5 Fun '80s Hair Trends You Can Still Wear Today

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As much as the 1980s had some very strange trends, like acid washed denim and stirrup pants, the decade featured other trends that aren't just worth bringing back, but are still cool to rock today. This is most especially the case with this decade's hair looks. For example, the epically big hairstyle, which everyone had in the '80s, definitely needs another moment, and ideally sooner rather than later. 

"A lot of '80s hair trends have been reinterpreted with softer texture, more movement, and less stiffness than the original versions," red carpet hair and makeup artist Luna Viola tells Glam. In other words, you don't need to buy a case of Aqua Net hairspray to enjoy some of the best '80s hair trends today. You just need to know what hairstyle from that era you want to explore and take a leap of faith in that direction. After all, we've already seen certain hairstyles come back into the fold over the last several years that absolutely scream 1980s, and that's never been a bad thing. 

Because fashion and individual style should always involve some fun, using this decade to inspire your next haircut, color, updo, or hair accessory purchase is the way to go. You also have quite a few options if you're willing to take a few risks. Remember: hair always grows back, making hair-related experimentation relatively safe.

In the 1980s, big hair was everywhere. Some went with big and frizzy, big and crimped, or big with mall bangs, a look that's already made a comeback. Others went for big, bouncy blowouts. Both Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford rocked this look in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, solidifying these types of blowouts as an elevated option to other types of big hair of the time.

"Voluminous hair never really goes out of style," Luna Viola exclusively tells Glam. "While the '80s favored sky-high volume with lot of teasing, today's version focuses on healthy-looking lift at the roots with smooth, glossy ends." If you want to try to tackle this fun trend today at home, Viola suggests using Rōz Root Lift Spray. "It's great to add volume to big blowouts."

Because blowouts need both product and heat, it's also important to make sure your hair is as healthy as possible. If you want to stop frustrating hair breakage for good, then you should be regularly hydrating your locks and focusing on the ends as much as possible. This is where leave-in moisturizer and hair oil can really help. If you're going for a big, bouncy blowout à la 1987, you want it to actually bounce and have movement, and only healthy hair can do that properly.

When we think of feathered hair, it's difficult not to immediately imagine Farrah Fawcett and her iconic 1970s hair. Still, that wasn't the only decade in which the style existed. When we take a look at the hairstyles straight from the '80s that are making a major comeback, feathered hair is on the list. This is great news for people who want to add dimension and volume to their looks, but without necessarily going too big.

"Feathered hair made famous in the late '70s and '80s has evolved into softer face framing layers that resemble today's curtain cuts," says Luna Viola. "This style frames the face adding movement without looking dated. [It] grows out gracefully, making it relatively low maintenance." What's also great about feathered hair is that you're not locked into one length, giving you different looks to choose from or different stages to appreciate as it begins the growing-out process.

Viola recommends Kenra Texture Spray to add extra texture, but if you're going to feather your hair at home, you also need the right brush to do it. "A large ceramic barrel brush combined with a blow dryer is one of the simpler ways to blow dry your own hair," celebrity hairstylist Tom Smith told Marie Claire in December 2023. "It requires a little bit of dexterity, but the curve of the brush barrel should give just enough bend to create that feathered look." In other words, if you can get a friend to help, you'll have better results.

Perms were all the rage in the 1980s. It doesn't matter the type! Whether it was tight curls, loose waves, or fuzzy, gorgeous mayhem like the hairstyle Cher rocked in 1987's "Moonstruck," as long as you had some version of curl and enough product so your hair was triple the size of your head, you were nailing the perm trend of the time. "Big hair is back, but it's had a very modern makeover," celebrity hairstylist Jason Collier told The Independent in January 2026. "The key difference now is softness." Because let's be honest, that crunchy to-the-touch quality of '80s hair, while sometimes necessary, wasn't exactly aesthetically pleasing.

"While traditional tight perms remain niche, loose body waves and modern perms create the same sense of fullness in a much softer way creating a much more natural looking movement," Luna Viola tells Glam. It's this movement that separates '80s perms from perms today — in a good way. You can still wear the trend, but with natural-looking hair being prioritized over the overly-lacquered locks. Although Viola does suggest locking in your look with a bit of John Frieda hairspray, it's a far cry from the heaviness and stickiness of Aqua Net.

When it comes to fun '80s hair trends that you can still wear today, even if they don't have a lot of fans, it's impossible not to think of the mullet. Undoubtedly one of the most questionable looks of the 1980s and even now, this business up front, party in the back hairstyle definitely isn't for everyone. When the mullet started sneaking its way back into the mainstream in the early 2000s for a hot minute, celebrity hairstylist Jose Eber declared it nonsense, telling the Los Angeles Times in 2001, "It's for people who are slightly confused, who believe they like long hair but don't want the image that they associate with long hair."

While that may be the case, as we saw in summer 2023, the mullet trend was the edgiest haircut of the season, and even today, people are giving it a chance. However, you definitely don't want to try to cut this particular style on your own; only a professional can bring this look to life. "The hair needs to have a lot of blended layers, especially around the face, and pieced-out texture," celebrity hairstylist Justin Toves-Vincilione told InStyle in July 2024, adding that a texture balm is necessary to give this modern take on the mullet the right look.

As much as '80s hair trends were about volume and a bit of disarray and messiness, there was always room for the iconic pixie cut in this decade. Pixies came in many shapes and sizes at the time, making them ideal hair inspo for a pixie cut today. There was, of course, the super-short, androgynous pixie that Annie Lennox keeps rocking, the sophisticated supermodel pixie that Linda Evangelista made famous, the voluminous royal pixie that Princess Diana turned into an iconic look in the late 1980s, and the punk-inspired pixies. At the time, it seemed everywhere you turned, there was another take on the pixie. Now, this style is back.

Pixies are low-key in comparison to the bigger styles of the decade, so they allow you to delve into fun '80s hair accessories without looking like you've gotten carried away. Larger-than-life bows à la Madonna and Cyndi Lauper's embellished barrettes, as well as thin headbands, are all favorite hair accessories from that era. Granted, you won't be able to adorn your hair with a beloved '80s scrunchie if you have a pixie cut, but that's just a sacrifice you'll have to make if you want to rock this trendy look.