Big hair, mullets and punk vibes - welcome back 1980s hair

The 1980s wasn't necessarily known for it's memorable stamp on fashion in a good way. It was the decade of saying 'forget the rules' as the youth culture embraced difference as the biggest trend. Non-conformists broke free of stereotypes as punk subcultures stormed the mainstream with bold hues and chopped up 'dos while conformist opted for an even biggest blowdry than the 1970s Charlie's Angel style. 1980s hair was statement hair. With the current political climate and Generation Z uprising as even bigger activists than Millennials, it's no wonder 1980s trends are coming back in a big way. Millennials hark back to 1990s trends because it was a simpler time, where all you had to worry about was if your space buns were even, but Generation Z are bringing back the 1980s because this was the time that impact was made. However this isn't the easiest trend to work into hairdressing - especially if you're based in a salon. So we spoke to John Vial, renowned session stylist and co-owner of Salon Sloane about two ways to make the 1980s work for today.

The Mullet

"It’s been so long since people have had proper haircuts – people are still afraid of cutting their hair off. The mullet is literally a half-way measure - it is the balance of short and long, which suggests to us people are no longer wanting nondescript hair, but are embarking on a journey which will lead to the hairdresser doing more hair cuts and less blow dries. At Salon Sloane we are starting to see a movement towards people breaking away from the traditional beachy waves and rather than losing all of their lengths, the bi-level (could be just a long extended fringe) is now becoming increasingly popular."

As you see in designer fashion, these hair trends start with the extremity and the idea gradually becomes commercial.

Crimping

"First of all, you don’t need to literally do a crimp – the BaByliss PRO Triple Barrell Waver is the perfect tool to give a modern take on the 1980’s crimp. In order to achieve the look, either use the tool throughout all of the underneath of the hair, avoiding the top sections – this will ensure that the look is not too literal. Alternatively, this could be used solely at the root to provide volume whilst leaving the ends to do their natural thing"