Step away from the box dye and put down the clippers: the days of DIY haircuts are over now that hairdressers across Aberdeen have reopened.
Nobody is more thrilled than stylists to be back in business, but with weeks of waiting lists to cut through, there’s still time to choose a new ‘do if your lockdown locks are needing the chop.
Are you rocking a magnificent mullet or is your shaggy mop getting in your eyes?
We take a look at some splendid hairstyles sported by Aberdonians of yesteryear which might inspire you to take the plunge when you get back to the barber.
For those fancying a retro revival, the ‘Rondo line’, a softly rounded bouffant, was all the rage in 1969 as top hairdresser Silvio Camello brought a touch of London glamour to Ritchie’s Hair Salon on Albyn Place.
After months away from stylists, many people will be keen to get their roots touched up and dodgy DIY dye jobs fixed.
In 1984, two salons on Schoolhill – Snips and Rixsons – were pioneering the latest in dynamic dying techniques with the new Easy Meche blonde highlights which used latex instead of foils.
Clipso hair salon on George Street proved they were top of the chops in 1985 with this prize-winning hairstyle modelled by 15-year-old Jill Henderson.
Hairdressers Laura Duncan, Brian Niven and Natalia Bruce won the Wella trophy for the creative cut, which also featured in Hair and Beauty magazine.
The unusual asymmetric look involved dying Jill’s hair red and spiking it up in different directions, but it was not a style that won the approval of Grammar School staff.
At the time, Jill said: “I had to have it re-done and re-dyed black before going back to school as I do not think the teachers would have liked it.”
If lockdown has left your locks a bit lifeless, you might want to take inspiration from this hair-raising look from 1985.
A charity hair show at Ritzy’s Nightclub in Aberdeen, in aid of the Special Nursery Appeal in 1985, proved to be an uplifting experience for model Linda Sweeney.
The voluminous look was created courtesy of Teresa McCall, manager of Jean’s Kut ‘N’ Kurl on the city’s Back Wynd.
Or perhaps you could perk up your flat ‘do with a perm, as modelled by these young hairdressing students at Aberdeen Technical College in 1988.
Talented teens Elizabeth Boyne, Lorraine Melvin and Jennifer Allan with their models Debbie Chalmers, Wendy Wray and Sharon MacGregor cleaned up during a competition in Blackpool run by the Association of Hairdressing Teachers.
Proving Aberdeen was full of hairdressing expertise, this trio of teenage stylists from Jean’s Kut ‘N’ Kurl also hoped to cut through the competition at a national contest in 1990.
Workmates Catherine Gray, Fiona Cheyne and Nicola Pirie were vying for a place in the finals of the Young Protege Scholarship run by Wella and Hairdresser’s Journal International.
In the days before Instagram filters let you try out new hairstyles and colours, one Aberdeen salon was on the cutting edge of hair technology.
In 1991, clients of Aztec Hair Design on Belmont Street could try a bold new barnet without having the snip.
A computer image got rid of your existing hair on-screen before generating a completely new style, to help you reinvent yourself.
For the indecisive man, you can’t go wrong with the classic short back and sides.
In 1992, Wendy Alderdyce tidied up the mane of model Julian Culshaw at A Cut Above Salon on Union Street.
Everyone loves to look their best for the office Christmas party, and in December 1992, Aberdeen hair stylist Philip of Ishoka salon on Albyn Place shared some top tips for looking your festive best.
Modelled by Susan Carroll, Rebecca Hughes and Trish Murray, the hairdresser shared step-by-step tips in the Evening Express showing readers how they could achieve three glam looks: the twist, the set and the roll.
Perhaps months in lockdown has turned you to the dark side, here Anita Lippe of salon Azteca on Summer Street shows off the latest revolution in dark dye in 1994.
City stylists were hitting back at claims from scientists that black hair dye was dangerous due to its increased pigmentation compared to lighter shades.
If you’re after something a bit more elegant, you might take inspiration from this lovely up-do, created by stylist Frederico Burton at Clipso hair salon in 2001.
Or perhaps after months of battling an unruly barnet, it’s a case of hair today and gone tomorrow and you’ve decided to brave the shave.
In 2002, ScotRail’s Gilbert Stewart, a member of the train care team at Aberdeen Station, took the plunge and had his locks lopped off by Angie Cargill of Tiffany’s Hair Salon to raise funds for the Archie Foundation.
