“Hi Cindy, I was showing my 25-year-old daughter some photos from my senior year of high school (1986) and she literally said, ‘Mom, what is happening with your hair?’ I tried to explain, but she just kept shaking her head. Can you help me explain to younger generations why we did what we did to our hair back then? I feel like our era of hair was iconic and deserves some respect!” — Donna Whitfield, Dallas, TX
Oh Donna, I hear you. I really, really do.
I have a very similar photo tucked away in a shoebox somewhere. The hair is enormous. The bangs are defying gravity. And honestly? I still think I looked fantastic.
But I get it. When you try to explain ’80s hair to someone who grew up with flat irons and “clean girl” aesthetics, you might as well be describing an alien civilization. The teasing, the crimping, the sheer volume of Aqua Net consumed in a single school year. It was a whole lifestyle.
Here’s the thing, though. The ’80s weren’t just about big hair for the sake of big hair. There was creativity, confidence, and a fearlessness about self-expression that I think a lot of younger women could actually learn from. We didn’t have YouTube tutorials or TikTok trends. We had a curling iron, a prayer, and about 45 minutes in front of the bathroom mirror before the bus came.
So let’s walk through 11 things we did to our hair in the ’80s that would absolutely confuse anyone under 30. And honestly? Some of them confuse me now too. But I wouldn’t trade a single one.
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11. We Crimped Our Hair Like Our Lives Depended On It
If you didn’t own a crimping iron in the ’80s, did you even go to middle school? Crimping was one of those things that made absolutely no practical sense, but we were obsessed. You’d clamp that iron down on small sections of hair, hold it for a few seconds, release, and repeat until your entire head looked like a beautiful zigzag experiment.
“I used to crimp my hair every single morning before school,” says Patricia L., from Columbus, Ohio. “My daughter found my old crimping iron in the garage last year and asked me if it was a waffle maker. I almost cried.”
The result was this wild, textured look that added volume in a way nothing else could. It wasn’t smooth. It wasn’t sleek. It was gloriously bizarre, and we wore it with absolute confidence. Some women crimped just the top layers. Others went full commitment from root to tip. And a select few crimped only their bangs, which was a choice.
Here’s what younger women don’t realize: crimping is actually making a quiet comeback. If you want to relive the magic (or try it for the first time), the Bed Head Wave Artist Deep Waver gives you a more modern, relaxed version of that classic texture. It’s a little less “1987 school dance” and a little more “I meant to do this,” but the spirit is there. And for women over 50 who want to add volume and texture to thinning hair, a subtle crimp can actually be a really smart styling trick.
10. We Permed Everything. And I Mean Everything.
The perm was the backbone of ’80s hair culture. If your hair was naturally straight, you permed it. If your hair was already wavy, you permed it tighter. If your hair was curly, you somehow still permed it. The goal was maximum curl, maximum volume, and that unmistakable smell of chemicals that lingered for days.
Let’s be honest about what a perm appointment was like. You sat in that salon chair for hours. Your stylist rolled your hair onto those tiny little rods, applied a solution that burned your eyes and possibly your scalp, and then you waited. And waited. And when they finally unwrapped everything, you either looked like a goddess or a poodle, and there was no in-between.
“I got a perm every eight weeks for about six years straight,” says Marlene T., from Phoenix, Arizona. “My hair was so damaged by the end of the decade that my stylist finally told me I needed to stop or I’d be bald. I thought she was being dramatic. She was not.”
Modern perms are a completely different experience. Today’s formulas, like those using cysteamine instead of ammonium thioglycolate, are much gentler on mature hair. If you’ve been curious about adding some body and wave without daily heat styling, a modern perm from an experienced stylist can be a great option. Just make sure you’re using a sulfate-free shampoo and a deep conditioner like Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner to keep those curls healthy and hydrated.
9. We Teased Our Hair Until It Surrendered
Teasing, also known as backcombing, was not just a styling technique in the ’80s. It was a competitive sport. The higher the hair, the closer to God, or so we told ourselves. We would take a fine-tooth comb, grab a section of hair, and backcomb it toward the scalp with a determination that bordered on aggressive. Then we’d smooth the top layer over, spray it into place, and walk out the door looking like we were wearing a helmet made of hair.
The volume was unreal. I remember my hair adding a solid three inches to my height on a good day. My husband once joked that he married me partially because he thought I was taller than I actually was. Very funny, Steve.
“My hairdresser now cringes when I tell her how much I used to tease my hair,” says Janet R., from Richmond, Virginia. “She says it’s like telling a dentist you used to open bottles with your teeth.”
And she’s not wrong. All that teasing absolutely did damage over time. It caused breakage, split ends, and stress on the hair follicle that many of us are still dealing with decades later. But here’s the good news: there are ways to get lift and volume at the crown without all that aggressive backcombing. A volumizing root spray like Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast can give you that lifted look without tearing your hair apart. For women over 50 dealing with fine or thinning hair, a gentle lift at the root can make a world of difference, and your hair will thank you for being kinder to it this time around.
8. We Used Enough Hairspray to Put a Hole in the Ozone Layer
This is barely an exaggeration. The amount of aerosol hairspray that was deployed in American bathrooms during the 1980s was genuinely staggering. Aqua Net was the weapon of choice for most of us, and we did not use it sparingly. We used it like we were shellacking furniture. Multiple coats. From every angle. Until your hair could withstand a Category 3 hurricane and not move a single strand.
“I kept a can of Aqua Net in my locker, one in my car, and one in my purse,” says Carol M., from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “My bangs were not allowed to move. That was the rule.”
The hold was incredible, but the crunch factor was something else. You could literally hear your hair crinkle when you touched it. And the buildup? After a week of daily spraying without a clarifying wash, your hair had more product residue than actual hair.
Modern hairsprays have come such a long way. You can get serious hold without that stiff, crunchy, shellacked feeling. Something like Kenra Volume Spray 25 gives you firm hold with a brushable finish, so your hair still moves like hair. And for those of us who are more mature now and dealing with finer strands, a lightweight flexible-hold spray is really the way to go. Heavy formulas can weigh down thinner hair and make it look flat, which is exactly the opposite of what we’re going for. Your ’80s self would approve of the volume. Your current self will appreciate that you can actually run your fingers through it.
7. We Blow-Dried Our Bangs Into a Vertical Wall
If you did not have a wall of bangs standing straight up from your forehead in 1985, you were basically invisible. This was THE look. The “mall bangs.” The “claw.” Whatever you called them in your town, the technique was the same: you’d take your bangs, roll them around a round brush or a curling iron, blast them with a blow dryer on high heat, then spray them into a frozen vertical position that could block the sun.
The physics involved were honestly impressive. You were engineering a structure. These bangs had to resist wind, humidity, gym class, and the convertible your friend’s older brother drove. And they did, because we used approximately half a can of hairspray per session.
“I used to set my alarm 40 minutes early just for my bangs,” says Linda K., from Tulsa, Oklahoma. “The rest of my hair could do whatever it wanted. But the bangs? The bangs had to be perfect.”
Today’s bangs are a totally different story. Curtain bangs, wispy bangs, bottleneck bangs. They’re all softer, more relaxed, and far less architectural. And honestly, for women over 50, a softer fringe can be incredibly flattering. Bangs can help disguise a receding hairline, soften forehead lines, and frame the face beautifully. If you’re thinking about trying a modern version of your ’80s bangs, a good T3 round brush and a medium-hold volumizing mousse will help you get that lift without going full skyscraper. Think volume with movement, not a wall that could stop traffic.
6. We Put Sun-In on Our Hair and Hoped for the Best
Sun-In was a spray-in hair lightener that promised sun-kissed highlights. What it often delivered was a color best described as “traffic cone orange” or “brass doorknob.” But we used it anyway, every single summer, spraying it into our hair before laying out in the backyard on a foil-covered piece of cardboard because we were nothing if not resourceful.
The concept was simple: spray it in, sit in the sun, and the combination of peroxide and UV rays would lighten your hair to a beautiful golden blonde. In reality, if you had anything darker than medium blonde hair, you were playing a very risky game. And most of us lost.
“I sprayed Sun-In in my dark brown hair every day for a month the summer before eighth grade,” says Rosa D., from San Antonio, Texas. “I showed up to school in September looking like a copper penny. My mom was furious.”
At-home hair lightening has gotten significantly better since those days. But here’s my honest advice, especially for women over 50: if you want highlights or lightening, please see a professional colorist. Mature hair is more porous and can react unpredictably to at-home chemicals. A good colorist can give you the most natural, face-brightening result. Between appointments, a color-depositing conditioner like Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask can help maintain your shade and fight brassiness without any risk of turning orange. We’ve earned the right to skip the guesswork.
5. We Wore Scrunchies Like They Were Fine Jewelry
The scrunchie was not just a hair accessory in the ’80s. It was a fashion statement, a status symbol, and occasionally a form of currency. You wore them on your wrist. You wore them in a high side ponytail. You matched them to your outfit, your earrings, your mood. Some were satin. Some were velvet. Some were that crinkly metallic fabric that had no business being near anyone’s hair but looked absolutely spectacular.
“I had a drawer full of scrunchies organized by color,” says Diane P., from Portland, Oregon. “My granddaughter saw it last Thanksgiving and said, ‘Oh cool, those are back.’ Back? Honey, they never left my drawer.”
Here’s the thing younger women might not appreciate: scrunchies are actually better for your hair than regular elastic bands. They cause less breakage, less creasing, and less tension on the hair shaft. For women over 50 dealing with fragile or thinning hair, scrunchies are genuinely one of the best things you can use. Silk scrunchies in particular are fantastic because they reduce friction and help prevent breakage. A set of Slip Silk Scrunchies is an investment your hair will appreciate. And yes, you can still wear them on your wrist. I do. No shame whatsoever.
4. We Feathered Our Hair Like Farrah Was Watching
Technically, feathered hair peaked in the late ’70s with Farrah Fawcett, but let’s be real: it carried well into the early ’80s and a lot of us were still feathering into ’84 and beyond. The technique involved blow-drying your hair away from your face in these perfectly swooping wings that framed your cheekbones like a work of art. When it was done right, it was absolutely gorgeous. When it was done wrong, you just looked like you were standing in front of a fan.
“I would spend 30 minutes trying to get both sides to match,” says Brenda H., from Charlotte, North Carolina. “They never did. One side always feathered better than the other. It was the great injustice of my youth.”
Feathering required a specific kind of layered haircut, a round brush, and a blow dryer with a concentrator nozzle. There was real skill involved. And the look, at its best, was timeless. In fact, a modern version of face-framing layers with a soft flip at the ends is still one of the most flattering styles for women over 50. It adds movement, opens up the face, and gives the hair a youthful bounce.
If you want to recreate that effortless flip, the Dyson Airwrap makes it ridiculously easy. You literally just hold it near your hair and it does the wrapping for you. Farrah would have been dangerous with one of those.
3. We Dyed Our Hair With Kool-Aid (On Purpose)
Before there were semi-permanent fashion colors and pastel hair dyes on every shelf, there was Kool-Aid. Actual Kool-Aid. The drink mix. We would dissolve packets of it in warm water, dip our ends in it (or paint it on with our fingers), and walk around with cherry red or grape purple streaks like we were the most rebellious people on earth.
“I dyed my tips with Cherry Kool-Aid before a Bon Jovi concert in 1987,” says Tammy S., from Indianapolis, Indiana. “It stained my pillowcase, my towels, and the collar of my white jean jacket. I regret nothing.”
The thing about Kool-Aid dye is that it was incredibly unpredictable. It faded unevenly, it bled onto everything, and it smelled vaguely fruity for days. But the spirit of it was pure DIY creativity, and I love that about our generation. We didn’t wait for someone to sell us a product. We made it work with what we had.
Today, if you want to experiment with fun color without the commitment or the stained pillowcases, temporary color products have gotten really impressive. oVertone Coloring Conditioner deposits vibrant or subtle color while actually conditioning your hair. And for women with gray or silver hair, even a soft pastel wash can look absolutely stunning. Your gray hair is actually the perfect canvas for these kinds of tones. It’s like having built-in highlights.
2. We Used Hot Rollers Every Single Morning Like It Was a Part-Time Job
Hot rollers were standard equipment in the ’80s bathroom. You plugged in the set, waited for them to heat up, rolled your entire head, clipped everything into place, did your makeup, ate breakfast, and then carefully removed them one by one to reveal a cascade of bouncy curls. The whole process took 20 to 30 minutes, and we did it almost every day.
“My hot rollers went to college with me,” says Karen W., from Atlanta, Georgia. “My roommate thought I was insane for waking up that early. But she also asked me to do her hair before every sorority event, so.”
Here’s the beautiful thing: hot rollers are still one of the best tools for creating volume and body, especially for women over 50. They’re gentler than curling irons, they give you a more natural-looking curl, and they let you multitask while your hair sets. Modern sets heat up faster, have better temperature control, and come with clips that actually stay in place (those old spring clips were a menace).
A quality set like the T3 Volumizing Hot Rollers Luxe is genuinely one of the best investments for mature hair. They add lift at the root, create beautiful movement through the mid-lengths, and give you that polished, put-together look that never goes out of style. If you abandoned your hot rollers somewhere in the ’90s, it might be time for a reunion.
1. We Made Our Hair as Big as Humanly Possible and Wore It Like a Crown
This is the one. The defining characteristic of ’80s hair. The thing that truly baffles anyone under 30. We wanted our hair to be BIG. Not just voluminous. Not just full. We wanted it to take up space. We wanted it to enter a room before we did. And we achieved it through a combination of teasing, perming, blow-drying, crimping, mousse, gel, and enough hairspray to be classified as an industrial adhesive.
But here’s what I want younger women to understand about this. Big hair wasn’t just a trend. It was an attitude. The ’80s were a decade when women were breaking into boardrooms, demanding equal pay, running for office, and refusing to shrink themselves. And our hair reflected that. We were not trying to be small. We were not trying to blend in. We took up space, literally, and we did it on purpose.
“My hair in 1985 was a statement,” says Deborah J., from Chicago, Illinois. “It said: I’m here, I’m loud, and I’m not making myself smaller for anyone. I think about that every time some girl on Instagram tries to tell me flat hair is the only option.”
And you know what? She’s right. While I’m not suggesting you go full 1985 on a Tuesday morning, there’s something to be said for embracing volume and body at any age. Thinning hair is one of the biggest concerns for women over 50, and the beauty industry has responded with some genuinely incredible products. A thickening shampoo like Kérastase Densifique Bain Densité can make a noticeable difference in how full your hair feels. Pair it with a root-lifting spray and a good blow-dry, and you’ve got volume that would make your 1986 self proud.
The tools have changed. The techniques have evolved. But that desire to feel confident, bold, and unapologetically yourself? That hasn’t changed one bit.
The Bottom Line
Listen, I know our ’80s hair choices might look wild to younger eyes. But every single one of these trends came from a place of creativity, confidence, and having a really good time with self-expression. We didn’t have filters. We didn’t have ring lights. We had a bathroom mirror, a blow dryer, and sheer determination.
And honestly, a lot of what we did back then is still relevant today, just in updated, gentler, more hair-friendly forms. Volume is always in style. Self-expression never goes out of fashion. And taking 40 minutes to do your hair before leaving the house? That’s not vanity. That’s self-care.
So the next time your daughter or granddaughter looks at your old photos and asks what was going on with your hair, just smile and say: “That, sweetheart, was a woman who knew exactly how to make an entrance.”
Thanks for the great question, Donna. And to everyone reading this: I’d love to hear your favorite ’80s hair memory. Drop it in the comments. I know you’ve got a good one.