Rod Stewart has done a lot in music, but his hair is almost as famous as his voice. Fans know him for hits like Maggie May and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?, yet his wild, spiky, blonde hair has been part of his identity from day one. It is bold, bright, and full of life even now in 2025 as he turns 80.
Over the years, his look has shifted from mod-style roots to big rock layers, soft feathers, and the sharp spikes he still loves today. His hair has changed with every stage of his career, but the attitude behind it has stayed the same.
This guide walks through each era to show how his style grew into a true rock symbol.
Early Years: The Mod Era (1960s)
Rod’s hair in the early 1960s was very different from the loud blonde spikes we know now. He started with short, dark hair that was sleek or lightly tousled in old black-and-white photos. When he became known as “Rod the Mod” around 1963, his signature shape appeared.
He styled his hair into a spiky rooster look with the help of sugar water, strong lacquer, and a lot of backcombing. He even used his hands to shield the spikes from the wind while walking to gigs.
The look matched the mod culture of the time and fit well with his early folk and busking days. Fans still talk about how even the wind at Highgate Underground station could not flatten it.
Breakthrough and Shaggy Phase (Late 1960s to Early 1970s)
This is the part where the classic Rod Stewart shaggy hair really starts to show up. When he joined the Jeff Beck Group and later Faces, the whole vibe shifted. He went from dark mod spikes to that messy, blonde, feathered Rod Stewart hairstyle everyone still copies today.
His hair got longer, hit the shoulders, and picked up those light layers with a soft fringe. It always looked like he just rolled out of a backstage nap, but in a cool rock star way.
A quick blow-dry, some lacquer, and he had that big, bouncy texture that carried him straight into the Maggie May era. And honestly, this is the moment most fans point to when they think of peak early-Rod hair.
The Golden Era: Mullet and Feathered Glory (Mid-1970s to Early 1980s)
This is the Rod Stewart mullet era everyone talks about. If someone says “classic Rod hair,” they’re usually picturing this exact phase. The cut had that sharp, spiky top in the front and a long, feathery flow in the back. It was blonde, loud, and full of movement. Basically the blueprint for every rock-n-roll mullet that came after.
He leaned hard into the blow-dried, highlighted look during hits like Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?. The hair was huge, bright, and impossible to ignore. Sometimes he added headbands on stage, sometimes he slicked it back for a cleaner version, but the Rod Stewart feathered mullet stayed the star.
Fans still rank it as one of the best celebrity mullets ever, and honestly, it fits the wild ‘70s and early ‘80s better than almost anything else he wore.
Mature Rock Star Variations (1980s to 1990s)
Rod’s hair in this era settles into the version most people picture when they think of Rod Stewart spiky hair. The mullet fades out, but the volume and texture stay. His hair becomes shorter, cleaner, and more refined, while still keeping that bold rock-star shape.
What Changed in This Phase
- The spikes became sharper but more controlled
- The blonde highlights turned into a permanent trademark
- The mullet softened into a short, textured back
- The overall look felt more polished for TV and red-carpet events
Key Moments
- Photos with Kelly Emberg in the late ’80s
- VH1 Artist of the Year promos in the early ’90s
- Performances where he switched between spiky, wispy, or lightly slicked styles
Even with these tweaks, the core Rod Stewart hairstyle never disappeared. He found a balance between that wild rock energy and a more mature, confident style.
Modern Era: The Eternal Spiky Mop (2000s to 2025)
By the 2000s, Rod settled into the look fans now call the Rod Stewart spiky mop. It’s shorter, bright, and full of that electric texture he’s kept for decades. Even as the blonde slowly mixed with silver, he never let the style lose its spark. At 80 in 2025, the man still walks on stage with the same lifted, highlighted, lively hair that made him instantly recognizable years ago.
What Defines This Era
- Short, choppy spikes with soft blonde and lowlight blends
- A brighter front with slightly longer sides for lift
- Natural gray peeking through without losing the “Rod” feel
- A shape that stays full even with age
Standout Sightings
- 2009 Chelsea Flower Show
- 2013 Toronto performance
- 2025 FIREAID Benefit Concert, where the Rod Stewart modern spiky look came back bigger and brighter
He even jokes that Cyndi Lauper has been “borrowing” his spiky style since the late ’80s. And honestly, this era proves that his hair is more than a trend. It’s part of who he is.
Secrets to Maintaining the Iconic Hair
People always wonder how Rod Stewart hair stays that spiky, bright, and full even after six decades. The truth is a mix of salon work, home tricks, and plain old good genetics. His routine has changed over the years, but the goal has always been the same: keep the texture big and keep the blonde fresh.
How He Keeps It Looking Sharp
- Regular salon visits for blonde highlights and lowlights every few weeks
- Precision cuts that keep the spikes light and choppy
- Products with hold, especially lacquer-style sprays for lift
- Healthy scalp care, which keeps the texture thick
The Fun Extras
He’s joked about home fixes like rubbing mayonnaise into the hair for strength, then towel-rubbing it to get that rough, spiky feel. Trichologists also credit his naturally thick hair for helping the style last this long. He even wrote a chapter about his hair in his autobiography, which tells you how central the Rod Stewart hairstyle is to his identity.
No matter the decade, he never strays far from that spiky, rock-ready look.
Cultural Impact and Legacy
The influence of Rod Stewart hairstyles is huge. His spiky, feathered, and mullet phases didn’t just shape his image — they shaped rock-n-roll hair culture itself. Fans copied him, stylists referenced him, and other artists openly admitted they borrowed bits of his look. His hair became part of the pop-culture conversation, often joked about, praised, or ranked among the most iconic styles in music.
Why His Hair Still Matters
- It created the classic “rooster hair” nickname
- It inspired celebrity looks, including Cyndi Lauper’s long-running spiky style
- It helped fuel the modern mullet revival
- It stayed bold even as he aged, proving that style doesn’t have an age limit
What Makes It Timeless
The Rod Stewart iconic hair works because it matches his personality. It’s energetic, loud, and full of attitude. Even memes and urban legends about his hair only boosted its fame. Across six decades, the look never faded out of the spotlight. Instead, it became a symbol of rock confidence that still shows up on stage, on TV, and in fan nostalgia posts today.
Conclusion
Looking back at every phase, the Rod Stewart hairstyle tells its own story. It began with sharp mod spikes, grew into the blond shag that took over the early ’70s, then exploded into the legendary mullet that ruled rock style for years. After that came the clean, spiky variations of the ’80s and ’90s, followed by the bright, choppy modern look he still wears today.
Each stage shows how his hair evolved, but the attitude behind it stayed the same. Bold. Fun. Full of life. Even at 80, he still walks out with that same spark. It proves one thing clearly: great hair and great music never go out of style, and Rod Stewart is living proof of it.
