Here Are 9 of the Most Ridiculous Hair Trends of All Time

There are a lot of things that change as the years go by—fashion, technology…haircuts. Let’s face it, each decade has a different hairstyle its known for, and each year we go back they get more and more ridiculous.

Seriously, ever scroll through your grandparents’ or parents’ photo albums and notice the hair trends? (If you haven’t, you need to.) Even just watching TV shows from the past can show the range of wacky hairstyles that used to be in style.

Let’s take a step back in time to some of the most insane hair crazes of all time—and try not to cringe.

  1. The perm

    Popular in the ‘80s, the perm, which is short for “permanent,” consisted of long-lasting super curls that are done by a chemical treatment. The ladies couldn’t get enough of these curly tendrils—the curlier and bouncier, the better!

  2. The zig-zag part

    Were you actually a cool kid in school until you formed a jagged criss-cross design where you want your hair to fall? This might feel and look totally unnatural, but it was super in style around the ‘90s.

  3. Butterfly clips

    Speaking of the ‘90s, these chintzy pieces of plastic were every ‘90s and early ‘00s girl’s dream. We’re talking beg-your-parents-in-Claire’s-to-buy-them kind of dream. You could rock one of each side with your hair done, decorate a bun with it, or just put ‘em straight up everywhere. Looking at you, Sarah Michelle Geller.

  4. The comb-over

    Men, for real—if you don’t have hair, just rock your bald self. Don’t try to comb it over and pretend it’s there. It’s not, and it looks worse when you try to fake it. Sorry, but the comb-over is one style that should never come back!

  5. The man bun

    And men—if you DO have (long) hair, how about not tying it up into a tight coil on the top of your head? Similar to a topknot for girls, men were all about the man buns not too long ago, but we’re glad they’re finally taking a step back on that trend.

  6. “Emo” side bangs

    In the day and age of MySpace, how cool was it to part your hair way to the side and cover your entire forehead with side bangs? Bonus points if you covered one eye with it and posed in your bathroom mirror for a selfie on your digital camera (before a “selfie” was even a “selfie”).

  7. Crimping

    Another ‘80s and ‘90s trend, crimping was the coolest thing since…well, since whatever weird hairstyle that preceded it! Owning a crimper meant you were able to get your hair to fall into this sawtooth/zig-zag style that was just the coolest at the time.

  8. The Rachel

    If you were a fan of Friends, you know the Rachel Green hair style full and well—and if you’re a woman, you probably did your hair like this in the 2000s (or thought about it on multiple occasions).

  9. The mullet

    Did you really think the mullet wouldn’t be on this list? Known for being a short length in the front and sides and long in the back, the mullet is probably the number-one most ridiculous hair trend of all time. (Though we can’t lie, John Stamos can’t ever look bad, even when rocking this hair style.)

Which is your favorite worst hair trend? Did you ever rock any of these styles?