A Brief History Of Punk Hairstyle Trends

Punk hairstyle
Throughout the western world, Europe and America alike, there is a subculture of individuals who are extreme free thinkers. This subculture is very anti-establishment and is known as punk. This movement began in the 1960s and has continued to today. While the punk culture follows its own fashion trends apart from mainstream society in many areas, here, we are going to look at a brief history of punk hairstyle trends.

Two features of punk hairstyles can be traced all the way back to the beginnings of this movement. The addition of bright colors, often using multiple colors, to the hair to make one stand out in a crowd is the first. Second, is the style of haircuts chosen by members of the punk subculture.

People have long been in the practice of using hair dyes to change the color of their hair as a means of making themselves feel more attractive. Punks use hair dyes to make themselves appear different from the mainstream society. Bright, harsh colors such as red, neon green, blue, orange, yellow, and other colors that are not found naturally in hair coloring began to be used in the 1960s and really became popular among punks in the 70s.


punk mohawk hairstyle
The 1970s saw changes in hairstyles as well as the use of bright colors on punks. One of the most common punk hairstyles is the Mohawk, though this has different variations. Many punks of both sexes wear this hairstyle either as a fanned Mohawk or a Liberty Spike Mohawk, denoting freedom. Some punks, more male than female, have also gone with a variation of the Mohawk that uses two equidistantly spaced stripes of hair with both sides and the center of the head shaved.

In the 1980s, many punks began to adopt more conservative approaches to their hairstyles and fashions. Today, a person can be a hardcore punk and not really look much different from the average boy next door. However, for most punks, it is still common to add outrageous colors to their hair and have it styled in ways that shout nonconformity.

Even among individuals who do not go all out with the Mohawk, a faux-hawk, a less radical version that does not involve shaving the sides of the head, or keeping a full head of hair and doing it all up in liberty spikes is not uncommon. One common factor is the continued use of bright colors on the hair.