It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: Worst Hairstyles of the 80′s and 90′s

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: Worst Hairstyles of the 80′s and 90′s

How many of you 30-something’s sported these styles?

Author : Christelyn Karazin

Author's Website | Articles from

Jheri Curl (Lingered for Two Decades)

Rick James, the king of the Jheri Curls

At last it would be possible for everyone to have “good hair.” A variation of the relaxer, a jheri curl was probably the worst style option for black hair, like…ever. You had to keep your hair sopped with curl activator lest your hair poof like a poodle, and the greasy stuff got on clothes furniture, hands…it was just nasty. Plus…the smell. This style wouldn’t die easily though. It started in the 1970′s and stayed around until the 1990′s. Somebody should have held a funeral celebration for the jheri curl mullet. Lord knows many were glad to see it go.

The Basket Weave

If you ever wore such a style, you’re probably kicking yourself. Don’t worry, we all make mistakes. My basket weave braids are buried in the same grave that my gigantic, chunky hollow gold earrings are. The difficulty of such a style is obvious. You have to lift the entire flap of that beaver tail to wash your forehead, and boy oh boy, there would be hell to pay if you didn’t. Wouldn’t be enough Clearasil in the world to fix what would be growing underneath.

Asymmetrical Bobs

Okay I’m on the fence on this one. Asymmetrical bobs are okay when they looked like this…

 

But as with everything, someone would always take it to the extreme. I remember walking around the mall and seeing girls looking like this…

I mean, that’s what–three, four different lengths going on there? And let’s not discuss how much hot curling you had to do to keep up that style. Trust me, rollers were not going to cut it. Remember how hard it was when you wanted to grow that mess out to one length? I mean, which would you pick?!

 

Extreme Feather bangs and the Ridiculously Retarded Side Ponytail

Anyone who lived in a white neighborhood had a love/hate relationship with Aqua Net, the only hairspray that could effectively shellack the hair in place all day so you could look like all your “Becky” friends. How many way was this style a bad idea? Too many to count.

I’m convinced overuse of Aqua Net in the 1980′s is solely responsible for the depletion of the ozone.

The Gumby

What can I say…I mean, WHY?! I imagine this style came to be when a drunken barber accidentally tripped and stumbled when attempting to clean up a full flat top and then convinced the unfortunate patron that he did it on purpose.

 

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Shulamit 1982 pts

Oh man. ok I had styles one and three but in my defense I did not choose one my mom did... lmao..

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mlee 61 pts

Oh, man, I"m having some really bad flashbacks of the Jheri Curl I had in junior high and high school.  I was trying to grow it long like Ola Ray in the Thriller video but, sadly, it remained a short, greasy Afro.  Combine that with thick, Coke bottle glasses and the image was complete.  Oh, the agony, the stained pillowcases, the shower caps.  It's a good thing I wasn't a smoker because I"d have serious problems.  Any hairstyle that is flammable is generally a bad idea but the 80s were full of bad fashion ideas. 

Tammy_Ghalden 864 pts

I don't care what anybody says, the asymmetrical bob was cool and the feathered bangs weren't that bad. Just imagine people making fun of our current hairstyles 20 years from now. Some hairstyles were truly ridiculous, but others could only be appreciated in their times. There was sort of a version of the asymmetrical bob last year that started with Cassie shaving the side of her head. 

starzzzy 443 pts

What.. no finger waves on the list? I have seen one too many pictures of my mama, grandma, cousins, and everybody else rocking those in the 90s.

DeepWater 2463 pts

 starzzzy   Guuuurrrrrllll, fingerwaves, I rocked those in very early 80s, those were hot for quite awhile.

amiar10 361 pts

As a 90s baby (1992!) I was at least old enough to remember seeing family members sport these styles. In fact, as a computer programmer just coming out of college, my dad was particularly keen on the Dwayne Wayne look from A Different World. He has on a paisley vest and a high top fade in quite a few of the baby pictures with me in his arms. I can also remember a LOT of family members with feathered bangs and that "ghetto mullet" hairstyle, complete with burgundy and gold sections!

Bookworm51485 283 pts

Some of those are truly tragic (Gumby? Really?). I did see on Good Hair (I think?) that the asymmetrical thing for Salt-n-Pepa was an accident that became a style. Something about a hot combing going wrong.

heyimPearlilikefries 2091 pts

I cannot believe any of this.. 0_0 XD

Criticalthinker 385 pts

This was awesome!!! My older sister knows she could hide her head in shame, lol!!!

DeepWater 2463 pts

 Criticalthinker   If I recall correctly you are a young woman.  Those were the 80s and 90s styles big time, and yes, I had them all, just about....bwaaaahhhhaaaaa.   Your sister was with latest and greatest at the time, lol.

KingsDaughter 4641 pts

 LionMama LOLOL Thanks for this!!

DeepWater 2463 pts

 LionMama   Comin' To America I think this comes from, bwaaaaahhhaaa.   I think it was Eric LaSalles's family in the movie that were wealthy from SoulGlo.  He was tryin' to get the girl with the wealth and that Jheri Curl, yeah, his family visits John Amos and 'em, and get up from couch they was sittin' on with three greasy Jheri Curl head imprints in the couch, bwaaaahhhhaaaaa.

zipporah 1726 pts

 DeepWater  LionMama and don't forget the dudes who would go out with PLASTIC BAGS on their heads...LOL..i'll never forget: guys muscled up, walking down the street with WHITE PLASTIC BAGS ON because they had a 'jheri curl'==they looked like the bags you would go under the dryer with conditioner on

Toni_M 18844 pts moderator

LOL, I'm so glad I was too young for any of this.

DeepWater 2463 pts

 Toni_M   Bwaaaahhhaaaa, really?    Girl, those styles were superfly in the day, they look a little crazy, now, lol.   Just check your pictures 20 years from now and you'll be sayin' what was I thinkin'? too, bwaaahhhaaaa.

mzsunshine 2434 pts

ok, ok, I confess! I sported a version of the jheri curl-it was suppose to be less 'greasy''..yeah, right.  I don't know how many pillow cases I soiled.  I remember in college a co-ed asking me "what is that hair products that black people put in their hair?" I was bracing for a subtle racist remark.  I told her what is was and she stated had worked as x-ray technician and when trying take x-rays with black patients, their heads kept slipping off the x-ray machine due to the oilness of the those hair products required to keep the hair moist.  We both had a good laugh!

zipporah 1726 pts

 mzsunshine i remember having a white boyfriend, and when i sat down and the grease hit the chair, he said 'whats that'? i played dumb though...LOL

EarthJeff 3334 pts

Geez.... I am going to have "80s nightmares" again for a whole week.  Since my hair is curly and big hair was so in during the 80's, I was one of those white boys sporting the biggest 'fro you have ever seen....  I could hide all kinds of stuff in it, but it took almost a half a bottle of shampoo every time I washed it or got it washed.

KingsDaughter 4641 pts

 EarthJeff I like  curly/wavy hair on white guys. It's super cute.

DWB 7501 pts

 EarthJeff I have a cousin (half-Italian) who had a HUGH fro but that was back in the 70s. I like big hair on women, so I have a special place in my heart for 70s black women, 80s white women and Texans, well, always.

zipporah 1726 pts

 EarthJeff along with mullets...?..LOL remember those?

EarthJeff 3334 pts

 zipporah "along with mullets...?..LOL remember those?"

Gee thanks, Zip.. I JUST got rid of the nightmares.... Oh, tonight they will be back.  the white boys with curly hair did the 'fro, the ones with straight hair did the mullet or the one where they parted down the middle and "feathered" to each side.  Ugh.  I so much like the shorter hair on guys now.

Neecy 1941 pts

Oh god!! I literally have school pics with EV.VE.RY HAIR style on this post except the gumby and side ponytail. Lol!

KingsDaughter 4641 pts

This is hilarious! The basket weave looks hot. Literally.

Veron 1400 pts

Uhm.. what the hell is a basket weave? 

 

 

Christelyn 8751 pts moderator

 Brenda55 Ha! I used both!

Brenda55 19475 pts moderator

Lets take it way back.

Martha and the Vandellas. I remember my mom sporting these doos.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackheritage/3249930192/

zipporah 1726 pts

 Brenda55 I had a 50 something yo aunt (the one who was born in 1912) wear these styles. She was slim and used to model for some function. she was one of the first 50 something women who acted and looked younger, i knew.Most women who wore these styles used WIGS though

onmywayup 1771 pts

 Brenda55 I actually like those hairstyles!

Brenda55 19475 pts moderator

I have to admit I like when Patti was rocking her hair like this.  She is the only one who could pull this off.

http://img.spokeo.com/public/900-600/patti_labelle_1986_11_03.jpg

DeepWater 2463 pts

 Brenda55   I was just gettin' ready to say where's Patti?

Christelyn 8751 pts moderator

 Brenda55 OMG...she looks like a video game character.

Christelyn 8751 pts moderator

 Brenda55 Sonic the Hedgehog?

Toni_M 18844 pts moderator

 Brenda55 Patti is a diva who can do whatever and be fabulous. Still, I'm curious as to what the inspiration was for that hairstyle. And don't say "the 80s" because that's just too random a hairstyle. Is the stylist a fan of ferns?

Brenda55 19475 pts moderator

 Toni_M If I have the story straight her hair dresser Zegobia (sp). A swanky salon in Philly were just fooling around coming up with idea's and came up the doo you see in the photo and variations of it. 

DeepWater 2463 pts

 Brenda55   Yuppers that was high style then fa show, I tried it, didn't work, lol.   I tried though, me and a girlfriend got the ole ironing board out and actually tried and iron my relaxed hair in upward motion, it sort a kind a worked with with Monster Hold Spray (that's what it was I think), but too much hair would come out on the iron, though my hair actually did stand up straight, it looked more like, well, sort of like this, just the hair during her "episode".....bwaaaahhhhaaa,

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYhyyuwuDHE

 

and with more missing pieces, took awhile for my hair to get back to "normal", lol.

 

DeepWater 2463 pts

 Brenda55   Oh, no, no, no, no, no on the Stove Pipe on Will Smith, though Kid from Kid & Play could rock it well.  http://kidnplay.com/?flagallery=featured-photos

BlackWomenDeserveBetter 1851 pts

I wore a Jheri curl from about 1986 - 1992...Anyone remember those plastic caps and trying not to get the activator everywhere? LOL!

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Brenda55 19475 pts moderator

 BlackWomenDeserveBetter You could ALWAY tell when someone with a Jerri curl was sitting by the window on the bus or subway because there would be activator smeared all over it.

DeepWater 2463 pts

 BlackWomenDeserveBetter   Oh, no you didn't girl.  '86 to 92, couldn't stand that activator girl, no, no, no, no, lol.

DWB 7501 pts

Asymmetrical bobs are AMAZINGLY cute (I love the peek-a-boo look) but yeah, that second chick...

 

Can't imagine Rick James without the Jheri Curl...a style made just for him.

DeepWater 2463 pts

 Brenda55   Oh, wow, how long has it been since we've seen Robert Townsend?  Keenan (Ivory Wayans) is still around, but haven't seen Mr. Townsend in quite a few minutes, love that skit.

tracyreneejones 3575 pts

 Christelyn Russell-Karazin You had to have seen that picture on my FB, my grammar school friends stay throwing up throw back photos. I laughed to myself about how Aqua Net must have changed the biology of the entire world. We had girls in high school I called the Heavy Metal Sisters who would spray cans of Aqua Net on their hair and in the throats of all in the girl's bathroom who was in there with them. 

 

I did my Becky in grammar school....bangs sprayed up TO HERE!! Extreme pony tails like the one in the picture (I still wear my hair like that for dramatic affect...but I'm an artist....#excuse) I had the Salt and Pepa hair cut and yes it was a bitch to grow out. I remember going to a hair stylists who made a mistake and cut even more of my hair off while trying to grow this out. She laughed, I think she did it on purpose....no because then I moved on to the Toni Braxton/Halle Berry short crop. I loved the short hair and didn't realize the ease and freedom that came with it.

I just couldn't do the curly kit.....just no...No, I say.... 

BlackWomenDeserveBetter 1851 pts

 tracyreneejones  Christelyn Russell-Karazin Can almost top that...Had the Salt & Pepper asymmetrical WITH a Jheri curl..No one couldn't tell me a thing...And sometimes I cut my own hair!

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