Do you know one of the things, I remember about the hair in the 1980’s? Everyone you looked at, had hair obesity. Even those who had
thin hair would somehow manage to have big fat hair in some way, either with back-combing, getting a body wave or hairpieces. Pictures
of Farah Fawcett’s hair were on the front cover of practically all of the magazine‘s on the rack, and everyone stayed home to see her on
the television when you watched “Charlie’s Angels.” The coveted look was that of a lion’s mane. Women surrounded their faces and neck
with hair and more hair that tumbled way past their shoulders and well into the beyond.
Those who wanted a more professional look, didn’t quite go to the lion’s den to seek after fat hair. The short haircuts in the eighties,
were a sight to behold and something that still reigns in active technicolor, in the memory banks, with those who lived through those
days. The clippers were used in a plentiful way as the backs were clipped up and close to the nape of the necks. Some necklines were
carved in an arch with a slight subtle point on each side of the neck. This design was especially easy to do, if the client had a
neckline that grew even and straight down. Not so easy to do, if she had an irregular neckline and naturally curly hair and let me be
the first to tell you, there was always a client who wanted that type of a clip when her hair wasn’t suited the best for it. The crown
area had plenty of pouf and would ideally be about 6cm in length. Height was very important in the crown. Ladies still deem this as
an important feature, so when they look at their profile, in the mirror they can see this perfect round shaped head. The desire of the
types of bangs would vary. Sometimes there would be thin pouf ones that would lay just in the middle of the eyebrows. Other times you
would see the bangs as the longest area on the whole head that moved way past her nose and further. Everything was in perfect
formation, as the top and crown would still have height. Usually when the cut involved the long bangs, you would see their sides
clipped up and around the ears. There were also some haircuts that had hair that covered the middle part of their ears and could be
brushed either toward the face or back away in short layers matching the back. These were very chic and smart styles that gave way
for the earrings they wanted to wear.
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The short haircuts of the eighties should really make a come back. This was when the term feathering came on the scene. Once again, we
can thank Farah for her feathered look. It went from long hair to short hair to short, short hair and we were still feathering.
Everything was feathering, and that is the term we heard continually throughout the eighties in every salon. Just to give you a typical
example of a daily conversation with a young client seeking a feathered haircut, would go something like this:
Hairstylist: (smiling sweetly)“Hello dearie, how are you doing today, and what can I do for you?”
Client: (looking a little fearful) “Do you know how to feather? I’d like to have my hair feathered all over.”
Hairstylist: “ Ok, how much length would you like to have off?”
