The decade of the 1920s has been an intriguing era due to a number of reasons, among which the cultural revolution is a prominent aspect that inspired society for the following decades.
Within this cultural upheaval, the 1920s mens hairstyles stands out from the rest due to the delicate appeal they drew upon the consumers, especially the younger population.
There remains some timeless hair designs that can be applied as standard haircuts in the 21st era too as it can aid you in finding yourself at the peak of fame!
Whether you’re preparing yourself for a 1920s party or looking for a long-term haircut for everyday purposes, the concepts I’ve included here cover all necessities in style!
Table of Contents
- Vintage 1920s Mens Hairstyles To Die For
- Extended Pompadour
- The Mafia Dapper
- Mid Part Undercut
- Brushed Back With Taper
- Peaky Blinders Hair
- Short Slick Back
- Suave 1920s Cut
- Mr. Corporate
- The Great Gatsby
- Parted Flick
- Minimal Updo
- Brushed Up Hair
- The Roaring Teen
- Caramel Slicked Back
- A Wavy Spread
- Combed Bang
- Blonde Side Part
- World War Spike
- Shoulder Length Wet Look
- 1920s Film Star Look
- 1920s Mens Hairstyles: A Few Tips
- FAQ
- Thoughts
1920s Hair Styling Inspirations
The decade of the 1920s has been a period that no one has ever seen! Especially in America, the younger population aged between 20 and 30 would party almost every weekend.
This was due to the influx of money in American society after World War I and led a generation of youngsters into maddening party fevers.
Such a newly formed culture gave birth to fashionable hairstyles for both men and women as they were to attend parties every now and again.
From their inner spirits roaring with mindless joy to the fervor of boundless celebration – the hairstyles surely reflect these notions bluntly.
Vintage 1920s Mens Hairstyles To Die For
I’ll discuss 20 of the most adored and fancied hairstyling concepts that men can easily try out even in the 21st century!
Extended Pompadour
To kick off our list of the raging hairstyles, the first one I’m showing you flaunts a much older variant of pompadour haircuts. While the 70s or 80s version pushed all of the hair body upward into straight strands, the vintage design extends the hair into a tight & fancy curl.
How to achieve that, you might ask? It’s quite simple really. All you’ll need is some sizable hair that requires some trimming actions around. Over the top, apply a handsome amount of hair pomade and comb everything toward one side of your crown.
Utilizing the frontal hair, take the handle of your hair brush and wrap them around. Hold for a few seconds before gently removing the brush for the swirl to flourish!
The Mafia Dapper
The 1920s mens hairstyles have drawn a lot of inspiration from the Italian immigrants living in the States during the post World War I period. Their formation of mafia gangs had placed a certain class over the society with their iconic hair trends left to be followed.
Such is this mafia dapper look where it works with minimal hair and delivers maximum impact. A thick & straight sideburn on each side complemented by gelled hair embracing the scalp very tightly are the key ingredients here. Sharpness for every edge isn’t necessary.
Although, a hard part line obtained from a trimmer’s dap to create a hairline should fire up the look, and put a long overcoat on to push everything over the top!
Mid Part Undercut
If you try to understand the 1920s patterns, you’ll notice that a prominent feature for a major portion of these haircuts endorse a middle partition on the crown. The style in question right now is the one that posh men took up during that era, thus it became synonymous with ‘class’.
A stark undercut to isolate the top hair should render an effect that of a toupee up top. Use hair gel to rigidly draw the line and comb everything toward opposite directions. Fancy mustaches are always welcomed, but subtlety is of essence instead of going overboard with bushy hair.
Brushed Back With Taper
Not all of the 1920s mens hairstyles would walk down the path of a slicked back using gel or hair creams extensively. Rather, the loose hair contributes to a low-maintenance look with a potential to drastically improve your style. Sharp faces are always favorable for such cuts.
To make a contrast, shorter sides are necessary to get done in the first place. Taper around gently to enhance that effect. Then, just grab your combs or hair brush and guide everything toward your nape. It’s ideal to do this procedure with half damp hair as it’ll settle the hairdo.
Peaky Blinders Hair
I guess being avid pop cultural products should already have exposed most of us to the early 20th century context TV show Peaky Blinder. Cillian Murphy put on a wonderful display of one unique haircut that’s just as inspirational as it is desirable by tasteful men.
The best thing about this design is its timeless quality. An undercut carrying the umbrella of longer design mimicking a flat cap that they seem difficult to part ways with. Brush the hair into that shape with an assist from strong hair mousse to make it last the busiest of days!
Short Slick Back
Slick back hair has always been of prominence during the 1920s era due to the appeal it carried over the mass population. You’ll need to trim everything down to a precise length where it’s quite short but not too much that you’re left unable to comb it. Such styles demand application of gel for the slick look to surface and hold the hair in place, so don’t be frugal in quantity.
Suave 1920s Cut
The suave look somewhat resembles the slick back style if it was worn using a side part. Meaning, you have to work with your hairline at one side and comb your hair body to make that line visible to the naked eye. Modern day stylists go the distance of using a trimmer for enhancement of hairline, but I’d recommend sticking to the minimals using hair gel or cream.
Mr. Corporate
The corporate look of the 1920s catered to the ones with receding hairlines. Whether you’re above 60 or someone in their early 30s, this has takeaway points for you all. It doesn’t rely on varying lengths as a seamless cut to begin with should suffice. Comb everything toward the back like a mob boss and radiate your style!
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is probably the most authentic representation of the roaring 20s as Fitzgerald’s book paired with Luhrmann’s direction has done it justice. DiCaprio’s dazzling hairdo with a blonde-caramel shade took the hairstyle to the next level! A curved side part and settled down hair allowed the twist to bloom out even more significantly!
Parted Flick
Although this might hint at trimming down your hair, in reality it’s compressed using hair gel to a minimum length. The proof lies within the side hair as you’ll find them sticking out from the hair body. Part your hair diagonally over your crown with a fancy flick up the front to give the look an extra edge and limitless charm!
Minimal Updo
This look isn’t really from the minimalist haircut gradient, rather the updo is the only thing borrowed from those aesthetics. Generally, updo styles are more blunt and eye-catching while this one is suitable for almost every occasion. Combining both hairlines with the frontal portion standing up like Tintin’s character has been a prime choice during that era.
Brushed Up Hair
Casually brushing up your hair can also pay a great tribute to the 1920s hairstyling culture. The split between your hair is the signifying factor of the time period, otherwise it’d resemble any other modern concept. Trimmed sides, even tapered should you desire, sets a foundation for the rest to be pushed upward with a defining line down the middle.
The Roaring Teen
Back to the roaring teens of the 1920s, this style stands as a direct reference of that movement with the way those young populations wore their hair. It’s not much when you witness it as the overall hair is kept within a fine shape. However, a wavy texture flowing backward is the charm that you can’t deny should work at fancy parties or restaurants effortlessly!
Caramel Slicked Back
If you think slicked back are for grown ups and you want to add some character to the look, why not dye it in a caramel tone? Trim your hair, bleach everything and apply the color before moving on to the styling procedure. It’s a high-impact hairdo with the least effort!
A Wavy Spread
Among many of the popular 1920s mens hairstyles, the wavy spread is probably the young people’s look in television screens. It’s the representative hairdo of that era that poses a medium length haircut for the enthusiasts to follow. Parting down one side and wavy combing the frontal bit is the standard method to apply it.
Combed Bang
The modern day interpretation of bangs covers the forehead completely with a brushed straight down technique. However, the 20s bangs weren’t all like this since many of which brought the hair down from one side. Combs are the instrument to sketch it out and a fringe to swerve down the front.
Blonde Side Part
The style that exposes a wider portion of your hairline can’t always look good, but the blonde side part seems to have nailed the concept. Everything all around is settled down using hard gel with a spread attained using elephant-teeth combs. The sway in hair comes from the texture of your instrument that allures every onlooker!
World War Spike
Since the 1920s is the immediate decade after a World War, many of the styles borrowed inspiration from their veteran heroes. A spike belongs to this category of hairdo which plays at a low fade building up to stern spikes up top. Low-maintenance is the major reason for this celebrated haircut!
Shoulder Length Wet Look
It’s not always easy to cut off your long locks to comply with the shorter hair styling trends. Some of the 1920s designs did accommodate longer hair where you’d be asked to walk down a wet look path. Apply wet gel or similar cream to tone down your hair to the scalp and comb them neatly to generate the effect!
1920s Film Star Look
Lastly, why refrain from presenting yourself as a film star from back in time? It’s quite easy to achieve and convenient to maintain. Anyone with even a receding hairline can trim the hair to the exact length and put a soft part on one side for an exceptional outcome!
1920s Mens Hairstyles: A Few Tips
Let me elucidate on a couple of tips that can help you land the most perfect hairstyle following the 1920s aesthetics.
Go Minimal: Most of the hairstyles during that timeline are minimal and don’t take the radical path. This is a vital aspect you can follow to achieve great results each time.
Use Wet Gels: The extensive use of wet gels to neatly settle down the hair and generate a wet look cannot be overstated. So buy some if you already don’t have any.
Take Natural Measures: Not every scalp can accommodate hair gels. Go natural if needed by using hair wax or argan/invisible oil for a similar result.
These should set you up nicely and retain the quality of your hair long after your commitment to the 1920s hairstyle trends.
FAQ
The 1920s hairstyles that men adored so much begs a few questions to be answered. Thus, I’m including this section so that some of the remaining confusions are dissolved completely.
Q: Did men have facial hair in the 1920s?
A: Actually, they did have facial hair in the 1920s but most of the significant ones were limited to mustaches or goatees. Full beards weren’t necessarily trending for the young population back then.
Q: How to do a Great Gatsby hairstyle?
A: As The Great Gatsby movie shook up the 2nd decade of the 21st century, DiCaprio’s hairstyle began to trend in the modern consumers. This short video should tell you exactly how you can achieve that design!
Q: What should a guy wear to a 1920s party?
A: Well, if you initially apply a 1920s hairstyle for men, you can follow it up with a neat shirt, a waistcoat over which you’ll throw in your tux or even an overcoat. Headwears have always been a part of that trend, so you can opt for that. But don’t forget to take it off to flaunt your sexy hair!
Thoughts
No matter how you see 1920s hairstyles for men, there’s no ignoring the fact that these designs carried some defining characteristics that are absent in modern trends.
If you find yourself living in the past or want to re-establish a completely unique makeover, such haircuts grant you a passage into that achievement.
A journey through time is always an ecstatic factor for individuals with great taste of hairstyles and a knack for innovation.
Don’t perceive these vintage hairstyles as confinements, rather take them up as a celebration to a time in history which is latched with celebrating life to a full extent.
From minimal designs to the ones that stand out due to a number of factors, there are plenty up for grabs with men who possess unrepeated taste!
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