These ‘80s Hairstyles Will Have You Roller-Rink Ready

10.10.2025, 02:10 allure.com

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If you remember the 1980s firsthand, you view the decade’s hairstyles through a very different lens than those who’ve seen the looks only through photos, movies, and poorly aged music videos. As a child of the ’80s, I can vividly recall the angles, shapes, swoops, and size of the era’s trends, and the crunchy feel of frozen frizz, the aroma of Aqua Net, and the sound of a brush battling its way through that hairspray.

I never thought I’d see a return to the looks we wore 40 years ago, but with celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Keke Palmer, and Nicole Kidman casually bringing back mall bangs, a gateway to more intense ’80s looks has been opened. There was a time when that might have felt embarrassing, as can be the case with beauty trends from any era, but hindsight often casts a flattering new light on formerly on-trend styles.

“The hairstyles of the ’80s were all about natural texture in its fullest, boldest form,” says Dusty Schlabach, a Los Angeles hairstylist. “Instead of chasing perfect definition, curls and waves were a huge flex in their raw, organic state, typically amplified with a ‘bigger is better’ attitude. The look was about freedom, individuality, and the confidence that came with letting your hair take up space.”

It wasn’t uncommon for people to get perms to create the texture du jour that genetics didn’t give them, but with today’s abundance of styling tools and products—unimaginably futuristic gadgets and formulas compared to what we had back then—you don’t have to make a permanent change to emulate some of our favorite hair looks, even if your strands are naturally stick-straight. Don’t believe us? Read on for some of our favorite, quintessentially ’80s styles that are so easy to re-create at home.

Stevie Nicks in 1983 is a reminder to everyone who fights with their naturally wavy hair to just “Stand Back” and go with it. In addition to hair that went past her shoulders, Nicks had “layers throughout, and layered bangs for a natural billowy wave,” says Amy Abramite, creative director and hairstylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago. “Some of the waves are defined and others are [teased] to expand and frizz naturally for a wild texture.”

To achieve this, Devin Graciano, hairstylist and CEO of Goldie Locks, recommends air-drying or using a diffuser. "This look is soft and romantic, and looks effortless when it’s worn with natural texture like waves or loose curls.” Then, when dry, Abramite says, brush through hair with your fingers “for waves with bedhead vibes,” and lock everything into place with a cream that has a matte finish (which will enhance the look of the texture you created). For this, we recommend the Best of Beauty Award-winning RŌZ Evergreen Style Cream, which moisturizes while maintaining a light to medium hold.

Graciano says you can also finish with a dry texturizing spray, like her own brand’s Goldie Locks Volumizing Texture Spray. Allure staffers rave about the Maria Nila Texture Spray (another Best of Beauty Award winner) for how it separates light layers.

One of the most memorable redheads of the ’80s, Molly Ringwald was also a short-hair icon, chopping her strands into bobs and pixies in a variety of textures. Here she’s got a graduated, or wedge, bob with a wavy texture that can be achieved with a little heat-tool help on straight hair. “Ask for stacked layers in the back with a gradual length increase toward the front,” Graciano says. “The wedge cut is structured, clean, and often angular. This adds volume and shape.”

Heat protection is essential, especially if you plan to blow-dry and iron. Drybar Hot Toddy Heat Protectant Mist is a Best of Beauty Award winner that prevents hair-raising static. Explains Graciano, “The easiest way to [style your hair] is to flip your head upside down or use a round brush to lift the roots as you dry your hair.”

Abramite says a triple-barrel waving iron is best for adding this texture to straight hair. “Press the iron in horizontal sections throughout the hair to create the waves,” she says. “Add a deep side part and flip hair to one side to pop the bangs over.” The Trademark Beauty Babe Waves is easy to maneuver through short hair.

Farrah Fawcett’s feathered hair was so iconic in the late 1970s that it continued to influence trends well into the ’80s. The perfect example of this influence was the bouncy blowout on Heather Locklear in 1985. “It’s soft, full-bodied, and has [Fawcett’s] signature feathered layers that wing outward away from the face,” says Abramite. “The cut has wispy bangs, face-framing layers, and tons of short layers in the crown for fluffy volume.”

To re-create this look, Abramite recommends styling hair with hot rollers and setting with mousse and volumizing spray or powder. No hot rollers at home? You can also use a thermal round brush (the Best of Beauty Award-winning Wavytalk Multi Curl includes a 1.5-inch round attachment, among others) to twist and glide hair away from the face with a flicking movement.

Although the ’80s are well-known for curly looks, few are more noteworthy than Whitney Houston’s hair in the music video for her 1987 hit, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Schlabach notes that these dream curls are more defined than many of the frizzier looks of the time, and that means taking a very specific route to achieving them.

If you’re starting with naturally curly hair, he recommends raking curl cream through it when it’s sopping wet, going up and out from the roots, before following with a gel to lock in the definition. “For maximum definition, give it a gentle squeeze with a T-shirt without disrupting the curl clumps, then start diffusing until it’s completely dry,” he says. “Once it is, flip your hair over, shake it out, and grab a pick.” With the curls set, he adds, you should be able to get as much volume out of your hair as you’d like.

Madonna had approximately 1 million hairstyles in the 1980s, but none stopped us in our tracks more than the layered pixie in her “Papa Don’t Preach” video. Decidedly low-maintenance compared with other styles of the time, it made a huge impact, and it looks just as fresh today. “The layers create a soft bang with a tapered nape that exposes the ears with wispy sideburns,” says Abramite, who adds that the faux blonde enhances more than just the cut’s vibes: “Bleached hair creates a rougher texture to enhance the ruffled, carefree feeling.”

Once you get the chop, styling it can be quite simple. Abramite suggests rubbing a pea-sized amount of a workable wax or pomade (like the Best of Beauty Award-winning Fatboy Perfect Putty) between your hands and running your fingers through hair while lifting at the roots and defining the ends.

In the ’80s, it wasn’t uncommon to combine more than one texture, like Gloria Estefan did in 1988. “You can see how different the curl pattern of her bangs is from the rest of her mane,” says Schlabach, who surmises that she blew out the fringe with a smaller-barrel round brush, hit it with some hairspray, and pieced it out.

To re-create the style, Abramite recommends adding mousse to damp hair and blow-drying with a diffuser while scrunching for volume at the roots and expansion throughout. Use a small, round brush to blow-dry the layered bangs for a soft look around the eyes and face, and finish with a strong-hold hairspray for lift and control.

Tina Turner’s higher-than-heaven shag was heavily teased at the roots, says Abramite. “The hair length is at the shoulders, and the layers are short and rounded in the bangs and crown for a lion’s mane effect.” Truly a fitting look for such a fierce star.

You need to start with choppy layers, of course, that are preferably unwashed, says Graciano. (The added oils and debris will make your style last longer.) Start your style by misting your hair with medium-hold hairspray and hitting it with a crimping waver (like the Best of Beauty Award-winning GHD Wave). As you wave your strands, hold your hot tool horizontally, creating waves in sections. Then, Abramite says, “using a tail comb, tease or backcomb for root lift, leaving the ends free for a messy rock-and-roll look.”

It may not seem like it, but some people actually did have straight hair in the ’80s, and one of the most stunning examples is Christie Brinkley’s butterfly cut. The supermodel’s hair was often curled and teased for photo shoots, but she always came back around to sleeker styles that still leaned into fluffy softness. This look, Graciano points out, features face-framing layers that usually start at the chin or collarbone. Abramite adds that Brinkley’s feathered, deeply side-parted bangs sweep away from the face, starting shorter in the front and graduating to longer in the back, blending into the layers.

“Use a round brush and blow-dryer, working to flip shorter layers away from your face,” Graciano says. “You could even use large rollers or a curling iron for extra bounce.” A smoothing cream and a glossing serum will help create a polished, soft finish.

We’ve been taught to fight our frizz, but Cher’s hair in 1987 tells us we should turn back time and unlearn that. “Cher has soft curls with a mix of healthy frizz and defined spirals,” Abramite says. “The haircut is layered with a light fringe for allover body and fullness, with length at the shoulders, and the curls are springy and cloud-like with a delicate bounce.”

Whether you achieve this oomph-y silhouette via a perm or curling iron, be sure to air-dry or use a diffuser to keep volume, Graciano says. In addition to a curl cream, she recommends a root-boosting product (we love the buildable IGK Pick Me Up Maximum Lift Root Boost Spray) to enhance the texture: “You can fluff the roots with a pick or fingers once your hair is dry to create extra volume.”

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