This business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back style has been around way before it was popularized by actors and rock stars in the 1980’s. According to some historians, the mullet has been around since at least Ancient Greece, where the style was as much for function as it was for fashion. Cropped hair around the face with longer locks in the back allowed for both visibility and a protective layer of hair for your neck. Homer even described a haircut that sounds eerily familiar in The Iliad: “their forelocks cropped, hair grown long at the backs.”The Greeks weren’t the only ones sporting the mullet, though. There is evidence that Neanderthals and our oldest ancestors would wear this ‘do, as well.

The relative ease of maintaining it makes it possible to keep up even without the existence of barbershops and hair salons, and the practicality makes it perhaps one of the oldest haircuts in human history.Some Native American tribes, both historically and more recently, have included the mullet with other traditional hairstyles. In many tribes, long hair is representative of a strong cultural identity. It is connected to values of family and community, and there are multiple rituals surrounding the upkeep of long hair. The preferred style for displaying long locks is most commonly braids – often two or three – but cuts closer the Mohawks and mullets have not been uncommon, either.

Mullets have been present in and out through our entire history as a species, in different parts of the world. It wasn’t until the 1970’s when the mullet starting rising to modern mainstream fame, though, reaching its peak in the 80’s when everyone from George Clooney to Metallica’s James Hetfield sported one. It tended to be popular with white dudes who played rock music or hockey, incredibly cool and trendy for a while. The hairstyle didn’t actually have the name “mullet” until 1994, though, when the Beastie Boys released a song called “Mullet Head.” Not long after the name mullet was christened, the hairdo was on its way out. 

By the time the Beastie Boys gave the style its name, it had begun to slide from the trendy mainstream position it had been sitting comfortably at to a more countercultural phenomenon.

The peak of mullets ended in the early 1990’s, but the style has never completely faded from relevance. Instead, it slipped from the good graces of the masses and became iconic in various subcultures: everyone from country music stars and lesbians, to hockey players and Native Americans. Jennifer Arnold even created a documentary about the haircut in 2002 titled American Mullet (which you can find on Amazon Prime if you’re curious). 

In more recent years, the mullet was actually banned in Iran, for being considered too much of a “western hairstyle”. No matter what you think of it, the mullet has become enough of a staple of the American aesthetic that it’s been placed in that categorization along with spiked hair, ponytails, and long hair in general. 
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Will the mullet ever rise once more the its former glory in the 80’s? Maybe not, but it has certainly cemented itself as an iconic haircut from the past, and an important style to this day for many groups of people. 

The Mullet in 2020

It’s 2020, and the question everyone must now ask is: is the mullet coming back in style? Some may argue that it was never in style, while others will insist that it never went out of style. Ask the general public or a hair stylist, though, and they will probably be inclined to tell you that yes, the mullet is coming back. In January this year, men’s fashion blogs across the internet all declared the same thing: 2020 would be the year for the mullet. Beginning as a counter-culture hair style that was just getting its footing in the world of fashion once again, this year has proved to be the perfect time for the resurgence of the mullet. 

With hair salons being closed for multiple months in the first half of 2020, many people took on the dreaded task of facing down a home-brewed haircut. For some this manifested in a mullet style: either out of appreciation for the cut, or, perhaps, out of necessity. Get the hair off your face without worrying about trimming the back of your head where you can’t see. Like our ancestors before us, we must acknowledge the mullet for what it truly is: a practical haircut. 

The sudden lack of access to salons isn’t the only reason mullets are coming back, though. There have been whispers of the style in the mainstream over the last few years, and this was simply the boil-over point. In the second half of the past decade, we’d seen a steady increase of mullet action once again amongst the most famous of us. Ironically, a lot of the most notable celebrities actively rocking mullets today are women. Female singers especially. Everyone from Kesha and Miley Cyrus to Billy Eilish and even Zendaya have been seen sporting the look. What may have been considered a trashy style by many even just a few years ago has become a chic look sported by those of us who have a tendency to look coolest. 

When it comes to less famous women wearing the look, just as many have been sporting the ‘do as the pop stars and celebrities of the world. Especially amongst women in the LGBT+ community, the mullet is becoming as big of a fashion statement as it is amongst guys. Combine this cut with absurdly large earrings and colorful pants, and you’re ready to tell the world “Hello ladies! I, too, am gay.” 
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Is the mullet resurging in popularity along with 80’s nostalgia-themed media, like It and Stranger Things? Perhaps. Like media and clothing, hair styles tend to move in cycles. Men’s hairstyles have been typically short-on-the-sides, longer-on-top for a while, now, and maybe the mullet is a shift out of those restrictions. Recent women’s fashion has involved a lot of things that were at one point, not long ago, considered tacky (looking at you, mom jeans and scrunchies). Maybe the mullet is the next step in this resurgence, allowing men to embrace the tackier sides of our previous societal fashion faux pas, as well. 

What Are Hair Toppers?

With toppers, they’re kind of a mix of both extensions and wigs; honestly, you get the best of both worlds here. They clip in at the top of your hair, but since they have a much smaller cap, they sit flatter. With toppers, you also get to rock your natural hair and blend it in with the topper. Similar to other forms of fake hair, you can purchase curly hair toppers, toppers with bangs, or even custom pieces with balayage to match your own style. The possibilities are really endless.
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Reasons to Try Hair Toppers

Now, why should you choose a topper over other forms of faux hair? Believe it or not, toppers make life easier in so many ways. There are a number of celebrities and TV personalities who choose to wear toppers to add fullness and allows them to have a more styled and sleek look on screen, without the added work or heat damage. It’s just like wearing extensions or wigs for the added fullness, without all of the efforts. For those suffering from hair loss (androgenetic alopecia, telogen effluvium, postpartum thinning, alopecia areata, just to name a few), toppers can be a total lifesaver. They are much less damaging than extensions and can cover the crown, which is a common area for women with thinning.

More often than not, women are choosing toppers over wigs because you still have the choice of incorporating your own hair, giving you a more natural look. Toppers are generally less full than wigs, so for someone transitioning to fake hair due to hair loss, it’s a much gentler switch. Switching to fake hair can feel like a drastic change, so being able to wear your own hair helps to ease your way into the fake hair world. As someone who has hair loss, I definitely appreciate that. Basically, toppers provide the added fullness and thickness you get from all forms of fake hair, with much less effort.

While I do think that toppers are a great alternative in the faux hair world, like anything, they have their cons, and the last thing I want is to leave you thinking this is a perfect fix. Nothing ever is perfect in life, right? I often receive questions about what brand is the best women’s hair topper, and my answer is always, I haven’t found it yet. Toppers are great, but they can still cause some damage, as the clips that secure it to the hair can create traction and pulling over time. Due to my own personal hair loss issues, I can wear a topper for about 4-5 hours before it starts to get uncomfortable. Those of us with hair loss generally have a more sensitive scalp, so the experience will be different for everyone.
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Toppers also need to be maintained, just like any form of fake hair. They need to be gently washed and dried to prevent damage to the piece. As you can probably imagine, the more expensive the topper, the more care it requires. Lastly, toppers really only work if you have hair. So, if you suffer from severe hair loss with little to no hair at the top of your scalp, toppers may not work for you as they need a decent amount of hair to clip onto.

​Up, up and away
Stay cool, calm and collected while working from home with these tried and tested styles

In a working from home styling rut? Yeah, we feel you; nailing effortlessly cool hair can be easier said than done. So, we tasked two of the Layered team to try some trending updos – will they pass the Zoom test?

I don’t have the worst experience with my hair in warmer conditions, but my flat, straight hair becomes a limp mop. I struggle to get any height into my roots at the best of times, so when spring and summer swings around – along with the humidity and sweat it inevitably brings – I resign myself to a couple of months of looking like a greasy teenager again. 

But if this is the lot I’m dealt with then I’m going to do my best to style it out, especially now I’m on a daily 11am Zoom with the rest of the team. Having finally (sort of, maybe) cracked how to nail down a slicked-back editorial look I took inspiration from the likes of Olivia Palermo and Burberry AW19 with a sleek low bun. 

I like to wash my hair in an evening, so when I know it’s going to be seriously hot or humid I swap out my usual conditioner with a nourishing mask. I like the Goldwell Kerasilk Color Intensive Luster Mask, which leaves my hair incredibly soft, and I’ll add a touch of styling cream or leave-in conditioner (I like the TIGI Copyright Care Styling Cream) as well, to really push that silky, sleek look to the max when I blow dry it. 

The next morning my hair looks shiny but incredibly flat and a touch greasy – perfect. I use a spritz of Sebastian Drynamic Dry Shampoo which is almost like a dry shampoo/texturiser crossover, directly at the roots around my hairline and crown of my head. Next, I split my hair carefully into a centre parting. There’s something about a dead centre, clean parting that makes this look very intentional and fashionable, rather than looking like I’ve scraped my hair back any old way.  
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I brush out my lengths and ends, then twist in the opposite direction for a neat coil. The placement of the bun is important too – off the nape of the neck so it’s not falling out, but not so high that it’s invisible from the front. A couple of Bobby pins and a spritz of hairspray (or wet look gel would look amazing too), and I somehow look done up for those daily Zoom meets, rather than like I’m drowning. 

My hair is surprisingly thick and notoriously hard to maintain unless armed with a pair of straightening irons. Given the rise in temperatures and working from home, the thought of adding heat to my morning routine brings me out in a cold sweat, but equally going au naturale is a BIG no. So what is a girl to do? 
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As a pretty active Insta user, naturally I turn to my feed at every opportunity for a little inspo. For S/S 20, hair accessories are proving to be more popular than ever and while I’m a big fan of a barrette, to keep this mane in place and off my face I need something with a little more staying power. In years gone by, I’ve always resorted to a scrunchie to gather up my tresses into some variation of a ‘messy’ bun, but have never quite managed to make it look as effortlessly cool as I’d hoped. So, when the heatwave hit the UK for the first time during Easter, I decided to raid my accessories draw for some fabric and scarves to give me a helping hand.

After hair expert Zoë Irwin introduced her Tie It Up collection, hair scarves have become the coolest way to add interest to a regular pony, upgrade a basic bun or take the oh-so-chic half up styles to the next level. While my shorter lengths mean the ‘snatched’ ponytail is out of my reach, a messy bun seemed realistic enough to achieve! Though I’m no styling sensation, a few bobbles and bobby pins can work wonders, so after using the JOICO Hair Shake to add a little texture at the root, I got to work.

Much like Deborah’s low bun, there is certainly a knack to nailing this look and I’d recommend using your favourite brush to gather up all your strands into one ponytail. At this point, I tilted my head forward to bring everything together before beginning to twist the ponytail up into a bun. Don’t worry too much about nailing a ballerina-esque look, as any flyaways can be pinned down.

I also used the L’Oréal Professionnel Tecni.ART Fix Design to kick any rogue baby hairs to the curb before introducing my fabric of choice. This is the fun part: you have total creative freedom to pick from hair scarves, floral prints and everything in between! Simply wrap around the bun before tying in place to leave a section of the fabric hanging down the neck.
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Perfect for any length of hair, I can certainly see why hair scarves have become a must have accessory. Besides bringing a pop of colour to WFH chic, it hides a multitude of sins on Zoom while being bang on trend – I’m sold!

Surfer hair is one of those hairstyles that are referred to as tousled. The hair is intentionally made to look unkempt, disheveled and messy to create a relaxed impression. It appears as if you’ve spent long hours under the scorching tropical sun, with salty sea water and gentle breeze shaping your locks. Though, with the right styling products and approach, you can achieve such an appealing hairstyle without leaving home. Already feeling intrigued? Then check out our ultimate guide to the surfer’s hair look.

How To Get Surfer Hair
Surfer’s hair begins with medium shag haircuts, thus to nail the look, your hair should be of the neck length at the back, chin length on the sides and eye length at the front. Hence, when considering a beach hair style, ensure that you have enough will and patience to grow your locks. As for the texture, don’t bother adding any waves or curls. They will come with length, so let nature do its business.

How To Style The Haircut
When looking for the ways how to style long hairstyles for men often misjudge that because of its length, the styling of the surfer haircut requires a lot of time and effort. In reality, you can achieve the perfect surfer hair by simply going with a “bed-head”. Although, for the added enhancement, follow these simple steps:

1. Wash your hair and dry it with a towel.
2. Apply a salt-infused product with a matte finish and either leave the hair air dry or blow dry with a diffuser.
3. Optionally, add a touch of shine with a pomade.

Men’s Surfer Hair
One of the main advantages of a surfer hair style is its versatility. You can style it in naturally hanging loose locks or get a skater haircut and play with the hair on top. You can even add a formal air to it by brushing back with a blob of pomade. For more inspiration on the look, here’s our handpicked gallery of the best surfer hairstyles.

Tousled Hairstyle
This short on sides long on top haircut is a modern take on classic surfer mens haircuts. Thanks to the cropped sides, you get a clean and defined look appropriate for different social occasions while the prominent sun bleached hair on top reminds of a tousled origin of this style.

Long Surfer Hair Style  
Long wavy haircuts are arguably the best option if you want to pull off a surfer hair style. Paired with a coarse full beard, these soft and mellow waves create a perfect merman look. All you need to do is to arm oneself with patience, as both the hair and beard require some time to grow.

Curly Surfer Hair With Beard
If you’re not after long mens haircut styles that much, go for a medium-length haircut then. The blonde highlights men usually add to random strands enhance the appearance of the sun-bleached hair for a more authentic look whereas the mid-length beard brings it a dose of masculinity.

Curly Medium Style
The beach hairstyles are most complimentary for those guys whose hair texture is naturally curly or wavy. To ace the surfer hair style, they simply should let their hair grow until the coils begin to form and wear it loose. Several bleached streaks here and there won’t hurt though.

Parted Tousled Medium Hair
Here’s another good example of medium-length guys haircuts for a surfer look. Similar to the undercut long hair on top, this mid-length hairstyle can be harnessed on any occasion, from casual to formal. You can add an elegant twist to the style by pushing the front section to the side, thus dividing the hair with a natural side part.

Straight Layered Blonde Hair
Blonde hair men are bound to try a surfer hairstyle at least once. They can skip on the dyeing job and simply get one of the shaggy haircuts to pull off the beach boy look.

Long Flowing Hair
Shoulder length blonde hair styled falling on one side is a perfect fit for a beachy ambiance. To achieve more volume and texture, get one of the layered mens hair cuts all over the head.

Surfer Short Hair Style
To get the surfer look right with the short haircut styles for men, you should focus on layering instead of growing. The best haircuts for men are stylish, low-maintenance and hassle-free, which is exactly what a short surfer hairstyle is about.

From Mens Hair Cuts