Nowadays, the saying, “big hair don’t care” has become synonymous with large, luxurious curls and full, beautiful blowouts. But back in the 1960s, the popular phrase applied to an entirely different look.

Armed with multiple bottles of hair spray and seemingly industrial-grade blow dryers and curlers, women would put themselves through the ringer to achieve a sky-high hairdo that defied gravity. When you see these super-popular styles, you’ll be grateful it’s not the ’60s anymore.

1. There’s gotta be a small creature living in there.

2. The beehive ‘do wasn’t enough, so she added a mullet for good measure.

3. Even shorter styles could be made to look large.

4. How much hairspray was needed to maintain those carefully crafted curls?

5. This is the haute helmet hair look.

6. But achieving these chic ‘dos was anything but easy. Some styles took hours to perfect.