If you want to go retro without having to use pin curls, try for a fun seventies hairstyle. You don't have to embrace wide lapels, polyester, and bell bottoms to get the most out of one of these romantic or spunky hairdos.
Development of Seventies Hairstyles
Two things happened in the 1970s to radically change the look of both men's and women's hair. One was the fashion revolution of the late 1960s, when more and more young people rejected the fashion industry's dictation on what to wear and felt free to explore clothes that fit their individual personalities and tastes. It only made sense that they would then also reject social trends in hair styles and gravitate towards looks that reflected their attitudes.
The other revolution was the vast improvement in handheld home hair dryers. Women had been able to dry their hair at home since the 1920s, but very few took advantage of the expensive and unwieldy devices, preferring instead to make regular trips to the beauty salon to have their hair set. But by the 1970s, the Corsair blow dryer, which was efficient, easy to handle and not likely to set your hair on fire, allowed women and even men to style at home. The preferred look was free and easy, but with a lot of glamour.
Types of Seventies Styles
Long and Lovely
For women, one of the most popular seventies hairstyles was embodied by Cher. She wore her hair parted in the center, very long, sleek and straight. A few braids or head bands, reminiscent of the just-past hippie era, often augmented the look. Many singers and actresses, to say nothing of millions of young women, strove for the same look, as it was simple and yet undeniably glamorous. While women had nearly always had long hair, it had been centuries since society had allowed them to wear it hanging down in all its glory, and several decades since anyone's hair was seen much below the shoulders. If you had curly or wavy hair, it wasn't easy to achieve that perfect straight look, and some women did go so far as to iron their hair, but the blow dryer was a big help. Today, however, the advent of ceramic straighteners means even the curliest haired woman can achieve long, straight shiny hair within half an hour in the comfort of her own bathroom, and better conditioners and styling products means she doesn't have to sacrifice her hair's health in the process.
The New Bob
While the look has yet to be truly revived, the Dorothy Hamill bob hair style was all the rage in the 1970s. The Olympic ice skating champion of 1976 had an easy modern bob, much more manageable than the one that was popular in the 1920s, with bangs that floated around her head as she skated and fell gently and perfectly back into place when she was still. A simple, attractive look, it was soon seen all over the country. The bob curves around the face, giving it a soft look rarely seen with short hairstyles.
The Farrah Fawcett Look
When Charlie's Angels hit the airwaves, it was an instant success, and women flocked to the hairdressers, asking to have their hair feathered like the show's lovely blonde star, Farrah Fawcett. Her hair was shoulder-length, with choppy layers like a bird's feathers that were sexy and well-defined.
For years after it was popular, this was a seventies hairstyle that people made fun of, thinking it was too fussy and blow-dried. It was also a look that, with modification, was worn by a lot of men, which people thought especially funny twenty years later, but a man who cares about being well-groomed is a man women like. As for the hairstyle, better home hair dryers and products can allow you to achieve this retro look with minimal fuss and a modern flair.
There was a lot of hair fun to be had in the 1970s and you can absolutely bring back a groovy seventies hairstyle without having to hit the disco floor.
