Boys with Pink Hair in the 1960s?

Yes, there was a Pastel Hair Craze in the Atomic Era, and it turns out it wasn’t just for women. According to an Associated Press article from 1960, some adventurous boys in England also tried out this fun hair color trend.

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In my research, I came across this little puff piece telling the story of a barber in a small country town that offered pink color application with a spray to teen clients. Newspapers throughout the United Kingdom picked up on this story.

The original 1960 article reads:

“A boy without pink hair is a boy without a girlfriend in this country town in Cambridgeshire.

The teenage rage caught on when barber Aubrey Tite started spraying on the pink at 5 shillings 6 pence a shot.

‘At first the girls laughed but now they won’t go out with any boy who hasn’t got pink hair.’ Said David Garnge, 18. 

He said he expected the craze to sweep through Britain once the advantages are known.

‘You see,’ said David, ‘it makes you stand out in a crowd.’

Barber Tite explained the spray needs to be applied once every two weeks.

‘The only trouble,’ he said, ‘is that on chaps with dark hair the solution tends to turn their hair scarlet.”

Pastel Hairsprays in the 1950s and 1960s

Color hairsprays were available in the 1950s and 1960s for temporary pastel colored hair. They washed out right away and advertised in common beauty magazines. Today, you can still find pastel hairsprays like L’Oreal Paris Colorista, which has some really nice pastel color sprays, including coral peach, mint, lavender, and pastel pink.