How to Do a 1960s Beehive Hairdo

Co-authored by Angela Justice

The iconic beehive is the mod offspring of the popular British pageboy (think the Beatles’ bowl-cut bangs circa 1962) and Jackie O’s eternally elegant bouffant. This va-va-voom hairstyle, made famous by classic stars such as Dusty Springfield and Audrey Hepburn, is now experiencing a comeback with popular period dramas like AMC’s Mad Men, and recent red carpet updo trends. ^{[1]
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Research source}

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing Your Hair

1
Make sure your hair is ready to create volume. It is easier to create volume if your hair is a little bit dirty. If you like clean hair, use a hair serum to give it a more hold.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Angela Justice
Master Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 5 November 2021.}
- If you use a hair serum, first wash your hair. Then put 2 or 3 drops of serum on your hands, and rub it so it is evenly distributed on your palms. Apply it to your hair, being careful not to put too much on any one section of hair.
2
Part your hair to the side. A comb with a pointy end will come in handy here for a perfectly precise part. If you have bangs, make sure most of them are also parted to the side.
- If your bangs are bluntly cut and the same length all the way across, simply tuck the longer pieces under the angle of the side-sweep. If you don’t have bangs, simply comb your hair back and be ready to tease up a storm in the front.
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3
Decide what kind of beehive you want. You can create the beehive completely up, or make it half down.
- Deciding which kind of beehive you want depends on the style that you are looking for. If you want a really big, retro beehive, then you will want to keep the beehive completely up. A half-down beehive is a little more modern and casual.
- If you want to keep your beehive half down, you will have to take care not to tease your hair too far back. You may also want a curling iron for the ends of your hair.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating Volume

1
Bend your head down. Let your hair fall over your face, and fluff it up, then look in the mirror to see where you want your hairdo to start.
- It’s important to be confident about where you begin to create volume. For a more bold, retro style, you can start very close to your crown.
2
Tease the front section of your hair.^{[3]
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Research source} This is all the hair from your crown, or where your bangs start, to the middle of your head. If you have very thin or straight hair, you may want to begin with a light spray of volumizing hairspray.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Angela Justice
Master Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 5 November 2021.}
- To tease, bend your head forward so that your hair falls over your face. Take 1–2 inch (2.5–5.1 cm) sections of hair, starting from the middle of your head. Run a comb back and forth through each section in small, quick motions (called backcombing). This will loosely knot your hair together and give it volume.
- Start at the middle (or 2-3 inches from the root) of the strand, rather than at the root. Make sure the top of the chunk of hair remains smooth, and that you’re only backcombing underneath the top most layer of hair.
3
Tease the back section of your hair. After you tease the front, go wild on the rest of your hair. Then flip all your hair back and run a brush over the topmost part of your hair, to smooth it out.
- Always tease the back section after the front. It can be hard to tease the front section after you do the rest, and then you run the risk of a half-teased pouf that starts too far back.
- After your smooth out the top layer of hair, you may lose some volume. Don’t be afraid to re-tease your hair as needed.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Sculpting the Beehive

1
Smooth out your hair. Tilt your head back, and separate the top quarter of your hair, starting from your crown. Gently brush out this outer layer so that it is smooth.
- Be careful not to brush out too much of your backcombing. This will cause the hairstyle to lose volume.
- Brush upwards rather than down to keep from squashing the big hair that you've teased.
2
Sculpt the beehive. Gather your smoothed hair and your teased hair together, except for a few side strands by the ears. Sweep your smoothed hair over your teased hair and secure it in the back with bobby pins.
- You don't need to pin your hair to your head. Instead, you're trying to pin your hair together, so that it keeps its shape. If you have a lot of hair, start with one pin, then keep gathering and pinning until you have reached your desired shape.
- If you sweep your hair straight back, you may flatten it. Keep it in the back, but once you've gathered it, push it towards the front of your head. Pushing it will force it upwards so that it has height and volume.
- Push the bobby pins in upwards, and roughly at a 45 degree angle (as diagonal as you can) for maximum hold.
3
Clean up the sides. Smooth your side sections of hair and pull them taut. Pin them in the back of your head, below your pouf.
- Unlike your pouf, you should pin your side strands close to your head. Don't pin them to your pouf, or they will get loose.
- Keep your hair as tight as possible to keep it looking clean. Use a brush to comb out your side strands if they've gotten very messy.
4
Secure the back. Gather up the remaining strands at the back of your head and pull them together like you’re creating a low ponytail.^{[5]
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Research source} Twist the ponytail upward and close to your head. When it is tight, tuck the tips into it and secure it to your head with bobby pins.
- You can use a clip to hide the bobby pins or you can just shellac the back with some more hairspray.
- Make sure you give your entire ‘do one final spray and use a comb to smooth down flyaways and loose strands to achieve the evenly (and overly) sprayed stylized look of the times.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you give yourself a beehive hairstyle?

Angela Justice
Master Hair Stylist
Angela Justice is a Master Hair Stylist and the Owner of Payton Place Salon based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. With over 33 years of experience, she specializes in styling and cutting hair, coloring hair, providing hair repair and strengthening services, and installing tape-in hair extensions.

Angela Justice

Master Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Make sure that your hair has a lot of texture! If your hair is straight, this hairstyle isn't going to work. Start out with a regular or volume-boosting shampoo when you're in the shower, and use lots of volumizing and thickening products while you're blow-drying your hair.
Question

Do I have to wear hair extensions?

Community Answer

Not as long as you have hair that is long enough for the style to be done.
Question

What does it look like in the end? I find the end of the instructions confusing, and there is no final photo.

Community Answer

Do a Google image search for "beehive hairdo" and you should get the gist. If you can't get it to look right, check YouTube for tutorials so you can watch someone else doing it.