Hasidic Jewish men have those distinctive curls on the sides of their heads because of a religious commandment in the Torah, not as a fashion choice. The curls, called payot (also written payos, peyot), are grown and not shaved to fulfill the verse in Leviticus 19:27, which is interpreted as forbidding cutting the “corners” of the head.

What the curls are

  • The sidelocks are called payot in Hebrew, meaning “corners.”
  • Traditional Jewish legal interpretation understands “do not round the corners of your head” as: do not remove the hair around the temples, in the area between the eye and the middle of the ear, above a certain facial bone.
  • Hasidic and many other ultra‑Orthodox men therefore leave that hair uncut, often letting it grow long and forming visible curls.

Why Hasidic Jews keep them

  • The main reason is religious : payot are a way to literally keep this commandment and to carry a constant, visible reminder of God’s law on the body.
  • Over time, the practice also became a strong marker of group identity and continuity with past generations; in Hasidic communities it signals belonging and commitment to a traditional lifestyle.
  • For many men, caring for their payot is part of a daily ritual after morning washing and prayers, reinforcing that sense of devotion.

Why they look like curls or ringlets

  • Jewish law requires not cutting the hair in that zone, but it does not require a specific style; the “ringlet” look comes from custom, not from the text itself.
  • Many Hasidic men twist, roll, or lightly set the sidelocks so they form neat spirals that stay in place through the day.
  • Some use a bit of pomade or simply twist damp hair around a finger or small roller and let it dry into a coil.

Different styles in different groups

  • Not all Hasidic or Orthodox men wear payot the same way; the exact look often reflects which community they belong to.
  • In some groups (for example, Satmar or Belz), the payot are long, tight, circular curls that rest clearly along the cheeks.
  • In others (like many Chabad/Lubavitch), the sidelocks may be left looser, tucked behind the ear, or kept shorter and less conspicuous, while still observing the no‑shaving rule in that zone.

When the curls start, and who wears them

  • Boys in many traditional communities have their first haircut at about age three, in a ceremony called an upsherin; after that, the payot are left to grow.
  • The practice is specific to men and boys, since it is tied to commandments about beards and the corners of the head that are applied to males.
  • Married Hasidic women have their own hair‑related modesty rules—typically covering their hair with scarves (tichels) or wigs (sheitels)—but they do not wear payot.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.