Elvis Presley's Rockabilly Hairstyles

Elvis Presley's hairstyle

Elvis Presley's hairstyles changed quite dramatically throughout his life. When he first exploded onto the scene in the 1950s he was unorthodox in more ways than one. His smouldering, almost latinesque, good looks were accomplished by hair dye! Yes, it is absolutely true! Unlike most young men of the time, Elvis took the courageous step of dyeing his mousy blond hair.

Born among the white working families of the American Deep South, he used both black and white influences to shape his much copied and remembered style. Because he admired Tony Curtis, another smouldering sex symbol of the time, he changed his brown hair to black and shaped it in the ducktail style popular at the time. But Elvis kept his style a bit longer and sweeped it into a high pompadour at the front.


Over the years, many people, both men and women, have copied this sexy, flattering look. It can be a neat, manageable daytime look, or a wild, outrageous evening do. It is said that Elvis himself used three types of hair wax so that his hair would be able to swoop in front of his eyes when he wanted it to. Along with the curling lip, this drove the ladies wild!

Hairstyle photo by Elvis.com.

Let us not forget that many other young men of the day had this rockabilly look. One of the most famous of course, is James Dean. These legends broke the old, twee mould of the time and imposed their own styles onto the teenage scene which were then copied across ice cream parlours and coffee shops up and down the land.
Elvis' hair certainly was part of the complete look. There was national mourning (in certain teenage hearts) when he had it all shaved off for the army. Even so many years after his death, his hairstyle can be recognized and is copied by the rich and famous. What a fantastic legacy to leave the hairdressing world!