Gypsy Hairstyles

Hairstyle for a gypsy look
Photo: Alexander G/Shutterstock
Q: What is a gypsy hairstyle?
 
A: The term 'gypsy hairstyle' generally refers to long hair with large, loose curls or waves. The style has seen resurgence in popularity in recent years. The gypsy hairstyle tends to be soft and romantic, can include soft twists, fishtail braids, or ornamentation such as flowers, jewels, scarves, etc. but always means loose and at the very least, wavy.
 
The hairstyle gets its name from the common look of the hair of the people referred to as "gypsies" in the modern vernacular - they are also called 'Travellers' and Roma, or simply 'The Rom'. These names refer to people of a particular ancestry who were known historically (and in some cases, today) as nomadic, tribal people who traveled in small communities.
 
Roma have been persecuted and enslaved countless times over the last thousand years. Because of their exoticness and their general preference for a way of life foreign to most people in a given society - namely one that is more isolationist, with minimal contact with non-Roma - Roma were met with a mixture of interest/curiosity and contempt/vilification.
 
The Roma were originally from India and were a mixture of ethnic peoples who melded into a community that has added to itself from virtually every culture in which they have lived. Generally speaking, they most often had dark or black hair that was thick and wavy or naturally curly. Another good descriptor for the hair of many Roma is "bushy", though not in the sense that ethnic Africans have "bushy" hair.
 
There is no one "specific" gypsy hairstyle or haircut. The term refers more to the general look and feel of a hairstyle and the fact that it is typically long and high in volume. It could have bushy waves or masses of large, loose curls. And while traditionally, Roma had dark hair, a gypsy hairstyle can be any shade.
 
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See also:
 
How to create barrel curls & spiral curls with a curling iron
 
How to wear flowers in your hair
 
How do you create bouncy curls with a flat iron?
 
Can you please tell me what the 70s gypsy cut was?