about the boys, because their hair changed what women were doing too. When the Beatles landed in America in '64, their "mop tops" were considered shockingly long for men, but for women, it sparked a trend of shaggier, layered short hair.
This led to the "Gamin" look. It was less about precision and more about texture. Think of a young Jane Fonda or Goldie Hawn in Cactus Flower. It was playful. It had layers that moved. It used a lot of "point cutting" where the stylist snips into the hair vertically to create a jagged, soft edge.
Honestly, this is the most wearable version of sixty hairstyles for short hair for most people today. It doesn't require a master architect to maintain, and it grows out beautifully. You just need a bit of wax or pomade to give it that "just woke up in a Soho flat" energy.
The hard truth about maintenance
Modern stylists often struggle with 1960s recreations because we use different tools now. In the 60s, a "short" cut was often finished with a razor to get those wispy, tapered edges around the ears. Today, many stylists rely heavily on clippers or thinning shears, which can make the hair look too "suburban" and lose that sharp, editorial edge.
If you are going for a true 60s short style, find someone who knows how to use a straight razor.
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Also, color matters. The 60s loved "flat" color. Not flat as in boring, but flat as in monochromatic. High-contrast highlights weren't really a thing yet. If you wanted to be a blonde, you were a solid, platinum, buttery blonde. If you were a brunette, you were deep espresso. This solid color makes the silhouette of the haircut stand out. When you add a bunch of balayage to a geometric 60s cut, you lose the "line," and the line is the whole point.
Practical steps for getting the look right
Stop looking at "60s inspired" photos on Instagram. Most of those are filtered versions of versions. Go to the source. Look at old copies of Vogue from 1965 or 1966. Look at what the photographers Richard Avedon or David Bailey were capturing.
When you go to the salon, don't just say "I want a 60s cut." That could mean anything from a stiff beehive to a buzz cut.
- Define your line. Do you want the sharp, geometric Sassoon edges, or the soft, teased Jackie O flip?
- Check your profile. 60s hair was designed to look good from the side. Ensure your stylist shows you the back and sides in the mirror constantly.
- Hairspray is your friend, but don't overdo it. Find a flexible hold spray. You want the look of a set style without the feel of a helmet.
- Invest in a good round brush. If you’re doing a bob or a flip, the brush is more important than the blow dryer itself. A ceramic barrel will give you that 1960s shine.
The sixties were a time of massive social upheaval, and the hair reflected that. It was about taking up space. Whether you were doing that with a four-inch-high bouffant or a sharp-as-a-knife pixie cut, the goal was to be noticed. Short hair wasn't about "low maintenance"—it was a high-fashion statement.
To keep the look authentic, focus on the "architecture" of your face. A good 60s cut should highlight your cheekbones or your jawline. If it's just hanging there, it's not a 60s cut; it's just a short haircut. Demand the drama. The era was nothing if not dramatic.