Ready To Try the "Farrah Fawcett Hair" Trend? Here's How To Nail It

Perfect for the disco and beyond.

In case you haven’t heard (or seen on any of your feeds), the 70s are back, baby. We’ve seen wide-legged pants in every shade of corduroy, a full-fledged roller-skate renaissance, and enough frosty eye shadow to ice a cake—but nothing quite says 70s like some lush, fluffy, Farrah Fawcett-style curls. The trend is, of course, inspired by the blonde bombshell’s signature swoopy hairstyle, seen in decade-defining media like Charlie’s Angels (not to mention her iconic red swimsuit poster, which is the best-selling poster of all time).

Already taking over TikTok, the style is youthful, perfectly bouncy, and easy enough for anyone to achieve. And to make sure of that, we tapped Mischa G, top hairstylist and owner of Treehouse Social Club (and purveyor of all retro haircuts), to share her step-by-step advice for nailing the look, including her dos, don’ts, and product suggestions.

The Trend

The style’s signature lies in the curl pattern, volume, and flirtatious pieces that frame the face. Farrah Fawcett's feathered cut became a hallmark of the '70s, forever memorializing the decade, which then spun off into subsequent '80s and '90s versions. Fawcett personally credits legendary French stylist José Eber with first feathering her hair (though several other stylists have since claimed they were the ones to debut the cut).
​
The feathered hair craze has been compared to Jennifer Aniston's viral "Rachel" cut—a seemingly casual but also striking hairstyle made popular by actresses with girl-next-door appeal. Really, much of the Farrah cut's charm is its movement. As Mischa points out, this style is intended to flow, whether on a disco dance floor, skating down the pier, or just walking the city streets. It's casual and vaguely athletic but undeniably pretty. After more than a year of frantic pre-Zoom dry shampoos and homebody ponytails, the freedom of literally letting our hair down is just what we need.

And, of course, "The Farrah" fits in perfectly with a much wider '70s revival. We chronicled the resurgence of shags and afros, earth-toned manicures, and glittery makeup. Plus, pea green and orange velvet furniture are finding their way into modern apartments. And, who could forget "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac going viral and reappearing on the Hot 100 last year for the first time this century?

The Trendsetters

In a welcome role reversal, it looks like celebrities are now taking many of their style cues from Internet trends instead of the other way around. As "The Farrah" takes off, we’ve seen the style on everyone from Ciara and Saweetie to Hailee Steinfeld and Lizzo. The hashtag #farrahfawcetthair has nearly 15,000 uploads to Instagram, countless Twitter mentions, and a staggering number of TikTok videos. This trend is quickly approaching critical mass—in other words, there’s never been a better time to try it out for yourself.

Much of the attention on this style is thanks to TikTok user @Groovy_Mal who uploaded her highly duet-able curl transformation last year. Almost immediately, scores of other uses with all hair types, colors, and lengths started trying her tutorial, uploading their results next to hers. Much of the trend's popularity is due to just how easy it actually is to pull off. According to Mischa, the only real prerequisite for the Farrah is a compatible cut.

---

Get The Look
​
As with any retro look, half the fun is sourcing your inspiration. Diving into the #farrahfawcetthair tag is a great place to start. It's full of photos of inspo from Farrah herself, people's own modern interpretation, and even lots of vintage shots of parents and grandparents wearing the style back in the day.

"Chat with your mom, favorite aunt, and grandma and see if they have any old pictures or beauty products to flip through and experiment," Mischa suggests. From there, it's time to assess the current state of your cut and see if it works for this style. According to Mischa, the shag-and-layered version of the Farrah works best on those with lots of layers already. "The shorter the face-framing, the better the style," she adds. "This is not for people with extra-long hair and minimal layering."

Before styling, Mischa recommends taking a few minutes to lay some product groundwork to guarantee grip and hold, both key for big, curl-focused styles. "I suggest using a styling product to build structure in the hair," she says. Finally, it's time for the styling to begin. To get your own Farrah, hot rollers or a velcro approximation are a must, Mischa says. She advises the following two methods:

Hot Roller Method

1. Apply mousse or another styling agent after rough-drying hair.
2. Using hot rollers, roll chunks of hair back away from the face—that's key.
3. Allow the rollers to cool completely before removal.
4. Once they're entirely cool to the touch, remove rollers and brush.

Velcro Roller Method

1. Apply mousse or another styling agent after rough-drying hair.
2. Using a small-to-medium round brush, blow the hair back with light tension.
3. Quickly wrap each piece of hot hair around a velcro roller and clip it into place.
4. Allow hair to completely cool, then remove rollers and brush through.

​If you're styling a wig, particularly a synthetic one, Mischa suggests using a slightly different type of roller:

• Roll hair back away from the face with vent rollers.
• Place a bag over the wig and steam the curls with a clothing steamer.
• Allow hair to completely dry, then remove rollers and brush through.

​Get The Products

Mischa laments the discontinuation of Farrah's own famous heat styler, the Schick Speed Styler, for which she did popular commercials featuring her feathered cut. "If the blow-dry brush that Farrah actually used in the commercial still were made now, that would be my number one choice," she tells us.

Luckily, you're still good with a small-to-medium round brush and quality blow dryer. "For brushes, I would use something medium-sized and one that doesn't pull too much (light tension)," she explains. For hair that's already straight and smooth, she recommends a metal brush like the Harry Josh Magnesium Thermal Brush 1.7 Inch ($55).

"If your hair is thicker and needs to be smoothed while adding bounce and fluff, I would use a boar bristle brush like the Spornette 856 Italian," Mischa says. We all know styling products are critical, and Mischa is a fan of Leonor Greyl's soft, volume-building mousse and heat-protecting Cult + King Setspray ($35), which doubles as a hairspray.
​
Above all else, Mischa recommends never taking any of it too seriously. "Have some fun with you hair and flip it out all sorts of ways!" she encourages. "It's meant to last for days! It looks and feels amazing while bouncing to every disco track!" With a few rollers and a little patience, we can all be dancing queens this spring.

from Byrdie