The mohawk is probably the very first radical hairstyle in human history.  In Neolithic times our ancestors’ stylistic hair choices consisted of long dreadlocks and not much else.  Then one day some enterprising caveman fashioned a cutting stone sharp enough to shave a head, and our forebears’ coif options expanded to include bald and not-totally-bald.  The easiest not-totally-bald style was the mohawk, as it’s symmetrical and easy to do oneself, with or without a mirror.

Since then it has been in constant use throughout the ages, from ancient Irish Celts to Ukrainian Cossacks.  Our modern version takes its name from the eponymous Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois Nation (although it’s arguable that the association really stems from an old Technicolor western from the 1930s starring Henry Fonda). Ironically, it’s actually a different tribe, the Pawnee, whose traditional hair most closely resembles what we today call a mohawk.

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Medium Mohawk and Beard

An example of the more toned-down version that maintains its edge. The mohawk is already an aggressive look, a beard only adds to the style. The sides here are simply shaved right up to the TFT’s edges, so very doable yourself if you’ve got the steady hands to pull it off!

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Curly Drop Faded Trendy Mohawk

As you can see here, a mohawk and curls can be combined into one super edgy hairstyle. And it doesn’t take much effort either — just wear your natural curls thick and casual at the top, give the sides a drop fade, and you’ve got yourself an attention-grabbing ‘do.

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Long Mohawk Design

When the look burst back on the scene during the first wave of punk rock in the 1970s, it embodied the ideological spirit of a generation of frustrated youths fed up with a society that wanted them to fit in at the expense of any individuality. So they grew their hair long in protest, sheared off the sides, and blasted the long center into feral spikes using anything that worked, from egg whites to Elmer’s Glue to Aquanet hairspray. Extra ‘tude points for an additional mini-hawk on either side. Oi! Oi! Oi! Indeed!