60’s Hairstyles for Men Men in the 1960s were influenced by a variety of social forces such as Vietnam, the Beatles, and the pro-peace hippy movement. Thus, the hairstyles were varied as well.

In the 1950s, men had piled on the greasy hair products and combed frequently to perfectly shape and mold their hair. At home, their wives and daughters had worn curlers all night and got up each morning to start the tremendous routine of perfecting the curly coif.

In contrast, 1960s were a time of rebellion against social conformity, for many individuals. In the early part of the decade, the Beatles made the bowl cut popular, a mop-top look. This hairstyle was a shaggy but combed hairstyle about the length of a bob.

Later in the 60s, John Lennon, of the Beatles, began growing his hair out much longer. Shaggy, long, un-styled hair became a popular trend, especially among the young people and the hippy crowd. Facial hair became in vogue. In stark contrast to the perfectly formed hair and squeaky clean face of the 50s, the fashion for many men of the 60s was a nonchalant, devil-may-care look. Instead of a hat, if anything, men wore bandannas over their hair.

As curly-haired and African American men grew their hair long as well, the Afro came into being. Malcolm X spoke against blacks straightening their hair. So, the natural curly look was worn as a sign of black pride. Some of the Afros were grown out rather large.

Most common of all, however, was the aforementioned mop-top look. While businessmen, in general, kept their hair short and styled, many young and middle-aged men grew their hair into mop-tops, a trend that lasted into the 70s.