Payot are worn by some men and boys in the Orthodox Jewish community based on an interpretation of the Tanakh's injunction against shaving the "sides" of one's head.

[2] The word pe'a was taken to mean the hair in front of the ears extending to beneath the cheekbone, on a level with the nose (Talmud – Makkot 20a).

[4] There is considerable discussion in the halachic literature as to the precise location of the payot and of the ways in which their removal is prohibited.

[6] Even in some communities where peot are not customary among the men, young boys may grow them until the age of bar mitzvah.

The Lithuanian Jews are less influenced by Kabbalistic practises, but still retain sidelocks to a degree, in a small number of variant styles: