Bouffant is a puffy rounded hairstyle where the hair is raised high on the head. In one variety it covers the ears or in another it is hanging down the sides. It comes from the French word bouffer – to puff up. It draws inspiration from the beehive.
This style started picking up in the 1950s due to the revival engineered by Raymond Bessone in England – revival of the pouf hairstyle of the 18th century used by aristocratic society in France.
Bouffant – the hairstyle of 1960s became famous because of Jacqueline F Kennedy. 1960s and 1970s saw many cine stars in Bollywood sporting this hairstyle. A bouffant hairstyle would be sported with a flower tucked in on one side. It was such a rage during that period that every party, wedding, and other functions would have at least a few ladies having this hairstyle. Those with scanty or short hair could use this style to make it look as if they have plenty of thick hair.
It had to be paired with the correct set of clothes to make it look special. A long evening gown or traditional silk sarees work very well with this style.
It is not one type of hairdo. There are many sub-varieties within it. There could be a beehive style or hair covering the ears with a smaller puff or hair falling on the sides with a higher puff or even with a small braid on the side.
The hair on top of the head was raised by backcombing it with a comb to create a pile on the top. The hair on the front was lightly combed over the pile to make it look smooth. The outer hair could be left open or cut or curled or braided.
Sometimes a nylon mesh would be used to get the required height.. A further set of artificial hair could be added at the back. In order to ensure that it stayed in place without hairpins, a hair spray or lacquer was applied
It faded out sometime in the 1980s. However it is a making a huge comeback with many actors such as Deepika, Aishwarya and Priyanka sporting this hairstyle in functions and parties.
It seems as though this style is back for some time to come.
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