The Hairstyles I Coveted in my Teen Years

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It was pretty much bouncing between the Olsen twins and The John Frieda twins.

Apparently, I had a twin thing that I was focused on.

I had a job for a very brief time at Ulta when I was in high school. I was attending beauty school as well as high school at the same time. While I was there I would always make my way through the shampoo aisle and check out the John Freida ads with the blonde twins and absolutely obsess over their hair.

It was perfectly piece-y and textured, and I loved the cooler blonde tone from the woman on the left. It didn’t take long to get into beauty school and chop my hair off to an angled bob, and I was forever trying to duplicate the texture from these models.

I also loved the Olsen twins’ hair, especially Ashley Olsen.

This low updo was what dreams were made of and the side part and piece-y bangs were perfection.

I also loved it when they curled parts of their hair but left some of it straight. I thought it was so edgy and cool. I wasn’t able to ever really duplicate it because I always leaned towards symmetry and “not a hair out of place” with my own hair, but I longed to be able to duplicate almost any of their styles.

Before high school, I remember bringing a photo that I had printed from our home computer of Mary Kate or Ashley, I cannot remember which one, into the salon. The hair was highlighted blonde and there were two more pronounced blonde streaks right at the front hairline. I was obsessed with the color.

Ultimately my hair looked nothing like the photo I brought in, but I never stopped loving the definition and contrast in their color!

It doesn’t seem right to end this post sharing what I WISH my hair looked like without showing you what my hair actually looked like in high school.

It was a pretty solid mix of texture, blonde, twisted tendrils and lots of flipping the ends out at my shoulders.

 

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Jennifer says · 01.28.20

This post was so fun! brought me back to my love for the Olsen twins and their fabulous blonde hair!

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Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says · 01.28.20

So nostalgic! I remember when layers were all the rage! ❤️✨

Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com

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SuzyM says · 01.28.20

I always loved the John Frieda models too! I think I still have a cutout picture in my old haircuts binder! Your hair always looks great. I have been curious about getting an Air Brush, but once I looked at the one by Revlon. It’s huge! It looks more awkward than just using a brush and a blowdryer. I have never mastered the art of blowdrying!

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Jennifer says · 01.28.20

I loved their hair, too!!

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Sherry says · 01.28.20

This post is awesome, oh how we all obsess over someone else’s hair….in our teen years and also at 53 years old. I don’t remember the names of models or actresses that I obsessed over back then, but I spent many hours obsessing about the hair and makeup of the young girls in my Teen magazine, now it is blogs and Pinterest.

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Keris says · 01.28.20

I love this post! Now, get on that Jennifer Aniston/Friends hair post. I recently just rewatched Friends since it was leaving Netflix and I was obsessing over her hair.

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Anna says · 01.28.20

Gotta love the shoulder length hair flip! I was always obsessed with Reese Witherspoon’s hair in Sweet Home Alabama.

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Kate says · 01.28.20

omg YES you are right. Her hair was amazing there!

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Sarah Lea says · 01.28.20

Me too!! I tried to style my hair like hers my entire freshman year of college!

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Shy says · 01.29.20

That was/is one of the few short cuts I was obsessed with too! Now I want to re-watch that movie.

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Ashleigh says · 01.29.20

I cut my almost waist length hair and did at-home blonde highlights (not my finest hour) to get the Sweet Home Alabama look In 8th grade!

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Lindsay says · 01.30.20

She’s always had such beautiful hair!

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Michele says · 01.28.20

Oh, the Olsen twins had great hair game. Then they stopped smiling…ever.

I thought I was the only one who ever coveted that look!

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Kate says · 01.28.20

Omg I LOVE the photo of you in the halter top. I always wanted to do the “twisted rows of hair with a clip on each one” look in high school, but even then I knew it wasn’t the look for me. This takes me back to 1999!

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Keris Fleck says · 01.28.20

This post is so fun! Now get on that Jennifer Aniston/Friends hair post! I recently rewatched friends since it was leaving Netflix and her hair was always great!

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Kelly says · 01.28.20

I was obsessed with the Olsen twins’ hair lol!! I so wanted to look like them! Petite, adorable, perfect hair….while I on the other hand am nearly 6′ tall, size 11 shoe, anything but petite, with hair that never obeys me hahah!! Super fun post!!

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Schea says · 01.28.20

I also LOVED the Olsen twins’ hair too! It was so cute no matter how they styled it! Thanks for taking me down memory lane. 😂

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Bethany says · 01.28.20

I can definitely tell we are similar in age because I had the same hair style obsessions as a teenager!!! I always wished I could do the messy/piece-y look, but my attempts just looked sloppy!

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Jamie says · 01.28.20

Fun post! You certainly need to do one on the Friends hairstyles also! I would love to know styling tips for Monica’s hair in season 8, long layers, not curled but not stick straight.
Thanks for all you do!

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Leigh Ann says · 01.28.20

She was hair goals for me!

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Michelle says · 01.28.20

I definitely would have been coveting your hair in high school!!!

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Rachel E Doty says · 01.28.20

This is fantastic! I spent my high school years similarly obsessed with the Olsens (and maybe I still am a little obsessed with them), butterfly clips, short/textured hair, and bright colored eye shadows.

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Kate says · 01.28.20

butterfly clippppssss!!!! They were everything!

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carrie says · 01.28.20

Love this post! That updo is so so cute.

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Heather says · 01.28.20

Such a fun post – I always *loved* Jennifer Aniston’s bob (the one she apparently hated) so, so, so much. The one that was just brushing her collar bone and shoulders – honestly I still love it! Unfortunately my extremely thick hair was never thinned out enough at the ends to make it work, but I sure did try!

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LindsayG says · 01.28.20

Omg, more photos of high school Kate, please!! 🙂 As someone with curly hair, I remember coveting all these piece-y tousled cuts that would NEVER work on me. But I also loved the streaky highlights, and I was definitely able to do those! It was a good era to be blonde.

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Veronica says · 01.28.20

Such a fun post! I loved the Olsen twins’ hair too! My hair idol was Hilary Duff. All of her styles on Lizzie McGuire and then her side bangs lol! But she is still hair goals for me to this day!

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Meredith says · 01.28.20

Yes! It’s like reading my own thoughts from the early 00’s!

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Jodie says · 01.28.20

I love the flash back! And I would love a longer post of your hair style journey! It is so fun to see the trends we all gobbled up in the last few decades.

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Anna says · 01.28.20

Loved reading this post, so fun! I too LOVED the Olsen twins’ hair styles! My mom is a hair stylist so I loved being a guinea pig and us trying out new styles!!

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Tracy says · 01.28.20

I love this more than anything. I have always loved the exact same things for my hair, loved the Olsen twins hair, and obsessed with getting those blond pieces (first time I did it myself and did two chunky pieces right in front). This is probably why you are my favorite and watching your tutorials has been a game changer for me! Your hair is so similar to mine so it’s great to see “okay, I CAN get mine to do this!” …thanks so much!

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Sam says · 01.28.20

Did you go to Wheaton-Warrenville South?

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Anonymous says · 01.28.20

Yes she did

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Lindsey H. says · 01.28.20

Such a fun post! I remember wanting Mary Kate and Ashley’s hair styles too! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

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Michele says · 01.28.20

Oh my gosh this takes me back. My primary hairstyle inspiration was Kelly Taylor in Beverly Hills 90210.
It’s so funny to see old pics of myself, because you could have dropped me into that show and my clothes and hair and makeup would have fit right in.

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Melissa says · 01.28.20

Girl, you hit the highlight on the head with this post!! I had the front bleached out streaks on a textured bob, and loved Ashley’s layers too. Such a “look” right?? You made me laugh remembering those hairstyles we all loved

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Krysta Smith says · 01.28.20

I brought so many pictures of the Olsen Twins to my hairstylist for inspiration for my hair cuts growing up!!

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Emily says · 01.28.20

Yes!!! The Olsen twin partial curled straight hair was everything. I always wanted to recreate that but 1. I have brunette hair and it never looked right and 2. Well let’s just say I wasn’t very handy with the old school hair tools back in the day.

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Mayra says · 01.28.20

What?!??! No Jennifer Aniston hair? I thought EVERYONE wanted her hair back then.

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Michele says · 01.29.20

Not me! Literally everyone in my school has The Rachel, so I was stubbornly against it. Then when I finally went and changed my hair to a chin length bob, she went and cut her hair a week later and everyone was like “OMG, you look like Jennifer Anniston” and I was like “NOOOO!” NOt because she isn’t amazing or her hair isn’t stellar, but because I didn’t want to jump on the Jenny train like literally everyone else I ever knew.

But she has way more money than I’ll ever have, so maybe she’s on to something😂

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Kendra A. says · 01.28.20

Oh my gosh I loved the Olson twins too! I actually got Ashley’s cut in the first pic when I was in high school, and LOVED it. When I curled it, people always told me my hair looked “angelic,” and there was no bigger compliment (especially at age 17) 😆

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Jamie Preston says · 01.28.20

Your hair looked way better in High School than mine ever did! lol I used way to many store bought hair dye kits and then the chunky highlights with blonde and dark brown were super in…I never did that and I am thankful! haha Love this post, it fun to see how people looked when they were younger

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Kate says · 01.28.20

Oh my GOSH the John Freida twin on the left was my ultimate hair goal!! I LOVE the blast from the past photos of you from the late 90s / early 00s! You would’ve been at the HEIGHT of coolness! Xoxo

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Katie says · 01.28.20

How fun!! I could agree more on both sets of twins! I love edgy!! On others 😂

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Danielle says · 01.28.20

Yes!!! This is what my hair dreams were made of!!!

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Lauren says · 01.28.20

I wanted the Rachel, but mine ended up looking more like the Monica. That awful short shag thing 😂

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Amie Haroldsen says · 01.28.20

You’re adorable! And yes that low bun looks awesome.

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Brenda says · 01.28.20

For me, it was Molly Ringwald. Gosh I wanted her hair. I wanted to look like her… I wanted to BE her! (I obviously am dating myself here!)

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Cathy says · 01.28.20

Ahhhh….yes, the flipped ends!!! I had that for YEARS!!!!!! I ACTUALLY still love a flip every now and then! Lol I see Sweet Em in your cheer photo!!

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Christie says · 01.28.20

Love this! I’ve had so many hair obsessions lol 😂 Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, the Olsen twins, Heather Locklear and I can’t leave out Jaclyn Smith!! So many more! Loved your post and thanks for the memories 😊

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Fiona says · 01.29.20

Because we’re pretty close in age- I can totally relate to *needing* piecy short bobs and everything your hair is doing in those photos. Love it!

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Trish says · 01.29.20

Ah!! We loved the same hair styles back in the day haha! I even had my hair twisted up with clips for my gr.8 grad like the middle picture of you lol. I love that you shared this!

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when is says · 01.29.20

Very sweet. God bless you.

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Ashleigh says · 01.29.20

I definitely remember taking that picture of Ashley Olsen to my hairdresser more than once! And Rachel Bilson on The O.C. had great layers I was always trying to duplicate!

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Marybeth says · 01.29.20

Ashley Olsen gave me LIFE. Ugh I wanted her hair so badly. And Hilary Duff. Actually, still Hilary Duff. Also, you pulled off the bandana way better than I ever could. But I sure tried! 🙂

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Jill says · 01.29.20

I agree with others that an every-5-years (or major changes) look at your hair since this time would be SO SO fun!!!

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Allison says · 01.29.20

I am loving this post! I coveted Jennie Garth’s hair in Beverly Hills 90210… not when she was in high school, but when she was in college and then after; it was super blonde with piecey bits of brown and caramel and man … it was SO.CUTE.

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Jamie says · 01.30.20

Oh my gosh, I loved the olsen’s hair as well! It’s funny how you talk about their partially curled hair because I totally tried to recreate it and I failed miserably! Seeing those pictures again make me wonder if I should try to pull it off again! Lol!

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Katie says · 02.01.20

I loved the Olsen twins growing up too. I also had flipped out hair in high school too. LOL.

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Lindsey Rich says · 02.02.20

I love this! I’m pretty sure I had all of these styles as well. My best friend in high school had long brown straight hair from kindergarten on. I saw a picture of her recently and she still has the same hair at 37! I had at least 20 different hair style since then 😂 I was always wanting something new. I’m that way to this day.

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Hannah says · 02.02.20

Sometimes I still want this hair!
Most of the time I just want yours. You are hair goals!

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Caryn says · 02.02.20

Love this post! I’d love more photos of you! You have amazing hair!!!!

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ac says · 02.02.20

Are we twins? They were my hairstyle goals in the late 90s and early aughts, too. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

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Sydni Jackson says · 02.10.20

That picture on the right is so Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I love it 🙂

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Kelsey says · 02.11.20

I’m glad I’m not the only one who was obsessed with MK&A hair! All my haircuts in middle school through junior high we’re based off their hair!

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Kelsey Farley says · 02.12.20

Yesssss. I LOVED those Olsen twins and all their hair!! Definitely a favorite. Did you ever watch the tv show when they were older?

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Tiny Tina says · 04.30.20

I love the hair styles of the twins too!!
google.com

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Manu Manchanda says · 05.05.20

Hi The small things,
I liked the article “I coveted in my teen year”.where solid mix of texture ,blonde,twisted etc fall at my shoulders. I liked the pics.

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Deborah Oakley says · 09.30.21

I’ve got a few years on you. I was constantly trying to recreate the Meg Ryan and Ashley Judd look. The short, piecey, flips. I’d still wear that style today. Might need to find my old photos!

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