Bouffants and Flips

• In the early 1960s celebrities influenced American hairstyles. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy popularized the bouffant. Hairdressers teased the hair and then smoothed a top layer of hair over it so that it looked puffy. Mrs. Kennedy wore hers with a flip, which was a large single curl that ran along the bottom of the hairstyle. Flips were usually about chin length. Brigitte Bardot was not as polished as the First Lady but women rushed to imitate her as they loved how her long unkempt hair escaped from the teased crown.
  
  

The Beehive

• The bouffant evolved into a beehive in the early 1960s. Women created beehives by ratting some of their hair into a ball and piling it on top of their head. They used lots of hairspray to keep it stable and protected it while sleeping at night. Beehives could not be combed but women perked them up by lifting areas with the end of a rat-tail comb and applying additional hairspray. Urban legends arose about spiders and other bugs living inside these enormous hair structures.
  
  

Wigs

• Teasing, spraying and maintaining the hairstyles of the 1960s was a lot of work. Wigs improved in the mid-1960s and women began to wear them as it was easier than creating an elaborate hairstyle from scratch. They also liked falls. Falls were special hairpieces that blended in with a woman's natural hair and was attached with a comb or clip.
  
  

Mod Hair

• Mod hair came into style in the mid-1960s. Men and women wore hair of about the same length. A woman's mod hairstyle was like a bob, but with a swash of hair swinging to one side. Bowl cuts looked sleek on men and many rushed to imitate the Beatles, who wore them. While this was the only time in the 1960s that short hair was in style for women, it marked the beginning of long hair for men.
  
  

Hippie Hair

• As the 1960s continued both men and women got tired of elaborate hair and began to prefer free flowing, unstructured styles. Afros became popular and men grew long beards. Tousled, bleached, long, thick surfer hair was in style, especially around the beach. Hair damaged by the elements was embraced by earthy hippies. The urban legend about bugs living in hair transferred from beehives to male hippies. Women let their hair grow long and flowing and sometimes wore braids. Both sexes wore headbands and flowers and ironed their hair to make it straighter.