By Theresa Holland
Though trends from the 1990s weren’t as big and bold as the ’80s, the decade is still known for some undeniably iconic looks—many of which popped back up throughout the 2000s. For Gen-Xers and elder millennials who experienced the era firsthand, ’90s nostalgia is alive and well.
From hip hop and prep to minimalism, grunge, and Y2K futurism, styles were influenced by primetime TV shows, music videos, teen movies, supermodels, and magazines. The clothes were one thing, but ’90s hair is worthy of its own hall of fame.
Whether you’re wondering how to style your hair for a ’90s-themed party, prepping for your high school reunion, or feeling sentimental about your grade school days, you’re in the right place. We’re showing you all the best ’90s hairstyles, with authentic images pulled straight from the Classmates® yearbook archive.
| Key Takeaways – Iconic ’90s hairstyles: Styles ranged from polished blowouts to bold updos, funky braids, and playful accessories like butterfly clips and scrunchies. – The Rachel haircut: Made famous by Jennifer Aniston on Friends, this hairstyle became the decade’s most requested salon style and remains a defining look of the era. – Popular ’90s women’s hairstyles: Space buns, pixie cuts, flipped-out bobs, side parts, box braids, natural curls, and spiky buns all dominated the ‘90s. – Hair accessories were prominent: Butterfly clips, claw clips, and scrunchies, often paired with layered cuts or twisted styles defined ‘90s fashion. – Celebrity influence: Brandy, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Silverstone, and Winona Ryder all heavily influenced teen hair trends seen in yearbook photos across the decade. |
Best Women’s Hairstyles From the ’90s
Some of the most memorable 1990s hairstyles have stood the test of time—or at least cycled back around as a resurging trend. Others may just remain relics of the era, preserved in history by yearbooks. But if you ask us, it’s always fun to reminisce about the most prominent looks from the decade.
Ready to turn back the clock? These popular ’90s hairstyles were top choices on picture day for those who went to high school between 1990 and 1999.
Updo With Face-Framing Wisps
One of the most classic hair looks during the mid-to-late-’90s was an updo with face-framing wisps. Sometimes referred to as “prom hair” but worn by high schoolers and women for formal and casual occasions alike, this style was seen on red carpets, in music videos, and in several teen movies.
Starlets Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar often wore messy buns with loose tendrils around their face. Alicia Silverstone’s Cher Horowitz also rocked the high-ponytail version in the 1995 film Clueless.
Bouncy, Romantic Blowout
The bouncy blowout—not curly or wavy per se, but full of volume—is a decidedly ’90s hairstyle that still feels totally timeless. This fluffed-up yet polished and endlessly romantic look was often seen on supermodels Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.
Butterfly Clips
Butterfly clips were everything in the late ’90s. Available in every color and size, these fluttery claw-style barrettes were just the thing for keeping twisted sections of hair in place in updos or pinned-back hairstyles.
Chunky Highlights, Funky Colors
Chunky highlights offered a way to express yourself in the ’90s. The look was popularized partly by rap, R&B, and pop artists like Lil’ Kim and Kelly Rowland, who played with pink, blonde, and fiery red streaks.
The Pixie Cut
From Toni Braxton in the early ’90s to Chloë Sevigny in the 1995 film Kids to Winona Ryder in the late ’90s, the pixie cut was the edgy but undoubtedly chic cool-girl look of the decade.
Space Buns
A modern variation of classic pigtails with the silhouette of Mickey Mouse, space buns had a moment in the ’90s. Mel B of Spice Girls is well-known for her double buns, but the look was seen on tons of other celebs, like Britney Spears and No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani, as well as in many of your schoolmates’ yearbook photos.
Flipped-Out Bob
Smooth, polished, and curled slightly outward at the ends, the flipped-out bob was one of the most effortlessly chic styles of the ’90s. Models Tyra Banks and Christy Turlington had a major influence in helping the trend catch on.
Curled-In Bob
The inverse of the flipped-out bob, and typically slightly shorter, the curled-in bob was a sleek, sophisticated hairstyle of the 1990s—and it’s still stylish today. From Uma Thurman’s shiny black ‘do in Pulp Fiction (1994) to Drew Barrymore’s famous banged blonde wig in Scream (1996) to the chin-length center-part style of Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice), this look was all over ’90s pop culture.
Box Braids
Seen on Brandy, Janet Jackson, and Dione from Clueless, box braids were popular in the ’90s but also a timelessly stylish and protective hairstyle for Black women. Small, square-shaped sections are braided individually, sometimes into extensions to add length, then styled into top knots, space buns, or twists.
Side Part
Some of us believe parts are not a choice. And while younger generations may tease millennials for their side parts, the truth is, it was one of the hottest hair looks of the ’90s. Two cases in point: Reese Witherspoon’s Annette in Cruel Intentions (1999) and Boy Meets World‘s Topanga Lawrence (played by Danielle Fishel).
Messy Layers
Messy layers were the fashion hairstyle that women wore for an effortlessly cool vibe throughout the decade. Kate Moss and Tara Reid are two notable names who wore it particularly well, not to mention all the late-’90s senior photos found in the Classmates yearbook archive.
The Rachel
It’s all but illegal to talk about ’90s haircuts without mentioning The Rachel. The bouncy, shoulder-length, face-framing cut debuted on a 1994 episode of Friends, turning Jennifer Aniston into a hair icon and making hairstylist Chris McMillan a household name.
Microbraids
Featured on Brandy as the titular character in the show Moesha, microbraids are a sleek, protective, versatile style for Black hair. With just a few strands per section, the super-tiny braids can be styled into buns, hair-wrapped ponytails, or parted to the side.
Pigtail Braids
Pigtail braids have an innocent girl-next-door quality that played well with ’90s minimalism, neo-hippie, and boho clothing styles. Most famously, Britney Spears donned the look in her 1998 schoolgirl-themed “Baby One More Time” music video. We also saw it on both Rachel and Phoebe in Friends and Reese Witherspoon in Cruel Intentions, to name just a few.
Curled Bangs
Curled, piecey, peek-a-boo bangs might be something you associate with the early aughts. While the hairstyle may have become more mainstream in those years, it actually started in the ’90s—as seen on Tatyana Ali’s Ashley Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott in Scream.
Scrunchies
The scrunchie was a practical hair accessory that doubled as a bracelet and complemented a range of styles from library prep to grunge to sporty streetwear. It may have been a punchline in that 2003 episode of Sex and the City, but who’s laughing now? Scrunchies are back and here to stay.
Natural Curls
The ’90s celebrated natural curls. Many leading ladies of the era were styled with their natural texture, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine on Seinfeld and Andie MacDowell in Groundhog Day. Then there was Mariah Carey’s early ’90s hair looks and the “Freddie” cut, named after the character Winifred “Freddie” Brooks from A Different World.
The Claw Clip
Claw clips offer an easy way to wear your hair back or up for an instantly chic yet casual look. And when you get the knack of it, you can twist it up and clip it back without needing a mirror. It’s no wonder this ’90s hair accessory has stood the test of time.
Ironed Straight
From Alanis Morissette to Jennifer Aniston to Cher, pin-straight hair was a hit in the ’90s. Whether you used a literal clothing iron (no judgment—it was a different time) or got your hands on an early iteration of a flat iron, the look was undeniably sleek.
Twists
A modernized version of the classic half-up-half-down hairstyle, with pieces pinned back with bobby pins or butterfly clips, twists were everywhere in 1999. Think Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in Passport to Paris and Larisa Oleynik as Bianca Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You.
Spiky Bun
The spikey bun walked so the messy bun could run. This distinctly late-’90s hairstyle features a tightly wrapped bun with a few ends left loose, then fixed into points and positioned out at different angles. Phoebe Buffay of Friends, Gwen Stefani, and multiple Spice Girls were known to rock this updo.
What Was the Most Popular Hair Style From the ’90s?
It’s hard to say what the most popular hairstyle was from the ’90s, but The Rachel might be the most famous. The cut was so sought-after in the mid-’90s that hairstylists (apparently) got endless requests from women wanting a similar look. Beyond that, messy updos, twists, natural curls, and bouncy blowouts were really common throughout the decade.
Which Celebrities Influenced Hairstyles in the ’90s?
The 1990s were a time when actors playing movie and TV characters, for the most part, used their real hair rather than wigs, so hair icons were much more of a thing. Celebrities with the most influence on women’s hairstyles in the ’90s include:
- Jennifer Aniston (from The Rachel cut to other iconic looks)
- Alicia Silverstone, particularly for her looks as Cher in Clueless
- Gwen Stefani
- Brandy
- Drew Barrymore
- Cindy Crawford
- Janet Jackson
- Winona Ryder.
Relive 90s Hairstyles Right From High School Yearbooks
Whether you want to search for your own yearbook to explore how your schoolmates wore their hair on picture day and in candid shots, or draw hair inspiration from 1990s yearbooks from across the country, use Classmates’ yearbook finder to explore hundreds of thousands of books from across the decades for free.
Sources:
- Vogue. All the Best ’90s Hair Inspo, as Seen in Vogue. https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/the-best-90s-hair
- Vogue. A 1990s Fashion History Lesson: Supermodels, Grunge, and the Dawn of the Digital Age. https://www.vogue.com/article/90s-fashion-history
- Harper’s Bazaar. The 11 Most Iconic Hairstyles from the 1990s. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/hair/g66108240/best-90s-hairstyles/
- Refinery29. This Is What Black Hair Looked Like In 1997. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/90s-black-hairstyles
- Allure. You Can Smell the Spritz on These ’90s Hair Looks. https://www.allure.com/story/nikki-nelms-90s-black-hair
- Vogue. 5 Notable ’90s Hairstyles That Still Turn Heads Today. https://www.vogue.com/article/5-notable-90s-hairstyles
- Cosmopolitan. 23 ’90s Hairstyle Ideas You’ll Want to Recreate ASAP (Trust Me). https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/g29146065/90s-hairstyle-ideas/
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