When you hear the word surfer, there’s a good chance that there’s an instant image that comes to mind. Long-haired, probably blonde, maybe wearing a shark tooth around their neck, talking with a thick California accent.
We’ve all seen surfers in the movies.
But why do surfers have long hair?
Surfers have long hair purely for aesthetic reasons. Since at least the 1950s, surfers have been stereotyped as having long hair. So, the reality is that they don’t all have long hair—just many do, and the long hair is merely a stereotype. Most pros do not have long hair.
So, like many stereotypes, the answer to this question is that they generally don’t.
Many do, of course, but there are presumably just as many surfers without long hair as there are with long hair.
Let’s dive further into the history of this stereotype.
Why do surfers wear their hair down?
There are two ways of looking at this question.
Let’s start by considering the origins of the long-haired surfer stereotype.
Surfing has its origins deep in human history, where surfboard-like boats were used to fish in Peru as far back as 3 to 5 thousand years ago.
It was spread to the US in its current form by native Hawaiians, in the first half of the 20th Century.
It eventually became associated with areas in southern California, which were heavily liberal and heavily influenced by the beatnik and hippie culture of the 1950s and 60s.
Depictions of surfers in media tended to lean into these stereotypes, one of the most important features of which involved long hair.
This was, in many ways, the defining aesthetic feature of the hippie movement.
So, this is where we get the image of long-haired surfers.
And, while it is a stereotype, there’s naturally a bit of truth to it, as well.
You will usually see surfers wearing their hair down rather than tying it up while surfing.
This is because it actually causes fewer tangles to have your hair down while surfing.
It’s also bad for your hair to have it up while it’s wet in the first place.
So, surfers have their hair down because it’s better for it—but surfers don’t have to have long hair!
What is surfer hair called?
Surfer hair is such a strong stereotype that it has even become a way to describe hair separately from any surfing activity.
It’s considered a hairstyle now and is one of many hairstyles you might refer to as tousled.
This means that it is deliberately styled to look messy and unkempt, rather like bedhead.
It looks like it hasn’t been combed or brushed.
This gives an air of ease and of being relaxed about this kind of thing.
Again, this sort of attitude very much has its origins in the youth scene of the 1960s.
Having a messy appearance was a way to stick it to the man, who always required combed and carefully styled hair, as well as clothes and shoes.
Surfer hair was a rejection of that notion.
Remembering, of course, that this is a stereotype and does not apply to all surfers, the social origins of the idea are nonetheless very interesting.
How do surfers deal with long hair?
If you’ve ever had long hair or even if you haven’t, you can probably imagine that maintaining it can become quite a chore.
Constantly surfing in the sea with it must make it even more difficult to deal with.
Even though, as I said, it’s generally better for your hair to have it down while surfing, many will just tie it up anyway and deal with the consequences.
Tying it up is certainly easier for surfing, as it does get it out of your face.
Beyond that, though, once the hair is wet, it’s much easier to push it out of your face.
In terms of hair care, though, if you want your hair looking its best, then there’s going to be a lot of maintenance involved—there’s no way around that.
Shampoo and conditioner, regular visits to the hairdressers for tidying up split ends and avoiding heat treatment.
What about the fact that surfer’s hair turns blonde?
Why do surfers’ hair turn blonde?
So, with enough exposure to the sun, high humidity, and salty water, hair can become damaged and bleached blonde over time.
Obviously, surfers are out in the sun all day sometimes, and this can make anyone’s hair go lighter.
But with the added effects of the water—the salt content, but also the fact that it reflects the sunlight—surfer hair very frequently, and sometimes quite quickly, turns blonde.
You are much more likely to be affected by this if you have red hair or indeed slightly blonde hair to begin with.
Darker-haired individuals may not experience this except on a very low level.
It’s to do with pheomelanin, which is a compound in your body that determines the shade of your hair and of your skin.
So, the answer may be a little bit more boring than you expected.
Surfers really don’t always have long hair, and there is doubtless an equal distribution of hairstyles across surfers.
The stereotypical image of surfers as long-haired originates from the American image of surfers, but surfing is an international phenomenon now.
People from all over the world, with all kinds of hairstyles, like to surf.
