A visual journey through the worst hairstyles in history -

It's impossible to imagine anyone with these hairdos today. Some looked cool, some alright, while others were just bad. Click to know more.

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The tonsure -

The tonsure is the hairstyle traditionally worn by monks. They shave the top of the head but leave a ring of hair (if they have any).

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The tonsure -

Christian monks are celibate and it's thought that this strange-looking hair removal would take away the sexuality or eroticism associated with hair. It definitely worked. 

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The high hairline -

Queen Elizabeth I was a fashion icon during her reign. She was known to be meticulous about her appearance and used lots of cosmetics and hair products. 

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The high hairline -

Queen Elizabeth, like many women at the time, used makeup to whiten her face. The white paste contained toxic chemicals which caused skin damage and hair loss, hence the receding hairlines. 

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The high hairline -

Despite the devastating effects of these practices, Elizabethan women continued to use the dangerous products. Queen Elizabeth was bald by the end of her life.  

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The high hairline -

During the Renaissance, women often hid their hair under caps and headdresses. A high hairline was still admired so they would actually pluck away their hair to make their foreheads look bigger.

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The rat's nest - The extravagant wigs worn during the Rococo period in Europe are iconic. They were made famous by the notorious Marie Antoinette.

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The rat's nest -

While they seem glamorous, it's said that they were incredibly unhygienic. They were made from real human hair and huge amounts of powders and pomades were required to keep them standing. 

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The rat's nest -

The same wigs would be used day after day, and were probably thrown on the bedroom floor after wild parties. They were infested with insects and women used a special rod to scratch their heads. 

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The bowl cut - Jumping forward in history, we have the iconic bowl cut. The embarrassing hairstyle was usually the burden of school boys whose mothers cut their hair using a bowl and kitchen scissors. It was made popular in the 1960s by four boys from Liverpool.

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The bowl cut - The Beatles revolutionized the bowl cut. They broke into the American music scene after their performance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' in 1964. Within days, boys across America were sporting the look.

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The bowl cut 2.0 -

It didn't stop with The Beatles. Cut to Jane Fonda in 1971. The heavy fringed cut became iconic thanks to her mugshot, taken when she was mistakenly arrested for drug smuggling when airport police found vitamins in her bag. 

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The bowl cut 3.0 -

Almost 40 years later, Justin Bieber arrives on the scene. The resemblance is uncanny... 

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Hair metal -

Hair metal was a music genre that developed on the heels of the glam rock movement, led by the likes of David Bowie. It's not hard to see where it got its name. 

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Hair metal -

Hair metal idols like Motley Crue would spend an hour teasing their hair into a wild mop before shows and ply it with the strongest hairspray on the market. 

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The perm -

This was around the same time that the dreaded perm ruled the world. Pictured here is the beloved Stevie Nicks looking like a show poodle. 

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The perm -

A perm is a hairstyle achieved by using a combination of heat and chemicals to leave long lasting curls in the hair. It was invented by a German man in 1906, but we can see here that it was still being used by stars like Nicole Kidman in 1983.

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The mullet perm -

The young Michael Bolton was clearly a Renaissance man when it came to hairstyles. 

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The mullet -

Country singer Bill Ray Cyrus is the king of the mullet. 

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The lady mullet -

Sadly this crime against hair wasn't limited to men. 

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Frosted tips -

The '90s hit us real hard. Just look at those gelled frosted tips. 

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The messy up-do -

In the era of 'Lizzy McGuire' and 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch', this up-do was the height of fashion. 

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Crimping -

The grunge and punk influences of the '90s leaked into mainstream culture, and the results clearly weren't good. 

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The emo cut -

The 2000s brought the reign of the emo, both in music and fashion. 

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The emo cut -

The emo genre was the moody teenager of the music world. The long fringes hanging over the eyes were perfect for brooding. 

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The emo cut -

Bands like Panic! At The Disco and Paramore popularized the style, to the detriment of every '90s kid's social media history. 

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The undercut -

The dubstep DJ Skrillex simultaneously committed heinous crimes against both fashion and music. The shaved side gained troubling popularity throughout the 2010s. 

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See also: -

Hungry for more hot messes? Take a look at the worst fashion trends sported by celebrities. 

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