The ’80s Called–These Hair Trends Are Back

Did you grimace when you saw the headline on this story? References to ’80s beauty typically conjure visions of either enduring icons like Madonna, or, frizzy perms and Pat Butcher-style metallic make-up–there isn’t much in between. But with no fewer than four major celebrities stepping out with hair unmistakably inspired by the decade of excess in recent days, we’re calling it: ’80s hair is well and truly back.

Notable for its volume and fluffy finish, ’80s hair is big and brushed-out. Back then, hairspray was an essential, with many misting their manes into rigid shapes that felt crispy and stiff due to the old-school formulations. The perm was another big part of the era, as were mullets and other outré haircuts of the time (think shags and wolf cuts), which have crept back towards the edge of the mainstream over the past couple of years.

Miley Cyrus has really thrown herself into the resurrection of ’80s hair this year. At the Grammys earlier this month, she turned heads with a bouffant hairstyle–think sky-high root lift and curly tendrils flicking around her face. Her hairstylist, Bob Recine, deployed plenty of Nexxus XXL Volume Hairspray to create the look. The aim? “We wanted [to create] something fuller… but sexy and tousled and touchable,” he said. Cyrus’s hair looked like it moved–not always guaranteed back in the ’80s–thanks to Nexxus’s lightweight formula.

At an event in London on Tuesday, Billie Piper wore a mullet-style look, created by her hairstylist Halley Brisker. “Billie and I have been sharing mullet inspiration on WhatsApp over the last few weeks, working out ways in which we can incorporate one into a look coming up–last night’s suit was the perfect moment to do it,” he tells me.