TikTok craze sees teen lads getting perms like 1970s footie stars
Michael Hansen
Published Sep 01, 2026
HAIR we go again! Teenage lads are getting perms like 1970s footie stars thanks to a new TikTok craze.
But the curly mop wannabes are having to turn to old school hair salons for their retro barnets as modern stylists have never done them.
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Trend-setting teens risk looking like action replays of Liverpool midfielder Terry McDermott, England legend Kevin Keegan and Arsenal’s centre forward Alan Sunderland.
The craze started last year in the US — but has spread to the UK.
Hairdresser Katie Pearce told The Sun: “We get a couple of requests for perms every day now, which we haven’t had since I first started in the 1980s.
“It’s all teenage boys and lads in their 20s. You’re talking tightly rolled short hair close to the scalp — but you need a bit of length for it.”
Perm clips posted on TikTok have so far had nearly one billion views.
British user @itsdanhz posted his new style and wrote: “So I decided to get a perm. What do you think?”
Curly-haired celebs like US actor Timothee Chalamet, 25 — star of the forthcoming Dune film — are also thought to be an influence.
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