The 90s were packed with nostalgic fashion moments that stand the test of time, but the hairstyles from this era are another story. Looking back, we’re baffled that some of these styles were acceptable and, furthermore, requested in salons around the world. Get to know the worst 90s haircuts below.
1. Bowl Cut
Mushroom hair was a big thing back in the ’90s. Forget soft layers—this look was all about sharp edges and a single length that often ended around the chin. Sometimes, it even featured bangs. The look was rigid and desperately needed texture and layering!
2. Bleached frosted tips
Many boy band members were found guilty of this hairstyle faux pas, where hair tips are heavily lightened to the point of being almost white, contrasting with darker roots. Men in the 90s adored this style, which is admittedly hard to maintain and has a dated aesthetic.
3. Ramen hair
Boy bands might have loved a frosted tips moment, but Justin Timberlake coined the ramen hair look, which looked gelled to the point of greasy, dyed an artificial yellow color, and styled to create a crunchy, unnatural wave pattern achieved by aggressive crunching. Nope.
4. Crimped hair
Everyone from Christina Aguilera to Britney Spears rocked crimped hair, which was the terrible lovechild between straightened and curly hair. A crimping iron helped you achieve tight, zig-zag waves. People wore it in sections, which wasn’t that bad, but as an all-over look, it was way too much.
5. Liberty spikes
This trend involved applying gel to short—to medium-length hair until it formed stiff, vertical spikes. Back in the day, it was very punk and rock n’ roll, but is it worth it to ruin your hair with so much product? Plus, it looked very messy when it started to sag and needed a touch-up.
6. Butterfly clips
Although a revamped version of the butterfly clip style is making a comeback, in the 1990s, it was often combined with badly done highlights and used way too liberally, with an overload of tiny clips pulling back random sections for a busy, mismatched look.
7. Chunky highlights
Today, we prefer a subtle, elegant take on highlights such as a balayage, but the 90s were all about being obvious, so highlights in that decade required thick streaks of bright or light colors against darker hair for a startlingly high contrast look. Obvious, blocky, and signature 90s!
8. The fauxhawk
In this look, hair was shaved or cut closely on the sides, with a single strip remaining down the center. Think of a mohawk, but more dramatic, with awkward proportions and completed with shiny gel. When balding men attempted this look, the cringe level was high.
9. The Rachel overdo
This look was a signature moment of the 90s and was meant to complement a layered, voluminous blowout. ‘The Rachel’ haircut may have been popular back in the day, but it got butchered in its various interpretations, with salons doling out extreme, choppy versions that looked like a blasphemy.
10. The zig-zag part
Why did we ever think this was cool? Rather than styling a normal, straight part, this hairdo involved parting the hair in zig-zag lines. While it was a fad for a hot minute, it gave off a messy effect that we wouldn’t condone today.
11. Hair claw bangs
Now, we love a good fringe moment, but these bangs took things too far with over-teased, curled-under bangs that had so much hairspray and product to keep them in place that they were hard as a rock. They earned this nickname because they sat so stiffly on the forehead.
