New Orleans Hairstylists Dish on How Mardi Gras Hair Trends Have Changed Over the Years
You don't typically think of hair when you think about Mardi Gras. Custom costumes, masks, endless liquor, and long nights have made the festival one of the most beloved and appreciated events in the United States. But if you ask some New Orleans locals, the hairstyles play just as much of an important role.
According to veteran hairstylist LaShonya “Shoney” Johns, who owns Hair by Shoney Style Studio in New Orleans, hairstyles worn during the Mardi Gras season have evolved. “Women have really thrown away tradition when it comes to hair,” she tells Allure. Before, they would choose more elaborate coifs. “Now, the hairstyles are much more subtle. Clients will mostly request the season’s colors like green, purple, and yellow when they’re preparing.”
Mardi Gras hairstyles used to be all about excess, laden with tons of accessories and flourishes, but today, there are fewer bells and whistles. “I remember having to stock up on hair pins, bobby pins, glitter spray, and whatever else I needed to create a funky updo for the Mardi Gras Ball season. If a woman had a short hairstyle, I had to figure out how to make an updo happen. Now though, if she has short hair, that’s just what she wears — with a little extra jazziness, of course.”
Other longtime stylists like Dana C. Johnson (who has been a professional hairstylist for over 20 years) echo Johns, saying that Mardi Gras hairstyles have gotten way more chill since the '90s and early 2000s.
Back in those days, it was all about dramatic looks like "The Freeze," which are elaborate finger waves that look almost shellacked, “and the 'Get It Girl' ponytail, a curly New Orleans hairstyle that has gained immeasurable popularity citywide,” she says. Think a curly high pony, like the ones you see on Pop Warner cheerleaders. “The early 2000s, on the other hand, was nothing but women wanting long wraps with swoop bangs and hair extensions. Nowadays, it’s more natural hairstyles and women are wanting to be more different than the same.”
Although finger waves and ponytails are all styles that are dope in their own right, Johnson still can't get one particular look she spied a few years ago out of her mind. “The most unique hairstyle I have seen for Mardi Gras was a bob cut, layered in Mardi Gras colors and finished with sparkling glitter. That style won my favorite unique hairstyle of past Mardi Gras.”
The hairstyles are more toned down, there is still some flair. Johnson says that the majority of her clients choose to accent their hair with a cute headpiece, headbands, a few feathers, or Mardi Gras beads. However, Johns notes that the most important thing is color.
“I’ve seen some styles where beads are incorporated, but now my clients mostly want color. Color, color, and more color,” she says. “They say, 'you know what time it is,' and I absolutely do. I get the purples, greens, and yellows together and make them fabulous.”
No matter which stylist you choose to go to in NOLA or how long you’ve participated in events leading up to Mardi Gras, one thing that has always remained the same during Ball season is the request for an updo style. Both Johns and Johnson say that clients still request the traditional look.
“The typical hairstyles that have been requested over the years preluding to Mardi Gras Day are elegant updos with the versatility to take down and wrap up for Mardi Gras Day,” Johnson said. “What this means is there are several balls and functions that occur before Mardi Gras Day and often times, clients want flexible hairstyles to work with." Johnson notes that while her clients with natural hair will sometimes get their hair straightened, "lately, however, the trend is protective styling with sew-ins and wigs.”
Don’t think that just because the some of the glitter is gone that the glam of New Orleans hair has followed suit. There are plenty of interesting and eye-catching styles you'll see for Mardi Gras, and you can find them anywhere you turn. Some women wear faded cuts with color and multi-hued braids. Men also like to play with color, and even rock bright wigs.
One thing is for certain, though: Those heading to Mardi Gras still find a way to stand out and show off with their hair every year.
More hair we love:
Now, watch Lupita Nyong'o take a Rosarch test:
